Heart Rate Training: The Fast Way to Reach Your Weight Loss Goals

by: ToriiTompson
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To get the most out of a fitness program and reach your goals sooner, you should know that keeping up with your heart rate is vital. Yet, you can take it to another level. Instead of just monitoring what your heart rate is during a workout, you can use these numbers continually throughout your workout and do heart rate training. Heart rate training is when you keep up with your heart rate so you can take your body into different heart rate zones during your workout. Heart rate training is becoming the preferred method of exercise for many people because exercise goals are met sooner and more efficiently.

To begin heart rate training you must determine your maximum heart rate. This number will be used to calculate your heart rate zones. However, before you test yourself to find out what your maximum heart rate is, be honest with yourself about your fitness level:

Poor Shape: You have been sedentary and you haven't exercised in the past eight weeks or longer. Fair Shape: You are fairly active and walk more than a mile, or do some type of aerobic activity, at least three times a week. Good Shape: You exercise almost daily and/or you run five or more miles weekly.

Do the following test to help you see what range your maximum heart rate will be in.

One Mile Walking Test: Use a treadmill or go to a track where you can accurately walk one mile. Walk at a steady and even pace. The last quarter of your mile you should take your heart rate. If you listed your fitness level as poor, add 40 to this number. If you listed your fitness level as fair, add 50 to this number. If you listed your fitness level as good, add 60 to this number.

Now that you have determined your maximum heart rate, or maximum heart rate zone, you can start heart rate training. The most efficient and easiest way to monitor your heart rate during a workout is to use a treadmill, or other equipment, that is equipped with a heart rate control monitor. It will be your guide to let you know which heart rate zone you are in while you are working out. Using them will take the guess work out of your heart rate and let you know exactly where your heart rate is at any given moment. Machines, like treadmills, that come with heart rate control monitors act as your personal trainers and the numbers tell you whether you should maintain your pace, slow down a bit, or step it up a notch depending on your current heart rate zone.

Your Individual Heart Rate Training Zones

A heart rate training routine should last between 20-30 minutes, and you should cycle in and out of the different heart rate zones throughout the workout.

Healthy Heart Zone: You feel comfortable and your heart rate is at 50%-60% of your maximum heart rate.

Fitness Zone: You find it is getting a little harder to talk and you are breathing heavier. You heart rate is at 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate.

Aerobic Zone: In this zone your heart rate is 70%-80% of your maximum heart rate and you should only be able to speak in phrases.

Anaerobic Zone: In this zone your heart rate is 80%-90% of your maximum heart rate and you should only be able to gasp out a word here and there because you will be breathing heavily.

Red Line Zone: You will only be able to stay within this zone for a few minutes, and you probably won't be able to speak at all. If you do, it will be a gasped word or two that may be hard to understand. Your heart rate is on target for your maximum heart rate goal.

As you can see, heart rate training allows you to use every moment of your workout time more efficiently. Using a treadmill, or other machine, that is equipped with a heart rate monitor will help you know exactly what your heart is doing at all times. Using these machines will take the guesswork taken out of heart rate training so you can be certain that you are one workout closer to reaching your goals.

About the Author

The Sole F80 treadmill is one of the best selling home treadmills equipped with wireless heart rate monitoring. Get the full review of this home treadmill and other best rated treadmills here.  

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