Okay, I know you are supposed to do 220-your age times 60-80% and that's your THR. At work we do a more complicated formula where you do 220-age then time 60-80% then add your age back in (I think that's how it's done). Which way is better. If I just do 220-my age time 80% my max HR is 156. Is that high enough? If I do it the oher way it's like 175 or something. Please help me find the RIGHT way to find my THR.
Also, if you go over your THR while working out (and sometimes mine gets to like 185 when I'm doing running intervals) what happens? I read that your body starts to burn muscle and not fat.
I wear my Polar every time I exercise (steady state running and biking, intervals of each, resistance training, pretty much everything) because I'm a numbers geek. What I've learned over the years is that it's a neat tool for me to get an idea of the relative intensity of a workout or activity.
During exercise sessions, I have a habit of checking it at various times, like after a hill climb or a set of deadlifts, etc. I may use the reading as a motivator to work harder or up the intensity, but I hardly ever target a zone to be in. I think I can also start to detect when I'm ready for some time off by how my heart rate ramps up during a session and how it goes back down during rest periods.
What I've learned most is that the monitor is a good tool to measure exercise sessions relative to each other and relative to my personal performance improvements and adaptations.
Also, if you go over your THR while working out (and sometimes mine gets to like 185 when I'm doing running intervals) what happens? I read that your body starts to burn muscle and not fat.
myth. You're always burning whatever you've got. The ratios change slightly as you go up and down in intensity, but there's really no "magic" tipping point.
Like savg99 points out, using it to judge your level of fitness and intensity is the best use for the HRM.
In theory, the fitter you are, the quicker you will recover from really high HR to a more normal one. Then you can do your next interval.
Just found this. It's used for cyclist, but I think any high intensity workout can be applied. I too, am a gear head in that I use my hr monitor but not always. I haven't tried it during a weight training workout. I've always used the "conversation" method. If you can still carry on a conversation, you aren't working hard enough.
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
You're referring to the Karvonen formula, where both age and resting heart rate are taken into account... it is slightly more accurate than the basic 220-age, but in reality, work hard and sweat. Rate of PERCEIVED exertion (RPE) is probably the best guideline for all but the most wimpy beginners...
the formulas 220-age or any of the others - give you a MHR.
Training protocols give you a THR for a given protocol -
e.g. - do this at 85% MHR or do that at 60-65 % MHR
or do this full out and recover until you are at 50% MHR and then repeat
there is no single THR to be used across the board for all protocols or exercise schemes
Target heart rate question...
Linear Mode
