What Should My Heart Rate Be During Cardio?

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That is a great question!

To start off, let's lay some ground work first. We know we need both muscular workouts and cardiovascular workouts to get the best results, right? Without muscular workouts we don't gain strength and we don't maintain or improve our muscular health, joint health, shape, and toning. Without cardio, we reduce our energy capability throughout the day, and we gain fat more easily; not to mention our heart, lungs, and blood vessel health!

Okay, we have that done. So now let's address the question, what should my heart rate be during a cardio workout? Well, there are multiple answers.

I say there are multiple answer because it depends on your goals. Are you just trying to get fit? Are you training for a marathon? Or are you a bodybuilder trying to get rid of every ounce of fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible? I doesn't make sense to lay a blanket prescription for everyone regardless of their goals (i.e. be careful what advice you take, especially from the media).

For our purposes, let's say Joe is looking to get fit and drop about 30 pounds. Since Joe is not looking to be a sprinter, he's not going to do lots of speed or interval cardio. And since he's not looking to run a marathon or go up on a bodybuilding stage, Joe isn't going to do hours on end of cardio.

2 Main Types of Cardio

There are 2 main types of cardio:

1.) Steady State - think going for a jog

2.) Interval Training - think sprints or bursts of very intense activity

Steady State

Today, let's just focus on steady state. This is when we go for a jog or a nice bike ride through the woods to grandmother's house. The intensity (how hard it is) is pretty much the same throughout the workout. This type of cardio is typically done for longer periods of time say 30 minutes or longer.

For Who?

Both types of cardio should be done for just about everyone in just about every goal. However, the amount of each will change.

Steady State cardio is GREAT for someone looking to improve their stamina, lose weight, and just plain be healthy. 

Benefits

Steady State cardio will:

- Improve stamina

- Help burn calories

- Make you a fat burning machine

- Improve heart health

- Reduce risk of many diseases

- Helps you relax and relieve stress

Ya, ya... So What Should My Heart Rate Be?

For steady state cardio, the goal is to get your heart rate between 50 and 85 percent of your max heart rate. (1) 

Take 220 - your age = Max Heart Rate

Then, Max Heart Rate x 0.5 = 50% and Max Heart Rate x 0.85 = 85%

Example:

Joe is 40 years old so:

220 - 40 = 180 beats per min is Joe's max heart rate

180 x 0.5 = 90

180 x 0.85 = 153

So, when going for a jog, Joe wants to keep his heart rate between 90 and 153 beats per minute to get the benefits of steady state cardio.

How Long?

To really get the benefits of cardio workouts, do at least 20 minutes. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 20-60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. (2)

20 minutes is the minimum to actually get your cells to change and make you a better fat burning machine. More on this in another article (hint, hint, "Becoming a Fat Burning Machine")

This may be the "minimum" but the point is to start where you are comfortable and slowly progress over time. You will still get MAJOR benefits from going for a brief walk. 

To Do:

Work up to a 20-60 minute walk or jog at least 3 times per week. Have fun with it! Play tag with your kids, just make sure you warm up with a 10 minute walk and stretches first. As we age we need to prepare for activity. Oh the joys of age :)

Do whatever is fun and gets your heart rate up between 50% - 85% for however long you can and simply increase a few minutes each time.

Do you have questions related to fitness and Christianity? Just ask and keep in touch on the FitChurch Facebook page!

Love God, love people!

-Chris

1 - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887?pg=2

2 - http://acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/news-releases/2011/08/01/acsm-issues-new-recommendations-on-quantity-and-quality-of-exercise