Target Heart Rate

Morris County School of Technology

Physical Education Dept.
 What is Target Heart Rate ?
• Your target heart rate is 60% to 85% of your
maximum heart rate. It is the level at which
your heart is beating with moderate to high
intensity.
• Sustaining a workout at this pace improves
cardiorespiratory endurance.
 Why is it important?
Knowing your target heart rate helps you pace your workouts accordingly
and helps avoid burning out, or wasting time by exercising at a level of
intensity that is too low.
 Target Heart Rate Step-by-Step
• Before you get out of bed in the
morning take your pulse for 1 minute.
• Use one of the following methods:
– Place your index and middle
fingers directly under your ear,
then slide your fingers down until
they are directly under your
jawbone, pressing lightly.

– Place your index and middle

fingers over the outside of your
opposite wrist, just below the
base of your thumb.

• This number becomes your resting

Heart rate.
• Next, you will use this number to find your target heart rate
zone(THR) using the Karvonen formula, a measure of your
heart rate reserve. Using this formula, we'll calculate a THR
zone between 60% and 85% of your heart rate reserve.
The following example is for a 14year old.
• 220 – age = Maximum Heart Rate (Maximum number of beats in one min)
Ex. 220-14 = 206

• MHR x 60% = low end Target Heart Rate

Ex. 206 x .60 = 123.6

MHR x 85% = High end Target Heart Rate

Ex. 206 x .85 = 175.1
• THR Zone = 124-175
 Intensity
• The heart rate range you've calculated represents 60-85% of your heart rate reserve,
but where do you work within that range?
• The answer is working at a variety of levels for different workouts. The ranges you
can choose are categorized by intensity:

Low Intensity - 50-60%

Medium Intensity - 60-70%
High Intensity - 75-85%

Each level of intensity draws on different energy systems and focuses on different
goals such as building endurance (e.g., working at a medium intensity) or
increasing your anaerobic threshold and burning more calories (e.g., working at a
high intensity).
 Keep Track
• Now that you have your THR zone,
you need to decide how you'll keep
track of it. The easiest way is with a
heart rate monitor. Most come with a
chest strap and a watch that allows
you to see a continuous reading of
your heart rate.
• If that isn't an option, you can always
periodically take your pulse during
your workout by counting the beats
for 6 seconds and adding a zero to get
your beats per minute
 Rate of Perceived Exertion
• When exercising, it's important to monitor your intensity to make sure you're
working at a pace that is challenging enough to help you reach your goals, but not
so hard that you blow a lung. One way to do that is to use a Perceived Exertion
Scale
• In general, for most workouts you want to be at around Level 5-6. If you're doing
interval training, you want your recovery to be around a 4-5 and your intensity
blasts to be at around 8-9.
 Talk Test
• The ability to talk during your workout can help you determine how hard
you're working. The American College of Sports Medicine states: "People
who are able to comfortably speak during exercise are likely working out
at an acceptable intensity." If you can speak comfortably, you're probably
somewhere around the low-middle range of your THR zone (or a level 4-5
on the Perceived Exertion Scale).
• Experts generally suggest that you shouldn't be breathless during your
workouts. However, if you're doing interval training or a short, high
intensity workout, being somewhat breathless is what you're looking for.
• If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, you should slow down or stop exercising.