Target Heart Rate
Many people have asked me how to determine their "target heart rate" for cardio. They don't want to waste their cardio workout by not working hard enough, or even by working too hard.
First of all, for many people it's better to use the "perceived rate of exertion scale." This is especially important for people who are taking blood pressure medications that regulate their heart rate. Basically, imagine a scale of 1-10. 1 is sitting there, bored. 10 is working so hard that you'll have to quit at any moment. You should be around a 5-6 most of the time during your cardio. If you're doing interval training, you should alternate between a 5-6 and an 8-9.
Another way to figure out your target heart rate is with this formula:
220- age - resting heart rate X .75 (for 75% of your max ability) + resting heart rate.
For example, if you're 29 and your RHR (resting heart rate) is 60:
220-29= 191 - 60= 131 X .75= 98.25 + 60= 158.25 THR
So, your target heart rate would be 158.25. The target heart rate can vary as your resting heart rate changes. (Your resting heart rate will tend to go down as you get in better shape.) Also, you can up your THR by changing the percent of your ability. For example, you could do 80% of your ability.
You may have heard that if you go at too hard a level, a lower percentage of the calories you burn will come from fat. Please disregard this information. The fact is, all calories burned are equal, because the sugar calories you burn would have turned to fat if they didn't get used, anyway.
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