Best way to calculate your heart rate zones?

chantalm15
chantalm15 Posts: 31 Member
edited December 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I just got a Polar Heart Rate Monitor but I'm trying to figure out how to calculate my heart rate zones such as the aerobic fitness zone and aerobic fat burning zone, etc. I've been searching various websites but have been coming up with new numbers each time. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If it helps my age is 19 I noticed a lot of the websites were asking for that to determine max. heart rate.

Thanks!

Replies

  • holly3585
    holly3585 Posts: 282 Member
    I don't know if this will help, but- well obviosly be sedentary for several minutes to get your resting, and I heard to get max heart rate you should FAST walk, like literally not jog, but probably walk about 4.5 MPH or more for 1 mile- this should be around your max HR if you are extramelly winded and need time to catch your breath.
  • rmalanisv
    rmalanisv Posts: 10 Member
    There are several ways to do it. The two most common that I have seen are the one adjusting your age and gender (the 220 minus your age for a male). The other one is the Karvonen formula. Some people say is more accurate. You will need to get your resting heart rate by checking it 1 to 2 minutes after waking up and before getting out of bed (needed for the calculation of your max HR). The training zones on this one are a little harder. I use these zones for my workouts.

    While in the age-adjusted formula the fat burning zone is 60 - 70% of the Max HR (108-126 in my case), in the Karvonen formula the same percentages are 131-137 bpm. In the Karvonen formula you will need to increase your heart rate to get in the fat burning zone.

    In this link you can calculate both formulas and review the differences: http://www.briancalkins.com/HeartRate.htm
  • Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington
    Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington Posts: 51
    The absolute best way is to not use a calculation. Go get a Metabolic Assessment done and it will give you all of your specific heart rate zones and tell you precisely how many calories you specifically burn while your heart rate is in each zone. There may be cost to do it, but in the long run it will really help and I believe worth every penny! Plus, some places can even give you a specifically designed 3 month cardio program that will be tailored to your schedule and designed so that you won't waste any of your time while doing your cardio and be able to teach your body to become a more efficient fat burning machine! How awesome is that!! You can go to www.newleaffitness.com to find a testing location near you.
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