Why is everyone talking about heart rate training?
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Heart rate training is super important when it comes to working out smarter not harder, because let’s face it - who has hours to be spending an hour on the elliptical? Not me.
Heart rate zones
Zone 1: Very light, 50 percent to 60 percent of MHR (Max heart rate)
Zone 2: Light, 60 percent to 70 percent of MHR
Zone 3: Moderate, 70 percent to 80 percent of MHR
Zone 4: Hard, 80 percent to 90 percent of MHR
Zone 5: Very hard, 90 percent to 100 percent of MHR
Why should you care?
You can achieve your fitness goals faster when training according to your specific heart rate. For example,
if you are trying to decrease body fat percentage it is important to know what your zone 2 heart rate is. This low-intensity range encompasses what is known as the ‘fat burning zone.’
So, going out for an hour-long walk is a perfect example of working out in the fat burning zone. Although you don’t JUST want to walk. In order to burn fat, you will also need to spend time working out harder in zones 4 & 5. This will torch more calories. At this intensity, the “after burn” effects begin to manifest and metabolism gets a slight boost while at rest, which is when the body shifts to using a higher portion of fat.
So, why not always be working out in zone 4 and 5 if you can burn more in less time? Zone 4 & 5 are zones that you cannot sustain for a long time. These are your ‘I feel like I am dying’ zones. Focusing on well-rounded workouts in all training zones is key.
You can also see a measurable rate of success. Most of us can’t see the physical improvements that we are making on a daily basis.
Numbers don’t lie, and if you know my training style you know I am not talking about the scale
(because muscle weighs more than fat). I am talking about heart rate. When there is a noticeable decrease in your heart rate doing similar exercises over the course of months of training, this means your body is getting better at handling exercise, so you don’t need to work as hard to get through it. You are building endurance and your heart is getting stronger (yay!). In order to fuel aerobic activity, your heart needs to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. Remember - the heart is a muscle, so the stronger that muscle is, the more blood it pumps every time it beats. So, when your heart is able to beat fewer times per minute, your heart rate lowers. This helps you to work out for longer periods of time. You can go for a walk followed by a HIIT training workout - all in the same day if you wanted - because your body can physically handle it. This is getting you closer to your fitness goals at a faster rate… so, you’re basically crushing it.
Want more info?
A more in-depth article about heart rate zones and how to use them to get to your goals:
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