Pulse during strength training. Why measure heart rate during exercise
Alas, not every person who plays sports monitors his pulse and generally knows how to measure it. We explain why this is really important and how heart rate measurement will help you increase the effectiveness of your workouts.
What is a pulse
Pulse, or HR (heart rate), is a number that usually reflects the number of heartbeats per minute at rest. It is extremely important to measure your heart rate when you are relaxed. It is best to do this immediately after waking up, and only if you have had a good and healthy sleep. The fact is that when a person is tense, whether it is training or emotional stress, the number of heartbeats increases.
How to measure the pulse
As we have already said, this should be done at rest. Place two fingers (middle and index) on your wrist or neck. Feel for a pulse and count the number of beats for ten seconds, then multiply that number by six. This is how you know your pulse. Some experts believe that it is better to measure the pulse for the entire minute - it can be unstable, and a ten-second segment will not show this.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the average heart rate is:
- for children over 10 years old and adults (including the elderly) - 60-100 beats per minute;
- for well-trained athletes - 40-60 beats per minute.
If your figures are below or above these marks, we advise you to contact a specialist.
To determine the heart rate that you need to adhere to in training, you must first find out the maximum heart rate. To do this, you need to carry out a simple manipulation with numbers - subtract your age from 220. For example, you are 25 - subtract 25 from 220 and get 195. This is the maximum heart rate for 25-year-old people. Next, we determine the pulse zone depending on the preparation and goal of the person.
George Maltabar
If a person has just started exercising, he should work in the zone of 50-60% of the maximum heart rate. If a person already has little sports experience and wants to lose weight, his pulse should be 130-150 beats per minute (this figure is approximate and may vary). It has been proven that it is in this pulse zone that fat is burned. If the pulse is higher, the body will begin to use energy from the muscles, and not from fat (and this is definitely not necessary for anyone); if less, the fat burning process simply will not start. If a person wants to develop his endurance, he can work in the zone of 70-90% of the maximum heart rate.
As for the development of endurance, this is generally a separate issue. Endurance training is not an easy task, it is important to take into account other factors besides the heart rate, for example, the duration and frequency of training per week, training methodology, recovery period, etc. Therefore, in this case there will be no exact recommendation with what heart rate a person needs to run in order to develop endurance.
If during training the heart rate reaches a maximum (if it exceeds the maximum, a person may lose consciousness), it is necessary to stop the exercise until the pulse drops to the level from which the person started exercising.
For the first few weeks of training, aim for your heart rate to be around 50% of your maximum heart rate, gradually building up to 85% (if needed). After six months, you will be quite comfortable training at this heart rate. If you have heart disease, talk to your doctor about what exercises you can do and what your heart rate should be.
Why you need to measure the pulse
By measuring the pulse, you will first of all take care of your health, as well as influence the effectiveness of training. If a person trains hard without knowing his heart rate, he can harm the heart. At the same time, the trainee may not achieve impressive results, since his heart rate will always be in the wrong target zone. Often people are guided only by sensations and do not train in full force, although they think that they are doing at the limit of their capabilities. Knowing your heart rate will push you to increase the intensity of training - a person will try to raise the heart rate to a specific level. At the same time, you do not need to bring the pulse to the maximum - this will definitely not lead to anything good. Even professional athletes, who have well-developed heart muscle and endurance, rarely try to reach the maximum rate. To monitor your heart rate during a workout, you can use the usual measurement method - put your fingers on your neck or wrist. But it is better to buy a heart rate monitor - it will most accurately calculate your heart rate. In addition, some devices have a special function - when your heart rate is outside the target zone, the heart rate monitor will beep.
George Maltabar
fitness instructor Rocky Road GymSome coaches work according to a certain system - they are guided by the athlete's pulse. A person will squat or jump rope not a specific number of times, but based on the pulse. The trainee will do the exercise until his pulse rises, for example, to 150 beats per minute. Only then will he stop and rest. As soon as the pulse drops to the starting point, the person needs to start the exercise again. There is not even a specific time for rest - for one person, the pulse can recover in 30 seconds, for another - in 5 minutes. And this is one of the most correct and adequate ways of dosing the load. If the trainee focuses on a strict rest time and a specific number of repetitions, he may not have time to recover, which has a bad effect on the body, or not get enough load.
It is also necessary to remember about the restoration of the heart rhythm. To find out the recovery heart rate, you need to check the heart rate monitor or measure the heart rate manually immediately after the end of the workout. Then wait two minutes and check the pulse again. Subtract the second from the first indicator - this is how you find out the number you are interested in.
The longer and better you play sports in general, the greater the difference between these two indicators should be. During sports, you train not only the muscles, but also the heart, and a strong cardiovascular system allows you to quickly return to the pulse that you had before training and recover. So, measuring your pulse twice after physical activity, you will be able to truly evaluate the effectiveness of classes.
The pulse is a very important informative indicator of a person's health and fitness. The value of the pulse will immediately tell you if the training load is too low, if you are in a state of overtraining, if your results are growing from training, if you are starting to get sick, etc. Let's talk about what pulse is considered normal, what is the norm of the pulse and what is the pulse in general.
What is a pulse?
It is known that the human heart rhythmically contracts several tens of times per minute and drives blood through the arteries. The pulse is a periodic jerky expansion of the walls of the arteries, synchronous with the contractions of the heart. Each contraction of the heart diverges in the form of a pressure wave through all large vessels almost instantly. This is felt as a pulse. During the beat, the heart creates a wave. And the pressure of this wave is called systolic. Cm. .
To feel the pulse, you need to put your finger in the indicated places. It is usually convenient to press your fingers against an artery in your wrist or neck.
How to count the pulse?
Pulse counting is usually carried out in 1 minute. But some formulas and methods involve counting the pulse for a shorter or, conversely, more long time. For example, the pulse is counted in 15 seconds.
The pulse rate in a person depends on gender, age, weight, degree of fitness, stress level, emotional state, hunger, body temperature and ambient air.
The pulse usually increases even without physical activity, if the weather is hot, if the air humidity is high, when you are in the mountains, if the oxygen content in the air is below normal (stuffiness, high mountains), if it is very noisy around, if now critical days(in women) if you have a significant excess weight. Also, the pulse often accelerates after taking metabolism-stimulating drugs, drinks (such as coffee, green and black tea), drugs sports nutrition containing stimulants (caffeine and others).
The normal pulse rate for a calmly sitting person is usually in the range of 60-80 beats per minute. In regularly trained athletes (runners, swimmers, cyclists), the resting heart rate can be below 60-50 and even below 40 beats per minute. Athletes power types fitness (bodybuilding, powerlifting, weightlifting), the pulse is usually not lower than 70 beats. This is due to the significant body weight and the peculiarities of training. Specialization in strength training usually does not lead to an increase, and therefore the resting heart rate does not become lower.
The most important pulse parameters
- resting heart rate (should gradually decrease)
- pulse immediately after exercise (should not exceed the corresponding load zone (see)
- heart rate during prolonged cardio for more than 5 minutes (should not go beyond the aerobic zone)
- dynamics of resting heart rate and training heart rate at the same load for a long time (it should gradually decrease)
Human heart rate
As fitness increases, resting heart rate decreases. This is due to the growth of the capabilities of the heart and the adaptation of the entire circulatory system. If this does not happen, it is necessary to analyze your training, especially in terms of cardio training and excessive strength training.
The value of the heart rate reaches informative indicators only when the exercise lasts more than 3-5 minutes. During this time, an intensification of the activity of the cardiovascular system occurs and fast sources of energy in the muscles are depleted (see). That is why during short-term work, for example, when running on short distances, performing acyclic exercises (high jumps, long jumps, lifting dumbbells or barbells, etc.), heart rate values \u200b\u200bmay be small or say nothing about the real state of affairs.
Slow recovery or a decrease in heart rate may indicate excessive physical exertion during training or improper planning of this load. If in two minutes of rest between sets to the bar your heart rate did not have time to drop to 100-110 beats, then you need to either reduce the weight of the bar, or do fewer repetitions, or rest more between sets. Strength training heart rate - start the next set after the heart rate has dropped to 100 beats per minute or less. Except when methods of special physical training are used.
It is conditionally considered to be a normal load, causing an increase in heart rate to 120-160 beats / min. To train at a pulse above 160-165 beats per minute means to force the heart to work for wear and tear. Especially if this pulse is held for a long time (5 minutes or more).
A good indicator of fitness is resting heart rate. A resting pulse of 48–60 beats/min is assessed as excellent; 60–74 bpm - how good; 74–89 bpm - as satisfactory; more than 90 bpm - as unsatisfactory.
The maximum heart rate per minute allowed for your age can be calculated using the formula: 220 - age \u003d heart rate max
As the physical activity in training increases, the heart rate increases rapidly in proportion to its intensity. It is like a game of catch-up: the load increases, the heart tries to keep up with it, which faster and faster drives oxygenated blood through our body, thus trying to compensate for all the losses of the body. The greater the load and the longer it is, the faster you approach the maximum heart rate.
The maximum heart rate is reached before the moment of extreme fatigue and at the stage of pulse stabilization. This is a very reliable indicator that remains constant from day to day and only changes with age, usually decreasing.
It is strongly not recommended to cross the threshold of the maximum heart rate for your age, and even more so to stay in this mode for a long time. The body can not withstand excessive stress and begins to fail. The first sign that you have crossed the limits of your capabilities is the appearance of shortness of breath, at first insignificant, then increasing, and in the end more resembling suffocation, when you can no longer utter a word. Rapid, painful heartbeat, tinnitus, dizziness. Spasm of cerebral vessels can cause a sharp headache and unpleasant visions before my eyes - black flies, rainbow circles. Sometimes there is excessive dryness in the mouth, blue face.
These sensations may also occur before you have reached your maximum heart rate. Perhaps today you are tired, nervous, didn’t get enough sleep, feel bad or went too far at work with the number of cups of strong coffee drunk - then your workout should go in a gentle, calm mode.
Never let yourself be drawn into a workout with these sensations (suffocation, shortness of breath, blue face). Yes, to reach notable results need a fairly high intensity. However, you must be prepared by pre-training for this intensity. A coach who forces beginners to train in this way is an illiterate criminal. You need to be especially careful when training according to the CrossFit method, known for its reckless type of load and competitive spirit. In crossfit training, more than anywhere else, it is important to choose the right level of loads, especially if you are a beginner.
Heart rate or heart rate is a very important indicator of human health. Regardless of the type of activity and the rhythm of life, you need to know your pulse, both when playing sports and. It is quite easy to measure it. Index and middle fingers applied right hand on the left wrist at the passage of the radial artery. Then, for 30 seconds, the number of strokes is counted. The resulting figure is multiplied by two. The result means the number of contractions of the heart muscle. The heart rate range depends on both the age and gender of the person. Newborns have about 140 strokes, by the age of 15 the values are equal to adult rates. So for women, 65 - 90 is considered the norm, and for men 65 - 80. For older people, the figures may be higher. The pulse during sports for each category of people will also be different.
Heart rate during sports training
Physical activity causes the heart to contract more intensely. As a result, the volume of pumped blood is more often thrown into the system to provide organs and muscles with oxygen, so the number of shocks increases significantly. If the body has not previously been subjected to heavy exercise, then a high heart rate during sports will be considered normal. At professional athletes even during exercise, the pulse rises slightly. This is due to regular cardio loads. The heart muscle gets used to it over time and effortlessly copes with pumping blood flow.
People with cardiac diseases are characterized by tachycardia. A sick heart is simply forced to work hard to provide the body with the necessary volume of oxygen-enriched blood. At the same time, professionals have a condition in which the heart contracts less often. A muscle accustomed to loads can throw the required amount of blood into the circulation in a smaller number of contractions.
Calculation of the pulsation rate
There is a standard formula for calculating the maximum rate of pulsation. From the number 220, the person's age should be subtracted. Get the heart rate. Medical experts say that normal pulse when playing sports is calculated for each individual. Thus, the maximum indicator or MP is determined as follows:
- For women, MP \u003d 209 - age multiplied by a reduction factor of 0.8 (for example, if a girl is 20 years old, then 209 - 20 × 0.8 \u003d 193);
- For men, MP \u003d 214 - age multiplied by a factor of 0.9 (for example, if a man is 40 years old, then 214 - 40 × 0.9 \u003d 178).
Pulse zones
To determine the desired intensity of training, it is necessary to clarify not only the maximum heart rate, but also the zone of severity of the exercises. There are several zones:
A low heart rate during sports can only be observed in those who are constantly engaged in training and their heart is used to pumping blood in an enhanced mode. In other cases, there will be a noticeable increase in performance. You should determine your heart rate. Adhere to the norms, according to individual calculations. Increased stress on the heart negatively affects health and can lead to lethal outcome. The optimal indicator for burning extra pounds and keeping the body in good shape is 60 - 70% of the MP.
A competent approach to training should begin with determining the rate of heart rate, according to which the intensity of training is specified.
Heart rate (pulse) is essential for successful workouts. If you keep track of your heart rate, you will be able to correctly build a schedule and exercise intensity. Moreover, maintaining the heart rate in the optimal range will allow you to pump not only muscles during training, but also improve general state heart muscle.
But the ideal heart rate for an athlete does not exist. The parameters differ depending on age, gender, type and intensity of physical activity. When measuring your heart rate, you need to pay attention to several states of the body: after a warm-up, after sleep, during and immediately after strength training, during cardio training or interval training, contractions of the heart during a hitch, walking or a simple change in body position.
Pulse after waking up
The first indicator that you can pay attention to right now is your heart rate when you wake up. As a rule, at this time of day we have the most “clean” heart rate readings. The pulse in the morning will show how well the heart is coping with natural blood circulation at a time when the body is not subjected to physical exertion or stressful situations. Interesting fact, but more fit people in excellent health have a lower heart rate when they wake up. Rates can even reach forty beats per minute or less. The average range is 60 to 80 beats per minute. If you fall into this range - do not worry, everything is in order with the body.
Morning performance can increase after intense evening training, in a state of illness and stress. To track the overall dynamics, write down the daily numbers in a table. The pulse can fluctuate in the range of five beats per minute. So you can see the cyclical changes in heart beats over the study period.
Heart rate after warm up
The second indicator to track is the heart rate immediately after. good range The pulse is considered to be from 100 to 120 beats. If more - you need to reduce the intensity of preliminary exercises. The main task in this process is to warm up the muscles and simply saturate the blood with oxygen. A higher heart rate will trigger the same processes as strength training or cardio training. As part of the warm-up, you do not need to drive the body and feel tired - this is a serious mistake. You need to warm up, not get tired and burn calories. First approach strength training or a cardio load complex should be started in the heart rate range from 80 to 100 beats.
Pulse after strength exercise
The next measurements are the heart rate immediately after the power approach. After completing the exercise, take your pulse for 20 seconds. For a healthy person, the normal indicator is the sum of age and 220. Gradually, the frequency will decrease. After 40-45 years, you should not exceed the frequency of more than 170-175 beats per minute. The more often and harder you train, the lower your heart rate will be after strength training. Try to keep the range within 90% of the maximum allowed.
You probably know that after intense strength exercise need to take a break. This is partly due to the need to calm the heart. The heart rate must drop in order to have a “power reserve” for our main muscle.
Before the next approach, you need to bring the pulse to one hundred beats per minute. Be sure to restore your breathing - you do not need to start a new exercise if you feel like you are suffocating or you just do not have enough air.
Remember that insufficient rest between sets is fraught with great stress on the heart and premature wear of the heart muscle.
Cardio
A separate area of training is cardio loading. They were originally designed to develop the heart muscle and lose weight. The optimal indicator for such a load is considered to be a heart rate of up to 150 beats per minute with the same type of load (for example, cycling, elliptical or jogging at the same speed).
If the heart rate is up to 140 beats per minute, you can increase the speed of running or the duration of the same type of workout.
A different approach should be applied to interval loads. Their main essence is the alternation of training intensity. Here you need to alternate the pulse rate. Bring your heart rate up to 110 beats per minute before accelerating again. And in peak loads, you can be guided by the maximum heart rate formula used for power loads (the sum of 220 is age).
Pulse at the cooldown stage
After an intense workout (cardio or strength), you need to gradually reduce the heart rate to an average. After the last approach, you should not sit on a bench in the locker room or go to take a shower. It becomes an obligatory stage - these are light cardio loads for five minutes. You can take a short walk on the treadmill. It is important to lower the heart rate below 110 beats per minute. The body thus leaves the state of stress and returns to normal.
Stress
But in addition to sports, it is necessary to measure the level of the pulse under the influence of various external factors, and especially stress. Not without reason, the pulse is one of the key indicators that this moment based on the science of determining lies. The principle of operation of a polygraph in a simplified form is a reading of a person’s pulse, since deception most often implies excitement and, as a result, an increase in heart rate. This knowledge is also widely used by professionals in games where bluffing is involved - an increase in heart rate, shaking hands and drops of sweat on the face of an opponent is an important clue about his cards. Therefore, if your heart rate values have changed recently, it is quite possible that the reason for this is not physical activity at all. Pay attention to whether you have recently experienced strong emotional experiences or prolonged stress.
Tips for controlling the pulse of a healthy person are as simple as possible - watch your diet and train your heart regularly. More physical activity and constant walks fresh air- This is an excellent prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Heart rate is the speed at which the heart beats. is 60-90 beats per minute. But the pulse of athletes (not under load, but in calm state) is usually half that. In professional athletes, a low heart rate increases with exercise or stress.
Normal values for an ordinary person
Normal pulse (at rest) - heart rate - in healthy adults ranges from 65-75 beats / minute. If the average value exceeds 90, we are talking about tachycardia (an increase in the number of heart contractions). When the average resting heart rate is less than 60, it is bradycardia. The exception is trained athletes, who are considered normal around 40. A decrease in heart rate is also normal during sleep. In particular, in infants, the values are similar to the maximum values in most sports!
The optimal performance is shown in the table.
| Age, years | Pulse, beats/minute |
|---|---|
| Infants (1 month old) | 140 |
| 0–1 | 132 |
| 1–2 | 124 |
| 2–4 | 115 |
| 4–6 | 106 |
| 6–8 | 98 |
| 8–10 | 88 |
| 10–12 | 80 |
| 12–15 | 76 |
| 15–50 | Around 70 |
| 50–60 | 74 |
| 60–80 | 79 |
How is the heart rate different for athletes? As can be seen from the table, the indicator is the same as that of a 15-year-old teenager, i.e., the heart rate has stable indicators from 15 to 50 years. It can also be seen that the values of the child are comparable to those of the athlete during exercise.
There is no single answer to the question, what is the pulse rate of athletes. During sports training different maximum heart rates are achieved. Certain maximum rates are achieved while running, a rarer pulse - with aerobics, cardio training, the lowest rates are recorded when cycling, swimming, walking.
The bottom line is that when training to calculate maximum value it is necessary to take as 100% the value of the maximum heart rate achieved in a particular sport. In general, if a person who trains wants to reach the maximum heart rate in the pool that he achieved while running, the water can boil, but even so the athlete will not be able to achieve the same maximum heart rate as when running.
To calculate the heart rate during sports, you can use the following formula: HR \u003d 220 - age, applicable to about 50% of the population.
Maximum: Heart rate \u003d 220 - 1.03 x age.
Important! When considering the question of what the pulse should be when playing sports, consider the fact that the athlete’s indicator during training is 180 beats per minute - this is the limit that should not be exceeded! Having reached such indicators, reduce the load.
Active (working) heart rate - ACP
The athlete's working pulse is measured during the day in a calm mode. Normal heart rate values are 70-80. In untrained people, the heart works less economically, its beats are faster, the number of contractions increases sharply even after a slight load on the body. During exercise they should be maintained in the range of 60-75% of the measured / calculated heart rate, without preliminary warm-up, stretching and final relaxation.
To start training, you do not need special counters, it is enough to measure your heartbeat from time to time during training. Soon you will learn how to determine how fast you can run or how hard you train.
During training for weight loss, it is not advisable to exceed 75% of the maximum heart rate. This will lead to unnecessary fatigue without having a significant effect on body fat. However, exercise should not be underestimated. Otherwise, a few calories will be burned, but the fat will not recognize this.
Important! An aerobic heart rate also increases metabolism for several hours because the muscles must burn calories during recovery. How more muscle in humans, the higher their basal metabolic rate.
Norms and pathologies of heart rate in athletes
A simple calculation example:
- for men: subtract current age from 214 and multiply by 0.8;
- for women: subtract current age from 209 and multiply by 0.7.
Sample for calculating maximum heart rate by weight:
- for women: heart rate = 210 - ½ age - 5% of body weight;
- for men: heart rate = 210 - ½ age - 5% of body weight + 4;
- heart rate for fat burning: HR = 60-80% of maximum heart rate (preferably 70%).
Another way to find out what your maximum heart rate is is to try it out. The ideal is to choose a steep hill on which you will run up and down (optimally it should be at least 200-300 m uphill). Have a heart rate monitor with you. Run up and down the hill 5-6 times. The highest heart rate you measure while running will be your maximum. Anything above is pathological values that are unsafe for health!
Reasons for deviations
Cardiac arrhythmias or cardiac arrhythmias are associated with heart rate. Physiologically low heart rate is common in athletes (including former ones) and indicates more strong heart capable of pumping more blood.
Causes of abnormal pulses include bradycardia, in which the heart rate slows down. This disorder can be caused by a heart attack, an intracranial injury, a drug used. The opposite is tachycardia, in which the heart rate increases. This is typical for the state of sports overexertion and stressful situations. However, such a disorder may also indicate febrile illness, anemia, heart failure, poisoning, thyroid disorder, hypertension.
