It is very important to exercise at your target aerobic intensity. When using heart rate to gauge intensity, the target aerobic heart rate is between 50%-90% of max heart rate. One’s max heart rate declines with each year of age. The formula for calculating max heart rate is 220 minus your age. For weight loss and improving cardiovascular strength, you should exercise at a moderate to high intensity level. A moderate intensity is in a range of about 64-76% of your max heart rate and a high intensity work out level is in a range of about 76-93% of your max heart rate. You can get your target heart by using the Target Heart Rate tool under “Fitness and You.”.In general, heart rate is an excellent method for monitoring your intensity. However,there are some instances in which heart rate should not be used to gauge exercise Intensity . For example, if you are taking
Beta Blockers for Hypertension than you should use another method for evaluating your intensity as beta blocker medications impact one’s heart rate. In addition to your target heart rate, you can also use the Rating of Perceived Exertion. With this method you gauge your intensity by how heavy you are breathing and how fatigued you are feeling while exercising. Yet another simple test you can do to ensure that you are exercising at a high enough intensity in the “Talk Test.” With this test you gauge your intensity by how difficult it is for you to talk while exercising. As you gradually progress with your fitness program to higher intensity levels, it will be more difficult to carry on a conversation while exercising. One good way to help you build exercise endurance and ensure you exercise at a high enough intensity is to perform interval aerobic workouts.
With an interval workout, you vary your exercise intensity during your work out. You might work out at a light intensity to warm up and then increase to a moderate level for 5-7 minutes and then further increase to a high or very high intensity level for 2-3 minutes and then reduce your intensity level back to a light to moderate level for 5-7 minutes and then back up to high or very high intensity. You would continue to vary your intensity in this way and then finish with a light intensity cool down.It is also important to know that as you progress with your fitness program over weeks and months, you will need to increase your workout level to maintain your target heart rate. This is because, as you progress with your fitness program, you improve your cardiovascular health, reduce body fat and build leaner body mass. With these improvements, your exercise routine will become easier and easier if you continue to work out with the same level of exertion. Therefore, no matter which exercise activities you choose, you will have to work out harder as your fitness level progresses in order to further improve your cardiovascular health. As you improve your physical fitness level, you will have to push yourself harder in your workouts to continue to perform your aerobic exercise sessions at your target heart rate or at the equivalent of your target heart rate if you use another method for measuring intensity such as RPE or the talk test.
