target heart rate

[gettingthere]

Hi Cathe,

I've been reading a lot of confusing information lately about target heart rate zones. My aerobic 'zone' appears to be around 145, but I'm consistently much higher than that when doing your cardio workouts (like 170). At 145 I don't even feel like I'm exerting myself. From what I understand if you go too high over your aerobic #, then you are out of the weight loss zone. Is that right? I'm completely confused. If you don't push yourself than how can you improve your cardiovascular health? And how could a person lose weight if they're not really exerting themselves?

Thanks for any clarification on this subject.

Best,
Liz

 

[trevor]

Hi Liz,
I certainly am not Cathe but I thought I'd chime in here. Cathe, feel free to scold me if I tick you off!
My question to you is what do you mean by "zone"? And how do you calculate your target range? I do it by using the Karvonen formula and I take my lower limit as 55% and upper limit as about 85%. Are you familiar with Karvonen? Or do you use a monitor? The old "220 minus your age" formula is very innaccurate by the way so if you are using that one I'd try the Karvonen instead.
Also, if you truly are out of your desired workout range during a workout then you need to slow down to maintain the target. As a side note, a very high heart rate during workouts can sometimes indicate overtraining so make sure you are not doing that.
I have read that going out of your range means you are burning less fat but Cathe would be better to answer that. But if you are in your range, especially at the upper end, then theoretically you should be pushing yourself. I have also read, and currently practice these types of workouts, that interval work is the best for fat loss. These workouts keep your heartrate moving around, which is the objective, instead of having the same rate for an entire workout. I've always found Cathe's workouts do accomplish that objective very well.
Anyway, hope this helps a little.
Trevor
A smile for you too Cathe ---

 

[Aquajock]

RE: Karvonen formula

To chime in and add to what Trevor said, the Karvonen formula for determining Percentage of Heart Rate Reserve is indeed a more accurate method of determining your aerobic training zone because it factors in your resting heart rate (which is a good way of determining your overall cardiovascular fitness).

You should take a full minute's heart rate on three consecutive mornings immediately after waking up, averaging these three numbers, to get an accurate Resting Heart Rate (RHR), then perform the following calculation:

220 minus
(your age)minus
(your resting heart rate) equals

Whatever # (Heart rate reserve)

Whatever # (heart rate reserve) multiplied by
.70 (intensity level) equals

Whatever # X .70; now ADD

(your resting heart rate) equals

Your target heart rate at 70 percent of heart rate reserve, expressed in beats per minute.

That's the lower end of your training zone. To get the upper end of your desired training zone, use the same calculation except multiply your Heart Rate Reserve number by the upper percentage (usually about 85%) to get your upper end beats per minute.

Also consider this: that heart rate alone is the the total picture of how hard you're working aerobically. Also pay attention to how strongly each beat feels; if it's a fast but thready pulse, you're not getting too much cardio benefit. Pay attention to your rating of perceived exertion, and The Talk Test (you should be breathing hard enough to only be able to carry on a very short conversation, and should NOT be able to sing) (trust me on that one).

Hope this helps -

A-Jock

 

[gettingthere]

RE: Karvonen formula

A-Jock: Sing? During a cathe workout? You've been in the water too long! LOL! You're a very funny lady. I get your point however. What do you mean by thready? When I'm in my higher range I feel great, and when I'm lower I don't feel like I'm getting much out of the workout at all. Hopefully I just calculated my numbers wrong. I'll try this formula and see where it goes.

Thanks for the detailed info A-Jock and Trevor. I will start by taking my heart rate the next three mornings and go from there.

Best,
Liz

 

[Aquajock]

RE: Karvonen formula

Hi, Liz! When I say "thready", I mean a weak pulse, fast though it may be. You want to feel a "thump-THUMP" in your aerobic training zone on the carotid artery, not a "dit-dit-dit-dit-dit". If your pulse is weak but fast, chances are other factors are affecting your heart rate (the number of beats in a given count) upward but the stroke volume (the AMOUNT of circulatory blood going out with each beat) DOWNWARD, which doesn't do you much good.

Keep in mind many things can affect heart rate that have nothing to do with exertion level and/or cardiovascular benefit: climate (including ambient heat AND ambient humidity, a factor often overlooked in workout environment), medications or supplements (including caffeine) that blunt or artificially elevate the heart rate; food consumed (both type and time of consumption); time of day exercised; current physical condition; etc.

That is why stroke volume is important as well as heart rate; it is heart rate multiplied by stroke volume that tells you how much cardiac output is taking place, i.e. how much oxygen-rich blood is being transported to the working muscles. While obviously it's almost impossible to determine the # of millileters of blood going out, it is easy to feel how strong the pulse is when taking HR.

That is also why target heart rate counts should always be conducted in conjunction with other measurements of exertion (Talk Test and RPE), noted above.

I sing during every Cathe Workout. I do. "Nobody knowwwwwssss . . . the plyos I've seen . . . nobody knowwwwwsssss my lunges . . ."

A-jock
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[Soosan]

RE: Karvonen formula

A-Jock, I cannot tell you how many times I have laughed out loud at the computer after reading one of your posts!

(...nobody knowwwwwsssss my lunges?)