Heart Rate Zone Training Explained
Heart rate training zones are a great way to lose fat because you can exercise at a high intensity, which burns a lot of calories and boosts your metabolism. A tough workout can help you lose weight, which means dropping inches around your waist and decreasing your body fat percentage. But if you're an avid exerciser, you know how easy it is to burn out. Losing fat is a slow process, so it's important to be gentle with your body. That's why understanding your Heartbeat Zone is so important. It helps you exercise safely and avoids injury or burnout. Your Heartbeat Zone is based on the 70 of your maximum of heart rate, which is determined by your age, VO2max test, or lactate threshold.
How to Measure Exercise Intensity with Heart Rate
To your target heart rate zone measure the intensity of your workouts, you can use a simple formula. First, determine your maximum heart rate, which is your active lifestyle heart rate. To estimate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 240. Interestingly, heart rates are much higher for people over 50. A resting heart rate of 150 beats per minute is average for this age group. Setting your target heart rate is important; it means your body is ready for exercise and not under too much stress.
What is the Fat Burning Zone?
The fat burning zone is exercising at 70-80% of your maximum heart rate, also known as your fat-burning heart rate. The key is to increase the duration higher intensity of your workouts. Why is increasing intensity important? We'll get to that in a minute.
Lose Weight with Zone 2 and Zone 5 Workouts
To lose weight, create a weight loss workout that combines Zone 2 and Zone 5 exercises. Zone 2 is great for decreasing your caloric intake and increasing your aerobic capacity. Alternating between more aerobic exercise in Zone 2 and more intense zones like Zone 5 will boost your calorie and fat burn, helping you reach your weight loss goals.
Zone 2 vs. Zone 3: Which is Better for Fat Loss?
Zone 2 is king for using fat calories and increasing your aerobic capacity, while Zone 3 helps you use carbohydrates for fuel. Many athletes prefer Zone 2 because it's easier to recover from. You can do more high intensity workouts, like Zone 3 and 5, but they're not as important for fat loss.
What Zone is Best for Burning Fat?
Zone 2 is considered your endurance zone interval training. It's when you maintain a 60-70% heart rate for 30-45 minutes. This is your fat-burning zone. Your body is primarly burning fat for fuel at this intensity.
How Long You Should Spend in the Fat Burning Zone
At any heart rate zone, you can burn fat for fuel, but at your fat-burning zone, your body is primarly burning fat. You can spend up to 30 minutes at this high intensity exercise during your workout.
What are My Target Heart Rate Zones?
Your resting heart rate (RHR) changes depending on your level of activity and can be felt by placing your index finger on your wrist. A normal RHR is between 62-100 beats per minute. Your maximum heart rate (MHR) is estimated by subtracting your age from 210. For example, a 30-year-old woman's maximum heart rate is approximately 190 (220-30=190). Your heart rate zone changes depending on your weight training exercise intensity.
Is Weightlifting Important for Weight Loss?
Weightlifting is important for weight loss because it helps increase your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate (RMR). A higher RMR means you burn more calories at rest throughout the day. Weightlifting also helps you feel stronger and more energetic, so you can move your body more efficiently while losing weight too.
What is a Caloric Deficit?
A caloric deficit is when you consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight. This is a good thing for fat loss because your body will turn to fat for fuel when it doesn't have enough carbohydrates (glycogen) stored. To lose weight, you need a healthy diet. A deficit is necessary for fat loss, but you can't exercise on empty the calories you burn off. You need enough calories to fuel your workouts.
