What Are The Different Heart Rate Zones?
There are a few different heart rate zones and they each affect your body in a different way. Knowing the heart rate zones can improve your results for whatever you are training for. Knowing if your heart rate is too high or too low can is important when you are trying to achieve a certain objective. The five heart rate zones are the moderate zone, the fat burning zone, the aerobic zone, the anaerobic zone and the red line zone. They each affect your body in a different way. Lets discuss these heart rate zones individually.
The Four Heart Rate Zones
- The Moderate Zone – In this zone you are approximately at 50- 60% of your maximum heart rate. I know one of the best ways to measure this zone is you can normally hold a conversation while exercising. You may be breathing a little heavy but you can still talk while exercising. This zone does help your body physically and can help lower your cholesterol, lose weight and decrease your blood pressure. Its not the best cardiovascular workout but something is always better than nothing. You can see the heart rate chart on your right.
- The Fat Burning Zone – In this zone you are at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. Some studies show that this is an ideal fat burning zone and many people therefore like to stay in this zone. You will be breathing a little harder but should be able to still speak sentences. You will burn more calories here than the Moderate zone but not as much as the next two zones.
- Aerobic Zone – this is the ideal cardiovascular workout zone. Your heart is pumping taking oxygen in and sending carbon dioxide out. This zone will help you build your endurance for whatever you are training for. Having a conversation will definitely be difficult in this zone because you will begin to feel winded. Your body is at 70-80% of your maximum heart rate. The benefit to this zone over the other heart rate zones is your will burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. Many people choose to stay in this zone for an extended period of time because they can sustain this level of working out without feeling overly exhausted.
- Anaerobic Zone – In this zone you are at approximately 80-90% of your maximum heart rate. You can forget about speaking in this zone and may be able to get in a single word if your lucky. This is when your body starts to produce lactic acid because it can’t work quick enough to get rid of this lactic acid. Many people train at this level by doing interval workouts which can truly increase your endurance results. This is a popular among elite athletes and those who really want to push themselves because it trains your body to take in more oxygen aka your VO2 maximum. This zone compared to the other heart rate zones requires you to be doing a very fast paced exercise such as sprinting or something like plyometrics. You cannot reach this zone by walking. In addition, your calorie burn is going to be very high from this zone.
- Maximum Effort or Red-Line Zone – In this zone you are at approximately 90-100% of your maximum heart rate. Forget about talking at all and most people can’t sustain this level for more than a few minutes. This zone should really only be used for interval training where you touch upon this zone for a short amount of time. You will be working on your fast twitch muscle fibers in this zone and focusing on your speed. There are benefits to being in this zone but it should only be sustained for a short while. Out of all the heart rate zones this is obviously by far the hardest one to be in.
Heart Rate Zones – My Favorite One To Be In!
I can honestly say I am always pushing myself so I am probably quite frequently in the anaerobic zone. Out of all the heart rate zones I know I am getting a very intense workout when I’m in this zone. Every one is an individual so you have to be in the zone that works for you and is also at a level your body can handle. The magic happens outside of your comfort zone but be sure to stay within your limit. Heart rate zones truly allow you to see what your threshold is.
Heart Rate Zones – Which One Should I Be In?
Out of all the target heart rate zones you really decide which zone is best for you. Knowing your resting heart rate will also allow you to gain a better perspective on what your ideal zone should be. I’m a big fan of interval training and pushing myself to the limit. I like breaking a great sweat and feeling a great sense of accomplishment. So my focus at times is the anaerobic zone and sometimes the red zone. But I enjoy working out with weights as well but you just don’t get into the higher heart rate zones when really lifting weights unless you turn it into a cardio based routine. Depending on your level of fitness and what workout you are doing will decide which of the heart rate zones is best for you. Just remember to be careful and not force yourself to do something that can lead to injury. Enjoy and remember to keep showing up!
Your Coach,
DAVE
