Over my Target Heart Rate, should I worry?

bethira

When I stated going to my local gym, I avoided classes like ebola. I was 270+ lbs, and those classes were held in rooms with lots of mirrors. Mirrors and sweating and fat ... OH MY! I have since learned to embrace the class. I love Zumba, Body Pump and Tae Bo. However (especially in Zumba and Tae Bo) I can be well over my target heart rate, often hitting in the 160 - 165 range. And I can stay at that higher range for minutes at a time depending on how intense the routine is.

Part of me is saying I should decrease the intensity until I'm down to my target heart rate, but I hate failure, and that is just what that feels like. Plus I feel fine, if anything hurt, I would slow down, but it doesn't. So just what is the deal with target heart rate and do I need to worry if I'm going over?