What heart rate do I shoot for?
morf13
Posts: 151 Member
I'm going to start exercising, mostly treadmill & stationary bike,aiming for 30-40 minutes 3-4 days a week. What heart rate do I shoot for? I know that heart rate is important in getting best cardio workout to see results, but what number am I aiming for? I am sure my number will not be the same as somebody who is a marathon runner in perfect health. Also, is there a dangerous number to avoid,or to know when I am over doing it?
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It is not all that important. You can use it as a guide if you are training for an endurance event, but for general fitness and weight loss it means very little.
You will burn roughly the same calories if you run a mile in 7 minutes as you burn if you run the same mile in 12 minutes. Don't overthink this.
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220bpm - your age = Max heartrate
Best between 60 - 80% of your max heartrate
Then lets say 1 - 2 time a week you go to 90% of your max heartrate to improve your endurance3 -
220bpm - your age = Max heartrate
Best between 60 - 80% of your max heartrate
Then lets say 1 - 2 time a week you go to 90% of your max heartrate to improve your endurance
If I used that formula I would be way under my max. At 47 my actual max is 185. I know this because I tested it.
Again, it means very little. However, doing anything that hard when you first start out will lead to injury. Slow and steady wins the race....1 -
I am 47 my max would average around 173-175 according to most formulas. I've never tested it (as in going until I see God), but I frequently exercise between 80-90% of my max. My RHR is as low as 40 most days. I've been at it for a year and a half, six days a week, and doc says my heart is very strong and my max HR is likely higher than normal as well. She says I have a very athletic heart thanks to all the cardio over the years, but that I should probably stick to around 80% if possible. Usually when I'm on my elliptical/stair stepper or running, if I hit 160 that's my queue to slow down and chill for a while, but I'll average 145-150 on a regular basis when out jogging. Walking it drops down to 100bpm or lower at times. Everyone is different, shoot for 80% of your max, and allow yourself to burst higher at times if you feel up to it. Over time your heart, like any other muscle, will get stronger.0
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220bpm - your age = Max heartrate
Best between 60 - 80% of your max heartrate
Then lets say 1 - 2 time a week you go to 90% of your max heartrate to improve your endurance
This formula puts me WAY under my max HR. This tells me to target 150-160 BPM, and at that level I'm barely working.1 -
Anything above zero! The only time I really focus on heart rate is when I am trying to improve my time or endurance for a race or training. If you are starting out I would run for comfort (you can have a conversation) and slowly build from that. I do track mine (Fit Bit Blaze) but rarely look at it. It is interesting to overlay it with my running app, makes it easy to spot the hills.0
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Unless you have some sort of medical condition, heart rate isn't going to matter unless you're simply not working hard enough. For weight loss, your intensity level and calorie burn is much more important than being in any "zone"2
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NorthCascades wrote: »
I don't think that was the point. IF you're on your feet, (walk, vs run, vs jog) a mile is a mile.
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The OP said he plans to use a stationary bike. A mile is still a mile on a bike because a mile is a unit of distance, but the faster you take that mile on a bike, the more calories you typically burn.2
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Those HR formulas are useless for close to 50% of the population. If I used it, I would have to stay at a ridiculously slow shuffle. My max is > 210, kinda-sorted tested with a couple of mile 'sprints'. A typical HR range for me when running at a comfortable speed for 5+ miles is 175-185. It has nothing to do with fitness or resting HR either - mine's pretty low at < 50.
OP, don't worry about your heart rate when running, especially starting out. Run at a speed where you can still talk in complete sentences. Do that until you can run as long as you want to be able to go, then you can gradually increase speed, incline, etc, if that's what you want to do.
I would imagine similar advice holds for bicycling, but that's not really my area.0 -
Rather than focusing on actual numbers right away my suggestion would be to base everything on perceived effort for now.
Most of your runs or rides should be at a pace that feels like work but is also one at which you can carry on a conversation. You're building your aerobic base right now, once you've been at it a little while you can do a threshold test to determine an approximate max HR (220 - your age is completely arbitrary and was originally intended for recovering heart attack patients) which will be different between biking & running. Once you know what you r approx threshold is you can base your zones around those.
As an illustration of how useless 220- your age is .....I'm 60 so my max should be 160 right? A couple of weeks ago I was riding some hills and my HR actually hit 180 very briefly. I was short of breath & definitely felt like I was working my butt off (caveat.....I've been running & cycling consistently for close to a decade now, I would not recommend anyone just getting back into things to try pushing it that hard) but i didn't pass out or feel bad after.
Your "dangerous" number would be one at which you're gasping for breath and feeling light headed.....2 -
Thanks for all the responses, my Dr had said shoot for the 80's0
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You will burn roughly the same calories if you run a mile in 7 minutes as you burn if you run the same mile in 12 minutes. Don't overthink this.
The faster you run, the more miles you can run in a given amount of time so long as you run at a speed you can maintain for the entire duration. You can run 8.6 miles in an hour of 7 minute miles, or just 5 miles in an hour of 12 minute miles, so running a 7 minute pace burns 72% more calories per hour.
OP, @BrianSharpe gave you the best answer, I think.
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220bpm - your age = Max heartrate
Best between 60 - 80% of your max heartrate
Then lets say 1 - 2 time a week you go to 90% of your max heartrate to improve your endurance
This is a good rule of thumb for OP who is a new exerciser and wants a general guideline. And to answer OP question, a dangerous level would be above 80% until you become as well conditioned as the other people in this thread who disagree with this guideline. At age 45 with 150 lb to lose, as stated in your profile, I would urge you to get medical clearance if you haven't already done so, and discuss target HR with the doc. Also consider starting by walking 45 min per day and see how you do with that.0 -
Thanks for all the responses, my Dr had said shoot for the 80's
Wow - that's low!
What is your resting HR?
Agree with @BrianSharpe - perceived effort is absolutely fine, you don't need to complicate things.0 -
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MsRuffBuffNStuff wrote: »I don't think that was the point. IF you're on your feet, (walk, vs run, vs jog) a mile is a mile.
Walking a mile burns about half of the energy that running a mile does, but there isn't a huge difference in expenditure at different running or walking paces. Essentially the original point; cals from a 7 minute mile are close enough to cals from a 12 minute mile to be the same.
A similar situation applies to cycling, so while it's correct to assert that speed makes a difference, that's largely on a time based measure as one travels further in given time. There is a point where energy consumption does increase significantly on a bike though, at about 20mph, as wind resistance becomes a much bigger factor. That's not an issue on a static bike though.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »A similar situation applies to cycling, so while it's correct to assert that speed makes a difference, that's largely on a time based measure as one travels further in given time.
Absolutely false.
To double your speed on a bike, you burn 8 times more calories per second. For example: it takes ~160 watts (~575 kCal/hour) to do 20 mph on a road bike. It takes ~320 watts (~1,150 kCal/hour) to do 25 mph on the same bike.
This is because at higher speeds, most of the work you do on a bicycle goes to overcoming air resistance. Unlike mechanical friction, air resistance varies with speed.
You can verify this by reading Saint Sheldon, or with an online calculator. Or by talking to anyone who's ever been on a bike before, it's really common knowledge.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »A similar situation applies to cycling, so while it's correct to assert that speed makes a difference, that's largely on a time based measure as one travels further in given time.
Absolutely false.
To double your speed on a bike, you burn 8 times more calories per second. For example: it takes ~160 watts (~575 kCal/hour) to do 20 mph on a road bike. It takes ~320 watts (~1,150 kCal/hour) to do 25 mph on the same bike.
This is because at higher speeds, most of the work you do on a bicycle goes to overcoming air resistance. Unlike mechanical friction, air resistance varies with speed.
You can verify this by reading Saint Sheldon, or with an online calculator. Or by talking to anyone who's ever been on a bike before, it's really common knowledge.
OP is on a stationary bike. My original comment stands. He (and a lot of folks on this forum) are making this way too complicated. Save that for when you are racing or training for a race.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »The OP said he plans to use a stationary bike. A mile is still a mile on a bike because a mile is a unit of distance, but the faster you take that mile on a bike, the more calories you typically burn.
On a stationary bike, it just means you burn the calories faster. You will still burn the same amount of calories in a mile whether you do it in 5 minutes or 6 minutes. It's different on a road bike where wind resistance comes into the equation.
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BrianSharpe wrote: »
I took that to mean maxing out in the 80th percentile of HR Max, not a HR of 80. If that's the case you either need a new doc or you really can't exercise at all.
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220bpm - your age = Max heartrate
Best between 60 - 80% of your max heartrate
Then lets say 1 - 2 time a week you go to 90% of your max heartrate to improve your endurance
That's an awful formula..it puts my supposed best at 102- 136... that's barely trying
Or I generally workout at 95% of my "max" - I have to say I'm no endurance athlete0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »To double your speed on a bike, you burn 8 times more calories per second. For example: it takes ~160 watts (~575 kCal/hour) to do 20 mph on a road bike. It takes ~320 watts (~1,150 kCal/hour) to do 25 mph on the same bike.
So for two hours at 5mph personally I'll cover 10 miles and burn c 500 calories. For two hours at 10mph I'll cover 20 miles and burn c 1000 calories.
Upping that to 20mph, given that the air resistance cusp point generally sits around 18mp, I'll cover 40 miles and burn c2000 calories.
Going above 20mph, so above the cusp point, there is a somewhat faster rise.
Below the cusp point all sorts of factors play in far more significantly than windage; rolling resistance, form, bike condition, gear selection, road condition, ride style.
From a personal perspective I know that my MTB is much harder work than my CX, which is still harder work than my aluminium or carbon road bikes and each of those are use for different purposes. Similarly it's easier to hold an aero position for longer on the road bikes than the CX, which is largely configured for the commute.
Given that the originator is recognising his lack of fitness, and using a stationary bike, we're not in the territory of worrying about windage. So I will agree with your original point, that cycling faster will burn more calories, equally it might lead to terminating the session more quickly due to burning out. As a comparison I was talking to a colleague today who runs about 20 seconds per kilometre faster than I do, but burns out at 12 miles. While he's faster, I'll still beat him in a half marathon and he won't even finish a marathon at the moment. It's about utility and achieving an objective.
Feel free to embolden random bits of your next response, and throw in some irrelevant links as well...
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I'm going to start exercising, mostly treadmill & stationary bike,aiming for 30-40 minutes 3-4 days a week. What heart rate do I shoot for? I know that heart rate is important in getting best cardio workout to see results, but what number am I aiming for? I am sure my number will not be the same as somebody who is a marathon runner in perfect health. Also, is there a dangerous number to avoid,or to know when I am over doing it?
It doesn't matter. Exercise as hard as you can while being able to get in the amount of time you desire. If you don't have heart problems you will find you are not able to continue exercising when you get to high.0 -
See http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/joe-friel-s-quick-guide-to-setting-zones on how to test and setup your training zones. If you are going to use maximum heart rate (preferably tested verse formula), set your training zone base on heart rate reserve using the Karvonen method.
@BrianSharpe give the best advise. Test above is not easy or pleasant and is best done when one is better conditioned.0 -
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scorpio516 wrote: »
Indeed
See also, two way ranges...0 -
220bpm - your age = Max heartrate
Best between 60 - 80% of your max heartrate
Then lets say 1 - 2 time a week you go to 90% of your max heartrate to improve your endurance
This formula puts me WAY under my max HR. This tells me to target 150-160 BPM, and at that level I'm barely working.
I'm the same as you. This formula gives me 99-130 bpm. That's a brisk walk to a slow jog for me. Conversational run pace has me up around 150 bpm.
I do have a faster heart rate than most though. Before I started exercising at all, my RHR was in the low 80's. Now it hovers around 61.0
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