Find Your Target Heart Rate

PULSE

“The Boom-Boom Room and How To Monitor It”

Find Your Target Heart Rate!

By: Kendall Monroe

Pulse. What should yours be when you exercise? How high is too high? How do you take it?

Your pulse is your heartbeat. When you’re nervous, it races. When you are low on blood sugar, it races. When you exercise it may race, but monitor it, hold it’s pace, and keep it steady.

At some moment in your life, you will want to know what your maximum heart rate is. And when you want to know this information, it may not be at a very convenient or relaxed time. You may be panicked and in the immediately-need-to-know.

Your “target” heart rate is the rate you should be and the number for which you should strive. And your “maximum” heart rate is what you should not exceed.

There is a formula for your maximum heart rate and here it is:

MAXIMUM HEART RATE

Take 220 – subtract your age = your maximum heart rate;

Here is the formula for your target heart rate:

TARGET HEART RATE

Take your maximum heart rate, then multiply your exercise intensity level = your target exercise heart rate.

For example, a 55 year old male, moderately exercising would look like this: 220-55=165 (maximum heart rate); 165×60%=99 (target heart rate, no matter the exercise).

When you exercise take your pulse every 15 minutes. Have a stop watch. Or buy a heart watch monitor. Count your beats for 10 seconds, then muliply by 6 (for 60 second count). Then begin another set of exercises. And after another 15 minutes, take your pulse again.

Keep count, keep healthy!

 

AGE TARGET HEART RATE ZONE
20 Years 100-150 beats per minute
25 Years 98-146 beats per minute
30 Years 95-142 beats per minute
35 Years 93-138 beats per minute
40 Years 90-135 beats per minute
45 Years 88-131 beats per minute
50 Years 85-127 beats per minute
55 Years 83-123 beats per minute
60 Years 80-120 beats per minute
65 Years 78-116 beats per minute
70 Years 75-113 beats per minute
SOURCE: Exercise and Your Heart, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association, NIH Publication No. 93-1677.

 

Get to know what your pulse, target and maximum heart rate is. The knowledge may save your life.

Get to know what your pulse, target and maximum heart rate is. The knowledge may save your life.