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Q: What is
heart rate?
A: Heart rate is the number of heart beats per minute; the times
per minute that the heart contracts.
Q: What is
average heart rate?
A: The average of heart rates measured during an exercise period.
Q: What is
recovery heart rate?
A: This is the heart rate that our body will decrease to after an
exercise session. For example, you exercise for a 1/2 hour at 155. Two
minutes after you stop exercising, your heart rate decreases to 95. The
95 would be your recovery heart rate. It is used to evaluate your
fitness level after exercise. It is good to set a two minute time frame
and see how many beats you recover in that time frame. Compare this
recover heart rate between exercise sessions.
Q: What is
resting heart rate?
A: Resting heart rate (Resting HR) is the number of beats in one
minute when you are at complete rest. Your resting heart rate indicates
your basic fitness level. The more well-conditioned your body, the less
effort and fewer beats per minute it takes your heart to pump blood to
your body at rest.
Q: How do I
determine Morning Resting Heart Rate (MRH)?
A: Immediately after awakening and before you get out of bed,
measure your heart rate using your heart rate monitor or from the
palpitating pulse from artery, counting the beats for 15 seconds and
multiplying by four. You can sleep with your heart rate monitor on and
in the morning read it first thing. Be aware of the fact that, if your
bladder is full in the morning, you didn't sleep well, or you're feeling
stressed, you might have a slightly elevated resting heart rate. Take
these measurements for five consecutive days and find the average. This
average is your actual resting heart rate. Resting heart rate is
dependent on your living habits and a number of factors such as quality
of sleep, stress level, and eating habits.
Q: What is
maximum heart rate?
A: Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR) is the highest number of times
your heart can contract in one minute. Max HR is the most useful tool to
be used in determining training intensities, because it can be
individually measured or predicted.
Q: How to
determine maximum heart rate?
A: You can define your maximum heart rate by
1) having it measured in an exercise test
2) using age-predicted maximum heart rate
formulas.
1) Measured Max HR
The most accurate way of determining your
individual maximum heart rate is to have it clinically tested (usually
by treadmill stress testing) by a cardiologist or exercise physiologist.
You can also measure it in field conditions supervised by an experienced
coach. If you are over the age of 35, overweight, have been sedentary
for several years, or have a history of heart disease in your family,
clinical testing is recommended.
2) Predicted Maximum HR There is a mathematical
formula that allows you to predict your Max HR with some accuracy. It is
called the "age-adjusted formula". The age-adjusted Max HR
formula can come in very handy when you're not prepared to pay for the
physician-supervised stress test.
WOMEN: 226-your age = age-adjusted Max HR
MEN: 220-your age = age-adjusted Max HR
If you are a 30-year-old woman, your
age-adjusted maximum heart rate is 226- 30 years = 196 bpm (beats per
minute).
These formulas apply only to adults. The
generally accepted error in age-predicted formulas is + - 10-15 beats
per minute, which is due to different inherited characteristics and
exercise training.
You should remember that there may be some
discrepancy when using the age-adjusted formula, especially for people
who have been fit for many years or older people. The formula will give
you a ballpark estimate to work from, but if you want to exercise/train
at your most effective levels, your Max HR should be measured.
Q: What is the
heart rate reserve?
A: Heart Rate Reserve is the difference between your Maximum
Heart Rate and your Resting Heart Rate. If your maximum heart rate is
196 bpm (beats per minute) and your resting heart rate 63 bpm, your
heart rate reserve is 196 bpm - 63 bpm = 133 bpm.
The greater the difference, the larger your
heart rate reserve and the greater your range of potential training
heart rate intensities.
Q: What is
safety heart rate?
A: This is the heart rate that is prescribed for beginning
exercises - whether a walker, runner, swimmer, snow shoer, or a
participant in any aerobic activity. It is also the term used in some
cardiac rehabilitation programs in which physicians prescribe moderate,
supervised training for recovering heart attack patients. This range is
usually 60% (or less) of the maximum heart rate and represents the least
amount of stress you can place on your heart and still receive a
beneficial exercise effect.
Q: What is Max
VO2 heart rate?
A: This is the heart rate at which you hit your maximal oxygen
uptake effort. On the average, you hit your Max VO2 HR at 95% of your
Max HR.
Q: What is the
anaerobic threshold?
A: The physiological point during exercise at which muscles start
using up more oxygen than the body can transport, i.e. muscle work
produces more lactic acid/lactate than the body can process.
Q: What is
biofeedback?
A: Visual/numerical information on what is happening inside the
body, for instance heart rate.
Q: What does
ECG stand for?
A: It stands for electrocardiogram which is a unit that is used
in the medical community to measure and analyze heart rate. The Polar
heart rate monitors all have the same accuracy rating as the ECG
machine.
Q: What is the
target zone?
A: A target zone is a heart rate range that guides your workout
by keeping your intensity level between an upper and lower heart rate
limit. There are various target zones that are suggested for an
individual to follow that correspond with a specific exercise goal. IE:
Improved Fitness Zone 70-80% of Max Heart Rate.
| Ideal
For |
Benefit
Desired |
Intensity
Level (% Maximum heart rate) |
| Light
Exercise |
Maintain
Healthy Heart/Get Fit |
50% - 60% |
| Weight
Management |
Lose Weight/
Burn Fat |
60% - 70% |
| Aerobic Base
Building |
Increase
Stamina Aerobic Endurance |
70% - 80% |
| Optimal
Conditioning |
Maintain
Excellent Fitness Condition |
80%
- 90% |
| Elite Athlete |
Maintain
Superb Athletic Condition |
90% - 100% |
For example, if you want
to Lose Weight/Burn Fat: do your favorite exercise at 60%-70% of your
maximum heart rate, based on your age, for at least 30 minutes a day,
three times a week. To program your Heart Rate Monitor into your Ideal Weight Management Zone, use the Target Heart Rate
Chart above.
Select which level of
condition represents your current physical condition and locate the
Lower and Upper Heart Rate Zones for your age from the Target Heart Rate
Chart. |
