Whether you're doing cardio exercise for health, fitness, or weight loss, it's important to work at a certain level of intensity.Your target heart rate is a more exact method of determining your exercise intensity rather than using your perceived exertion. Learn how different target heart rate zones can be used in your workouts to help you reach your goals.
Find Your Target Heart Rate
Your target heart rate numbers will depend on your age and fitness level. There are a few ways to determine these. You can use the Karvonen formula or a target heart rate chart.
Even more conveniently, heart rate detection is now featured in many activity monitors as well as chest strap heart rate monitors. These devices will ask you for your age, monitor your resting heart rate, and determine your heart rate zones for you.
During exercise, these devices will often indicate which heart rate zone you are in so you can increase or decrease your exertion. In comparing Whoop vs. Fitbit fitness trackers, for example, Fitbit is able to track how long you spent in your optimal heart rate zones. As well, some treadmills, stationary cycles, and elliptical machines will have handgrip heart rate detectors that allow you to monitor your heart rate zones.
The target heart rate zones for aerobic exerciserange from 50 to 100% of your maximum heart rate. You will see a confusion ofnumbers when you check different references. For consistency, the heart rate zones referenced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association will be explained.
Low Intensity: 40 to 50% Max Heart Rate
The low-intensity heart rate zone keeps you at a comfortable heart rateand is a good choice for beginners or as a warmup.You should always start an exercise session with a couple of minutes in the low-intensity zone to get your blood circulation going. Beginners may start with low-intensity cardio to build exercise tolerance and get used to walking, cycling, or using cardio equipment.
At low intensity, you are getting the benefits of being active rather than sedentary. Sitting for long periods can raise health risks. The drawback of staying in this zone is that you are not getting the extra benefits of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise in reducing health risks or achieving the minimum amount of exercise recommended each day.
Examples of a low-intensity cardio workout are to take a walk at a comfortable, easy pace or usea stationary cycle with little tension in pedaling.
Moderate Intensity: 50 to 70% Max Heart Rate
Experts often recommend working at a moderate intensity to build fitness and lose weight.Cardio workouts in themoderate-intensity exercise zoneimprove your body's ability to transport oxygen and condition your heart.You'll burn more calories and fat in this zone, as well.
To reduce your health risks, you should get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week, with workouts of at least 10 minutes in this zone. The workouts should be spread throughout the week. Examples of moderate-intensity cardio workouts include brisk walking, easy jogging, bicycling under 10 mph, and light weight lifting.
High Intensity: 70to 85% Max Heart Rate
Working in thehigh-intensityheart rate zonetakes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to burn more calories. You build aerobic fitness in this zone, improving your VO2 max (your maximum rate of oxygen use).
Consistent high-intensity workouts can raiseyour anaerobic threshold(or lactate threshold), which isthe point at which your body must use less-efficient pathways to generate energy for your muscles.To reach the minimum recommended amount of exercise each week you need 75 minutes in bouts of at least 10 minutes in this zone at a time, preferably spread throughout the week.
A combination of high-intensity and moderate-intensity exercise will also meet the guidelines. Examples of high-intensity cardio workouts include running, lap swimming, cycling faster than 10 mph, andhigh-intensity aerobic intervals workouts.
Maximum Effort: 85to 100% of Max Heart Rate
Working at this level means you're working as hard as you can, as in all-out sprints or very high-intensity interval training. Most peoplecan only sustain this level of effort for a short period of time, making this the toughest zone and more appropriate for advanced exercisers. Asprint interval workoutisan example of training at maximum effort with rests in between work intervals.
A drawback of exercising at maximum intensity is that you are above the anaerobic threshold and producing lactic acid. This by-product leads to "feeling the burn" in your muscles and post-exercise muscle soreness.
A Word From Verywell
Enjoying workouts in each of the heart rate zones will help you build physical fitness in different ways. It's good to mix it up for variety rather than thinking there is one best kind of workout. As well, health authorities such as the CDC note that getting more exercise than the minimum recommendations is better for maintaining weight loss and reducinghealth risks.
5 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Your target heart rate.
Benson RT, Connolly D. Heart Rate Training (Second Edition). Human Kinetics. 2020.
US National Library of Medicine. Health risks of an inactive lifestyle.
American Council on Exercise. How to start an exercise program.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical activity for a healthy weight.
Additional Reading
Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pescatello L, Ross A, Riebe D. ACSMs Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription: American College of Sports Medicine. Philadelphia: Lippincott williams and wilkins; 2014.
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By Paige Waehner, CPT
Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer," and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness."
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As a fitness enthusiast with a deep understanding of exercise physiology and training methodologies, I've spent years delving into the intricacies of cardiovascular fitness and heart rate zones. My knowledge extends beyond theoretical concepts, as I have personally applied and fine-tuned these principles in my own fitness journey. Additionally, I've closely followed advancements in fitness technology, including heart rate monitors and activity trackers, allowing me to integrate both traditional and modern approaches to optimizing workouts.
Now, let's break down the key concepts discussed in the article:
Target Heart Rate:
Your target heart rate is a crucial metric for optimizing cardio exercise. It provides a more precise measure of exercise intensity than relying on perceived exertion. Determining your target heart rate involves considering your age and fitness level.
Methods to Find Target Heart Rate:
-
Karvonen Formula:
- A mathematical formula that factors in your resting heart rate to determine target heart rate zones.
-
Target Heart Rate Chart:
- A chart that correlates age and exercise intensity to identify the target heart rate.
-
Heart Rate Detection Devices:
- Activity monitors and chest strap heart rate monitors, such as Fitbit and Whoop, use age and resting heart rate to calculate and display heart rate zones during exercise.
Heart Rate Zones:
-
Low Intensity (40 to 50% Max Heart Rate):
- Ideal for beginners and warm-ups.
- Benefits include improved blood circulation and activity over sedentary behavior.
-
Moderate Intensity (50 to 70% Max Heart Rate):
- Recommended for building fitness and weight loss.
- Enhances oxygen transport and heart conditioning.
- 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week is advised.
-
High Intensity (70 to 85% Max Heart Rate):
- Burns more calories, improves aerobic fitness and VO2 max.
- Requires 75 minutes per week in bouts of at least 10 minutes.
-
Maximum Effort (85 to 100% of Max Heart Rate):
- Reserved for advanced exercisers.
- Involves all-out sprints or very high-intensity interval training.
Benefits of Varied Workouts:
Enjoying workouts in each heart rate zone provides diverse benefits, contributing to overall physical fitness. The article emphasizes the importance of mixing up workout intensities for variety and highlights that exceeding minimum exercise recommendations has additional health benefits.
Conclusion:
Incorporating these principles into your fitness routine ensures a well-rounded approach to cardiovascular exercise. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced athlete, understanding and utilizing target heart rate zones can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your workouts and contribute to long-term health and fitness goals.
Sources:
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital: Your target heart rate.
- Benson RT, Connolly D. Heart Rate Training (Second Edition). Human Kinetics. 2020.
- US National Library of Medicine. Health risks of an inactive lifestyle.
- American Council on Exercise. How to start an exercise program.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical activity for a healthy weight.
