| canadianexpress
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Hi All
What is the best way to calculate heart rate and the percentage in which to keep it at for fat burning. I am currently on week 6 of the Couch to 5K program. Thanks in advance.
Cheers. |
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Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:08 am |
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| PapaBanucci
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Here's a good guideline...
Quote: Your Target Heart Rate, from 60 to 80 percent of the maximum your heart can beat, should be your goal three to five times a week for 20 to 60 minutes (excluding warm-ups) to maximize the health benefits of cardiovascular activity, including losing weight.
http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/hrc/hrc.html
I do maybe 85% of my cardiovascular training at 80% of max HR and 15% of my training above 80% of max HR. But the higher HR training is about speed, not body shaping. |
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Wed Jun 27, 2007 5:56 am |
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| canadianexpress
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| Thanks, that was helpful. |
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Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:17 pm |
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| PapaBanucci
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| BTW, the numbers I describe here usually map to the "cardiovascular" or "fitness" "zones" of most training equipment. The "fat burning zone" is often a dubious sales gimmick. Gotta get the heart rate up for heart health, for metabolic benefit, for significant gains in fat loss. |
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Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:45 pm |
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| oldpjams
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PapaBanucci wrote: BTW, the numbers I describe here usually map to the "cardiovascular" or "fitness" "zones" of most training equipment. The "fat burning zone" is often a dubious sales gimmick. Gotta get the heart rate up for heart health, for metabolic benefit, for significant gains in fat loss.
I think that is true, but what you often see is people doing short, intense aerobic exercise, which is not really ideal as a fat-burning strategy. |
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Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:00 pm |
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| canadianexpress
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I just did the 25min run (3 workout week 6 of C25K). The site PB provided has my target heart rate at 148.
Started at 4.6 Mph
at 5 min HR at 150
at 9 min HR at 160
I decided to slow down to 4.2Mph to lower my HR.
remaining 16min HR was between 153 - 160
Would would you guys do in this case, ignore the HR and keep going at 4.6Mph or slow down like I did and work within the more optimum rate?
Thanks. |
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Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:28 pm |
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| PapaBanucci
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A most excellent observation and question. Google 'cardiac drift.'
I think I'd probably shoot for keeping HR consistent, maybe let it drift up some though, but not let it go through the roof. That's most days. Nothing wrong with pushing it extra hard once a week or so though.
It's about *all* your workouts together in context, not just a single killer effort a single day.
In the middle range 10 bpm isn't that big of difference. Tracking HR doesn't have to be that exact. Personally for me there is minimal difference between 140 and 150 bpm. However the difference between 170 bpm and 180 bpm for me is huge.
Oh, and PJams had a good point too. |
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Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:17 pm |
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| canadianexpress
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Thank You PB. Once again I am learning something new and this site is just loaded with people with lots of good info.
Cheers |
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Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:44 pm |
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| oldpjams
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canadianexpress wrote: this site is just loaded with people with lots of good info.
Yikes. Don't say that too loudly! |
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Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:45 pm |
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| maltby_gardner
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The calculator at PapaB's site gave me a target heart rate of 104.4, at which heart rate I am not even breathing hard.
I use the target range that this calculator provides and it seems to be a much more realistic number for me.
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heart.asp |
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Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:44 am |
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| canadianexpress
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| Thanks MG. It gave me 136 - 161. |
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Fri Jun 29, 2007 1:39 am |
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| PapaBanucci
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104.4 sounds more like a radio station than a workout heart rate.
Are you sure you entered the numbers correctly?
Anyhow it's good to review several different calculators. |
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Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:28 am |
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| oldpjams
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| Don't you actually do a test and do it periodically? Your HR may not be what the chart says, and it can change dramatically. My RHR was 70 in Feb and is 57 now. |
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Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:31 am |
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| canadianexpress
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| That a good point for me to keep in mind as well. As my cardio improves so will my RHR. |
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Fri Jun 29, 2007 1:17 pm |
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| PapaBanucci
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oldpjams wrote: Don't you actually do a test and do it periodically? Your HR may not be what the chart says, and it can change dramatically. My RHR was 70 in Feb and is 57 now.
My RHR is 44 to 48 pretty consistently unless I'm not feeling well, short on sleep or over training. |
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Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:26 pm |
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