Exercising regularly is a crucial input towards a healthy bodily output.
Although now many people do acknowledge this fact and they have proper exercise routines, many people still hesitate. This is mostly true for heart patients.
FITNESS TRAINING – ONLY FOR THE HEALTHY?
Individuals who suffer from heart problems often hesitate from exercising even if they want to. However, this should not be the case. A healthy fitness exercise program is for heart patients as much as it is for healthy people.
The only think that heart patients have to keep in mind is that they should start by taking things slow. For example, you may start with a light exercise routine in the initial days and then gradually build up.
BENEFITS OF FITNESS TRAINING FOR THE HEART
People who have a weak heart or suffer from any type of heart disease should understand that fitness training can contribute towards making them healthy. Under this section, we will look at some of the advantages that fitness training has for the heart:
- Fitness exercise would promote circulation in your body, hence, allowing free flow of blood. This would in turn, reduce the risk of blocked or clogged arteries and vessels.
- Exercising regularly will ensure that you have a strong heart. A strong heart will pump blood more effectively.
- A set exercise training routine will also aid you in reducing weight. This would further benefit your heart as obesity is a known cause of heart problems.
- Exercising will also reduce your cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
ZONING
Not only heart patients, but many other people also sometimes do tend to notice that they are experiencing shortness of breath even after a walk as short as 10 minutes. These people report symptoms like:
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain
- Feeling extremely thirsty
- Other
Hence, to solve this problem, every person should know their maximum heart rate.
Maximum heart rate? What is its contribution?
The maximum heart rate is the highest beats per minute that an individual’s heart can achieve. Knowing your maximum heart rate is extremely important as it helps in calculating your zones. These zones then tell you:
- What is the optimal heart rate for you?
- What is the heart rate at which you can exercise?
- Which exercise you should do?
- Which exercise you should avoid?
ZONES AND THEIR CALCULATION
Every individual is different, hence, so is the maximum heart rate for every person. This means that every individual will fall in a separate zone. Hence, this mere fact acts as proof that there is no set answer to the question “best heart rate for fitness training.”
To determine your best heart rate, you will need to calculate your maximum heart rate. Next, you will then need to see which zone you belong in.
To calculate maximum heart rate:
- Subtract your age from 180
- Add or minus 5 to 10 (this is based on numerous factors)
Demonstration:
Age:30
180 – 30 = 150
150 – 5 = 145bpm (beats per minute)
This means that you will have to keep your fitness training below 145. 145 is your cut-off level.
GENERAL ZONE TABLE
|
ZONE |
PERCENTAGE |
DESCRIPTION |
|
1 |
60%-70% |
Warm-up and cooling |
|
2 |
70%-80% |
Relaxation during training |
|
3 |
81%-93% |
Comfortable/hard training |
|
4 |
94%-100% |
Hard training |
CONCLUSION
Thus, we see that fitness training does have many benefits for the heart. Heart patients should invest in a good fitness training program. However, all they need to do is keep their bpm in check and what zones they fall in. There is no one answer out there about the best heart rate for fitness training.
Also, now many devices are available, such as, a heart rate calculator that aids you in calculating the best heart rate for you for fitness training programs.
