Heart Rate and Exercise: How Much Do You Know?
Your target heart rate helps you figure out:
How fast your heart beats when you’re active
If you’re exercising at the right intensity
If you’re about to have a heart attack
Your target heart rate helps you figure out:
Your target heart rate tells you if you're exercising too hard or not hard enough. Everyone's target is different, but in general, during moderate or vigorous exercise, you want it to be between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate, which is the hardest your heart can work safely.
To find your maximum heart rate, take:
220 minus your age
200 minus your age
175 minus your age
To find your maximum heart rate, take:
This is the fastest your heart can beat during physical activity. Like your target heart rate, your maximum heart rate is an estimate. If you feel like you can’t breathe or talk, or you get dizzy while exercising, that’s a sign you’re overdoing it. Slow down. You may be at risk of hurting your heart.
As long as your heart rate is under your maximum, everything is fine.
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False
As long as your heart rate is under your maximum, everything is fine.
If you raise your heart rate much past 90% of its maximum, you could strain it. But with regular exercise you can strengthen it, allowing you to reach greater heights.
Using a heart rate monitor can help you get fit.
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False
Using a heart rate monitor can help you get fit.
Wearable electronic heart monitors, and exercise machines with built-in heart sensors, can give you up-to-the-minute information on how hard your heart is working. That can tell you how hard you’re exercising. It can help you pace yourself, too. It may even help keep you motivated.
They aren’t a necessity unless your doctor says so, but they can help you get the most out of exercise.
How often should you check your heart rate during exercise?
Closely (at least every minute or so)
It depends on your health and fitness goals
Only after you’ve stopped exercising
How often should you check your heart rate during exercise?
If you have a heart condition or other medical problem, your doctor may ask you to monitor it during exercise to make sure you don’t push your heart too hard. But even if you're healthy, you may want to keep an eye on it (say, every 5 to 10 minutes, or when you increase your intensity). It will help you know how hard you’re working and if you’re keeping your heart safe.
When you’re doing interval training, your heart rate should:
Stay in one spot
Climb to a high rate and stay there
Vary between moderate and high rates
When you’re doing interval training, your heart rate should:
This kind of exercise involves switching between low- or moderate-intensity exercise and bursts of vigorous exercise. One way to figure out how hard to exercise during each interval is to monitor your heart rate. During low to moderate periods, it should be about half of your maximum heart rate. During vigorous exercise, shoot for 70% to 85%.
Which is better for you?
Lower resting heart rate
Higher resting heart rate
Which is better for you?
Exercise strengthens your heart. That means it doesn’t have to work as hard to push blood through your body, which lowers your resting heart rate. A lower resting heart rate is linked to a longer life. Book some time in the gym and make your heart more efficient.