At what percentage of maximum heart rate should a performer work at during aerobic activity?

Your maximun heart rate is calculated by your age. Your training heart rate is determined by your level of fitness and your age. Go to our calculator to easily find out your heart rate zones.

Also, our range of strapless heart rate monitors do this calculation for you on the go!

Beginners should start at a training heart rate zone of 50-70% of your maximum. Whereas for fitter individuals a training heart rate zone of 70-85% of your maximum may be more appropriate.

It is always a very good idea to consult your Trainer or Doctor before you start any new exercise program.

Guidelines for activities and goals

Health Zone

This zone is the start to becoming healthier. Probably the most important zone because it is in this zone that many health benefits are achieved, such as lower blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels, a decrease in body fat and increase in muscle mass.

The amount of energy burned in this zone is approximately 5 calories/min and although not as great as in the other zones, 65 -80% of calories burned are from fat.

The Health Zone is a good place to start an exercise program even if you have higher goals. It is a zone where the level of exercise feels comfortable and enjoyable.

Muscles, joints and ligaments will become better conditioned to allow you to move up to higher exercise levels.

Fat Burn Zone

Appropriately referred to as the Fat Burn Zone, because 70-85% of calories burned, come from fat, at a rate of approximately 6-10 calories/ min. In this zone, fat is mobilized out of the cells and into the blood stream where it is drawn into the muscles and burned for energy.

When exercising in this zone your health rewards are doubled because you not only get rid of body fat but also gain muscle mass. And the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest and your resting metabolic rate increases.

It is important to remember that exercising in this zone is only half of the plan to fat loss. Your diet should be low in fat because your muscles will burn dietary fat before stored body fat.

This zone is still reasonably comfortable to exercise in. While your activity may be more strenuous and challenging, you can still carry on a conversation while exercising in this zone.

Aerobic Zone

When exercising in the Aerobic Zone you get the most benefits in the least amount of time. It is often referred to as the ‘target’ zone and exercising in this zone gets you fitter, faster and thinner! It is also where performance training effects begin and where endorphins are released resulting in improved mood and reduction in anxiety, tension and stress.

Training in this zone is still comfortable, you are still able to have a conversation but you feel like you’ve had a workout without any burn or pain.

For those individuals wanting to improve their performance this is the zone where you will spend the bulk of your workout time.

Staying in your aerobic zone allows you to exercise for sufficient time, eg. 30, 60 or 90 mins, to increase your aerobic fitness.

As aerobic fitness increases so will your speed while staying in the aerobic zone. In other words you will be able to continue exercising at a greater percent of your maximal heart rate.

You get an added bonus as your body keeps burning more calories after you have stopped exercising as your metabolic rate is elevated.

Anaerobic Zone

This is the zone where you move from aerobic (with oxygen) metabolism to anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism. This is where you will feel short of breath and exercise will become uncomfortable as lactic acid is produced. Such a level of effort can only be sustained for a few minutes.

There are some very real dangers of training in this zone too long and too frequently. The lactic acid produced in this zone damages the muscle cell wall and this can lead to:

• increased risk of injury,
• increased red blood cell destruction,
• reduced co-ordination and
• damage to aerobic capacity.

However, short bursts in this zone helps to increase speed and power. Because you can’t stay in this zone for long, interval training is used with exercise intervals and rest intervals.

This allows the athlete to build up lactate tolerance enabling them to be stronger and faster. If you exercise recreationally, you do not need to exercise at this stress level.

References:

Recommendation for a training progression for a Healthy Person from the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine):

Because the goal of moderate to vigorous exercise is to work your heart muscle, your exercise needs to increase your heart rate. One way to determine if you are exercising intensely enough is to measure your heart rate. After warming up and then sustaining an aerobic activity for about 5 to 10 minutes, take your pulse within 5 seconds of stopping by placing two fingers on the carotid artery on the side of your neck, just under your jaw line and about one to two inches in front of your ear. Count the beats for 10 seconds.Your heart rate should be about 50 to 85% of its maximum. (You can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220).If you're out of shape or older than 60, aim for an intensity at the lower end of the 50 to 85% range. To determine what your heart rate should be during exercise, subtract your age from 220; divide that number by 6 for a 10-second heart rate count, then multiply that number by 0.5 for the lower end of the range and 0.85 for the higher end. For example, if you're 70:

• 220 - 70 = 150 (this would be your maximum heart rate for one minute)
• 150 / 6 = 25 (this would be your maximum heart rate for 10 seconds)
• 25 x 0.50 = 12.5 (this would be 50% of your maximum, or the lower end of where your 10-second heart rate should be when you're exercising)
• 25 x 0.85 = 21.25 (this would be 85% of your maximum, or the higher end of where your 10-second heart rate should be when you're exercising).

To perform a cardio respiratory workout, your heart rate should be 60% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. You can use a basic formula to determine your maximum heart rate for safe exercise. Subtract your age from 220. For example, a 30-year-old has a maximum heart rate of 220-30 = 190. His target heart rate for cardio respiratory exercise would then be 114-152 (60% to 80% of 190). It is recommended that you consult with your physician before starting cardio respiratory activity if you haven’t regularly exercised before.

(This answer provided for NATA by the King College Athletic Training Education Program.)

Your exercising heart rate depends on the intensity that you wish to work. First you must determine your maximum heart rate, which is calculated by subtraction your age from 220. (220-age= max heart rate). To determine your target heart rate take this number and multiple it by the intensity percentage at which you wish to work. For example, if you are 40 years old and wish to work at a moderate intensity of 70% the formula would look like this:

(220-40 = 180) * 70% (intensity) = a target heart rate of 126 bpm.

When you first start your physical activity program, the goal is to raise your heart rate to at least 65 % of the maximum (the number of times your heart beats per minute when pushed to the limit -- first subtract your calendar age from the number 220) for twenty-one consecutive minutes at least three times a week. As you get in better shape, you should initially try to reach 80 % of that number. For example, if you are forty, you should initially try to raise your heart rate to 117 beats a minute [(0.65) x (220 - 40)] for twenty-one consecutive minutes each time you do a stamina-building exercise. As you progress, try to increase that number to 144 beats a minute [(0.80) x (220 - 40)]. Another example would be if you are sixty and just beginning to exercise, you should raise your heart rate to 104 beats a minute and later aim for 128 beats a minute.To get a good aerobic, stamina-building workout, you should initially aim for 65 % of your maximum heart rate and later, for 80 % of your maximum heart rate.

• 100 %: Reaching your maximum possible heart rate is a very hard thing to do and impossible to maintain. Also, it may not be a safe thing to do.
• 90 %: Only high-level athletes can achieve and maintain a heart rate this high.
• 80 %: This should be your goal on the days you have a really strenuous workout.
• 70 %: If you can get here and maintain it, you will be getting the benefit of a real stamina-building workout, or the place to start if you are over sixty calendar years of age.
• 60 %: This should be your goal when you first start working out if you are sixty calendar years of age or younger. It's a good place to start.
• 50 % or below: You're slacking off. If you want to get the benefits of stamina exercise, you
• need to boost your heart rate higher than this.

Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.