How to Find Your Training Heart Rate Zone

It's important when working out, especially if you are working out to lose weight, for it to work. There is no point of going to the gym everyday, or working out at home, if there are no results. One way to get those results is getting your heart rate up and knowing where your heart rate is supposed to be. Here is a trick I learned in kickboxing class that allows you to know how you should feel at your maximum heart rate zone. Once you know what it feels like to have your heart rate at this zone, you'll know to find your own.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Gym shoes and athletic clothes
• A watch or timer
• Open space (at least six feet by six feet)
• Gym shoes and athletic clothes
• Cardio area, running or biking outside or on a machine

Find Your Max Heart Rate

1. With feet shoulder-width apart, twist your body to the right and throw a cross punch with your right hand.
2. As you bring the punch back, keep twisting to the left and throw a left cross punch to the floor.
3. As your bring your left punch back, twist your body to the right and throw a right cross punch. Keep repeating right and left. Go slow for the first couple punches to get comfortable with the movement.
4. Once you are comfortable with the movement, do it at top speed for two minutes.
5. As the time goes on, you should feel your breathing getting heavy and you'll feel like you cannot go any farther. Once the two minutes has passed, see if you can take five regular breaths through your nose. Keep your mouth closed. If you cannot, that means you have hit your maximum heart rate.

Use Your Heart Rate to Lose Fat

6. Calculate your training heart rate zone by subtracting your age from 220. If you are 35 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 185.
7. Take that number and divide it by 50 and 85 percent. Again using the example below, a 35-year-old training heart rate would be between 92 and 157. The lower heart rate would be for beginners and low impact workout where the high heart rate would be for high impact workouts.
8. To be effective, you must be at this heart rate for at least 12 minutes. According to Penn State Strength Fitness, 12 minutes is the amount of time it takes the body to start producing fat burning enzymes.

Tips & Warnings

• If you feel like you are going to collapse before the two minutes is up, then stop. You have reach your maximum heart rate.
• Everyone reaches this zone different. Use your judgment.