Indication of High and Low Heart Rates

Get more for less—heart rate training works out as simple as this. By working out within a specific heart rate range called the target heart rate, you can get more benefits from your exercise while lowering health risks and improving your fitness.

Before starting an exercise or training program, you must know what your target heart rate is. It will depend on your maximum heart rate and the intensity that you are aiming for. A physician may give you a more reliable maximum heart rate by conducting an exercise stress test. But there are also other methods to calculate this; however, it is just a ballpark figure. But you definitely have to consult your health provider for a target heart rate zone that is appropriate for your level and health condition. Otherwise you would be putting yourself in peril had you not been aware of your doctor’s precautions.

Once known, you might notice that your target heart rate has an upper and lower limit. Beyond these there might be serious effects on your health and performance. Lesser would mean you are merely wasting your energy and your efforts.

As a famous cliché goes, too much is bad. Going above the maximum value would be detrimental. One good reason behind this is that it poses a risk to our cardiovascular health. There are some claims that going beyond is already burning lean muscle. On the contrary, as stated in literature, our body draws fuel from muscle glycogen and fats rather than protein (which mostly make up a muscle). Protein only becomes the fuel for energy when all of the other potential energy sources are all used up.

A lower heart rate than what is supposed to be simply means that you are not working to the optimum level. If you feel exhausted but still have a lower heart rate, you should check on the intensity you are working on. Probably you must be trying to get involved at a target zone that is more than what matches your needs. This is why we should check with our physicians before participating in such training.