Do You Know Your Maximum Heart Rate?

Are you monitoring your heart rate when you participate in a strength and conditioning program? 10-30% of college soccer teams coaches are monitoring players heart rates for maximum output and safety. We have discussed in this website about high intensity workout programs. Do you know what your target maximum heart rate is? So you know when you are working at maximum and when you are over exerting yourself. Here is a quick formula to figure out your maximum heart rate range, subtract your age from 220 and calculate 70% and 85% of that number.

John Bobalik has a more detailed explanation and example to calculate your target heart rate.

 

Strength and Conditioning Programs for Maximum Heart Rate

Here are seven easy-to-follow steps that will help you calculate your ideal heart-rate training zone.

1. Calculate your maximum heart rate
The easiest way to do this is a simple paper-and-pencil calculation. Subtract your age from 220. The result is an age-predicted maximum beats per minute. This method does not take into account your fitness level or inherited genes, which can make your true maximum heart rate 10 to 20 beats per minute higher or lower than the age-predicted number. A second method to calculate your maximum heart rate is to have an exercise tolerance or stress test. This usually is supervised by a physician and performed in a hospital or clinical setting in three-minute stages, during which the speed and incline continue to increase in an effort to elevate your heart rate until it climbs to its highest level.

2. Determine your resting heart rate
Take your pulse before you get out of bed in the morning. Do this for several days in a row to get consistent readings.

3. Calculate your heart-rate reserve
Subtract your heart’s resting rate from your maximum rate. For example, if you are 40 years old, subtract that number from 220; your maximum rate is 180. Next, subtract your resting rate, 80 in this example. Your heart-rate reserve is 100 beats per minute. This heart-rate reserve represents the cushion heartbeats available for exercise.

Anyone participating in a strength and conditioning program should know how to take their pulse at the wrist not carotid artery at the neck. They should be aware of resting heart rate, the range for maximum heart rate and how long it takes to get to normal heart rate. Keep a log of this information to maximize your training and to insure not to over exert yourself.

Get precise information about maximum heart rate at Active.

This is the kind of information everyone should know about, please share with a friend.