Lately, “Hi-Tech” has spread in a training area , so people their heart rate, their calorie consumption and many other values. The question is whether monitoring your heart rate during exercise is really necessary, interesting, or completely irrelevant. Find out everything you need to know about the heart rate and its importance during training in the article.
What is heart rate?
The heart rate is actually the frequency of the heartbeat. In addition to the term heart rate, the term pulse or pulse rate is also used, and both terms express the number of heartbeats per minute from . The pace of the frequency depends on whether we are sitting in front of the television or running on a treadmill. The higher the intensity of the activity, the higher the frequency value.
You can easily calculate your heart rate by placing your index and middle fingers on your neck. More precisely on the side of the neck, to feel the pulse of the windpipe . Would you like a second option? Another option is to measure on the wrist . Again, you need to place your finger, but this time between the bone and the tendon on your wrist, towards your thumb . Have you felt your pulse yet? Now look at your watch and count the number of lines in 15 seconds. Multiply the result by four and you have a calculated heart rate per minute.
To be able to judge the intensity of the exercise in relation to the heart rate, you should start with the value that you need to get first. It is known as the maximum heart rate and refers to the highest rate your heart can reach in one minute . You can calculate your maximum heart rate with a simple mathematical formula :
207 – (0.7 x your age) = maximum heart rate
In addition to this formula, you can also come across a variant with which you can calculate your approximate maximum heart rate by simply subtracting your age from 220 . As you can now correctly guess, the frequency value changes in the course of life , more precisely, this value decreases. If you are interested in how high your frequency will be after 5, 10 or 20 years, compare your current status with the possible future in the following table:
| Age | Heart rate 50 – 85% | Maximum heart rate – 100% |
|---|---|---|
| 20 years | 100 – 170 BPM (beats per minute) | 200 BPM |
| 30 years | 95 – 162 BPM | 190 BPM |
| 35 years | 93 – 157 BPM | 185 BPM |
| 40 years | 90 – 153 BPM | 180 BPM |
| 45 years | 88 – 149 BPM | |
| 50 years | 85 – 145 BPM | 170 BPM |
| 55 years | 83 – 140 BPM | 165 BPM |
| 60 years | 80 – 136 BPM | 160 BPM |
| 65 years | 78 – 132 BPM | 155 BPM |
| 70 years | 75 – 128 BPM | 150 BPM |
Pulse during training – heart rate zones
As already mentioned, the more intense the training, the higher the number of heartbeats. Based on your heart rate, you can see how challenging your activity is. There are 5 different zones which express the level of cardiac activity as a percentage of the maximum heart rate (MHR) . These are the 5 zones :
- Zone – “very light” – 50 – 60% MHF
- Activity with the lowest intensity which is suitable for regeneration
- suitable excellent for warm-up (warming up) and cool down (cooling down) sharing the training
- Staying at this level should not be a problem for you even for a few hours
- Zone -“ easy ”- 60 – 70% MHF
- suitable for a run within 90 minutes
- During this zone it is possible to have a normal conversation lead
- supports the body’s ability to use fat as an energy source
- it is the pace at which, for example, marathon runners run
- long-distance runners (half marathon and longer distances) should stay around 80% of the total running time
- Zone – “Medium” – 70 – 80% MHF
- You can stay in this zone for about 30 minutes
- referred to as the aerobic zone
- suitable for improving blood circulation of the skeletal muscles and the heart
- ideal for improving aerobic capacity and endurance
- Oxygen is used as energy for the cells
- Lactic acid begins to accumulate in the bloodstream
- Zone – “difficult” – 80 – 90% MHF
- You should stay in this zone for about 10 minutes
- in this zone becomes a combine ion from aerobic and anaerobic metabolism used
- over 84% MHF – the body is subject to a anaerobic metabolism
- is ideally suitable for increasing the lactic acid threshold and performance
- helps control the amount of lactic acid in the blood
- supports that Ability of the body to use carbohydrates as an energy source
- Zone -“ very difficult ”90% – 100% MHF
Why is it important to know your heart rate during exercise?
Do you exercise, but sometimes you feel that your heart rate is too high, or are you afraid that your heart rate is too low ? It is the heart rate that can be an indicator of the level of activity . However, it all depends on your goals and the type of workout you are doing. One example is the difference between a 5 kilometer run and a marathon . When running a long distance like a marathon, it’s important to maintain a steady pace over long miles. Runners should stay in Zones 1 and 2 for a substantial portion (approximately half) of their run during this type of training . For runners with a run of 5 kilometers it is advantageous to move the run to the 3rd and 4th zones more often. You have probably noticed that the intensity of running for marathon runners is less than that for running the lower distances. [8] [9]
If you work out and want to make progress, the number of heartbeats per minute might interest you because you are see how this value improves. Trained athletes have a “resting heart rate” of about 40 beats per minute. If you are starting to train and want to experience your personal improvement, try Record your heart rate at rest. The exercise strengthens your heart and lungs , but most importantly, your heart rate decreases.
Heart rate monitoring is also useful to prevent overtraining . Thanks to this, you will not get beyond the limits in your training, which means you will avoid emotional fatigue and also possible injuries .
It is not necessary to know your pulse while exercising. However, this information has several advantages. If you run regularly, adding a “daily number of steps,” you don’t need to accurately measure your heart rate. If you have specific fitness goals and want to monitor performance improvement, we definitely recommend measuring your heart rate. As mentioned earlier, knowing your heart rate will also prevent injury and overtraining. Last but not least, make sure that you don’t go “under” the aerobic zone.
What affects the heart rate?
As mentioned earlier, an adult’s heart rate in a room is 60-100 beats per minute . In addition to age, heart rate is influenced by several factors , including:
- physical condition and activity
- State of health – cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and high cholesterol levels
- Medicines
- Height – Overweight people tend to have a higher heart rate
- Posture – The heart rate value when lying down is lower than when standing
- Smoking and coffee – caffeine and nicotine influence the heart rate, this also applies to tea and soda
- emotional mood – Fear and stress increase the pulse
Problematic heart rhythm
An abnormal heart rhythm is called an irregular, too low, but also too high heart rate viewed. A normal pulse in a calm adult is between 60 and 100 beats per minute . The problem starts when the number is different than this. [11]
- Low blood pressure (bradycardia) – The heart rate at rest is too slow, more precisely less than 60 beats . Athletes are an exception as their slower heart rate is not due to illness, but to fitness.
- High pressure (Tachycardia) – has different types and represents a value over 100 beats per minute.
- Arrhythmias – may or not have symptoms. However, they can manifest as palpitations or pain and tremors . The important thing is that not all of them are life-threatening, but it is definitely better to tell your doctor about them.
Athletes and Heart Rate
As already mentioned, athletes can have a lower heart rate at rest . This is due to the exercise, as it not only works the muscles but also the heart , which allows more blood to be pumped. However, you are definitely interested in how You realize in an athlete that their heart rate is too low or dangerously high.
A low heart rate in athletes is often viewed as just a disease who has other symptoms such as weakness, tiredness and dizziness . An excessive heart rate is considered if you exercise more intensely than your maximum heart rate for a longer period of time. This is a dangerous condition, and in this case it is better to stop training, for example if you are dizzy.
The correct pulse is not only necessary in life to stay healthy . It is also useful to monitor your heart rate during training to avoid overtraining and injuries, but also to achieve the desired effect of training. We hope you have learned all the important things about the benefits of heart rate control, heart rate zones, but also about the effects on the correct heart rate . Would you like your friends to know about your pulse and how it is being controlled while you exercise? Then don’t hesitate to support the article by sharing it.
