Heart rate calculation for fat burning. Determine the correct heart rate during cardio training to burn fat

To effectively lose weight, you need to train with a well-defined heart rate. You have probably already heard about it and seen the related pictures and diagrams. They are often attached to treadmills.

As a coach, I am very skeptical about all this. Why?

It confuses me that so many people fall for this stupid trick called the "fat-burning heart rate zone." An ignorant person believes that if he runs with a pulse in the region of 110-130 (up to 140 in some schemes) beats per minute, he will lose weight very quickly. That's what it says on the chart!

Moreover, many people have the illusion that it is enough to run in the fat burning zone for 30-40 minutes three times a week, and the rest of the time to continue to sit for 14 hours a day, eat as before, not solve a bunch of other problems, then this it will still help you lose weight.

I'm sorry, but I must disappoint you!

What are load zones really talking about?

In fact, load zones do not say anything about the results of training and about what you will become. These zones only show in what energy mode your body works at a particular pulse value. The load zone shows how many calories a person burns per minute and what is the main fuel for the muscles during a given workout. And nothing more!

A final result many workouts on this heart rate depends on a host of other variables - the general context of your whole life (food composition and its calorie content, general lifestyle, use of various methods strength training etc.).

You can run as much as you like in the "fat burning zone", but if you do not lead a reasonable lifestyle, do not follow the basic rules of nutrition, there will be no weight loss. After all, success in getting rid of extra pounds depends on the calories entering the body, on the presence of the necessary vitamins and nutrients, general health, enough water, metabolic rate, general activity during the day. And, believe me, the “fat burning zone” in training is just a drop in the ocean. But it will play its role if the above parameters are normal.

What Happens in Your Body When You Run in a Fat Burning Zone

When you run at a heart rate of 110-140 bpm for more than 20 minutes, fat really becomes your main source of energy and your metabolism really speeds up. But only during training. As soon as you finish running, fat will immediately cease to be such a source, and your metabolism will immediately slow down. The body will quickly restore carbohydrate reserves and switch back to them. And fat will begin to accumulate again, because now the body knows that it is needed for the next “fat burning” race. It's funny, isn't it? By trying to burn fat, you contribute to its accumulation in an enhanced mode.

Therefore, I urge you to correctly treat the load zones with which the Internet is crammed. They are mainly of theoretical value and help protect health from excessive stress, as well as approximately orientate relative to minimal loads. Some beginners and even experienced practitioners experience real horror if their heart rate reaches 110-120 beats from exertion. But on such a pulse, you can only warm up. Training starts with higher values.

So what pulse to train on to lose weight?

It depends on your level of preparation. Optimal for health is a pulse in the region of 145-155 beats per minute. This is the so-called pulse. And it is the best for weight loss. But only if other rules for normalizing weight (in nutrition, lifestyle) are observed.

But if you find it difficult to breathe at this rate (shortness of breath, shortness of breath), train at lower values (110-120 or 130) until you get in shape. You can start with a normal walk - walks. And better for fresh air. One hour a day is enough to get started. You can gradually bring walks up to 1.5-2 hours a day. This is a total benefit. The main thing is not to forget to breathe deeply and rhythmically enough so that your wrong breathing does not complicate the delivery of oxygen to the muscles.

The heart, like any other muscle, has the ability to develop. Starting small, you will get in good shape in a few weeks. This will allow you to work out at higher heart rates. All this will inevitably affect health and weight loss the most. in the best way. I assure you that it will bring a lot of pleasure!

So, if you are not athletic at all, get in the habit of regular walks or other moderate intensity physical activity outdoors. Minimum 1 hour per day. In any weather. This is especially effective after meals. And especially after dinner. Walking after eating should begin smoothly and slowly. But gradually increase the pace of movements.

The main sign of a well-chosen pulse for a beginner is comfortable breathing without shortness of breath.

If the air begins to lack, slow down the pace, regardless of the size of the pulse. Breathing should be frequent and deep, but there should not be a lack of oxygen. For beginners, especially extra pounds, early to focus on recommendations for experienced.

It is very useful to purchase a gadget that will help you track your heart rate and other parameters when walking and other types of exercise (it is convenient, for example, to count the gradually increasing number of steps taken per day). Buy it, learn how to use it. And let it become one of the symbols of your approaching transformation and renewal!

If a person wants to lose weight, it is important to be able to find the right pulse indicators for him. This will give an accurate understanding of what loads will have the desired result. The pulse zone in the training aspect is individual and depends on age, gender and general physical condition of the body. If classes occur with excessive or insufficient load, excess weight is not transformed into useful energy.

Calculation of the pulse using the Karvonen formula

A Finnish physiologist named Karvonen developed a method for calculating the limits of heart rate (heart rate) in people involved in sports. The method allows you to find out the individual heart rate and make an effective calculation of training for optimal fat burning. The found value is on the golden mean between the peak heart rate and indications in a calm state of health.

The formula for calculating the heart rate for burning fat according to the Karvonen method is as follows:

Determine your own heart rate in a balanced state (RHR) by pressing your thumb on the inside of your wrist for 60 seconds. The most accurate parameters are found in the morning, right after you wake up. Frequency muscle contractions at rest accurately characterizes general physical well-being, so repeat the measurements for several days. The average heart rate of a healthy person is 72 beats / min. Indicators exceeding this threshold indicate a bad physical condition or overwork.
Maximum heart rate (EMHR) measures how fast the heart muscle is able to contract during exercise. The indicator is calculated simply: from 220 you need to subtract the age of the subject. For a more accurate determination, it is necessary to make physical efforts by having a good warm-up with several sprint accelerations. After that, you need to run for two minutes at an intense pace. At the end of the test, determine the maximum possible heart rate.
Heart rate reserve (HRR) is the difference between EMHR and resting rates (RHR). It defines those limits above which the frequency of contractions cannot rise. The optimal heart rate for fat burning is achieved by calculating interval training, where HRR is multiplied by 95%, and then the resting state indicator (RHR) is added.
Beginners need to determine the amplitude of the heart rate, which is based on various goals and levels of training. Once you've chosen the percentage of intensity from maximum heart rate (EMHR), multiply it by the reserve (HRR) and add it to the total RHR. The obtained indicators must be adhered to during the entire training. Beginners are advised to choose the minimum intensity of training, gradually increasing it as endurance and excess fat is burned.

Maximum heart rate (EMHR) - 190 beats / min.

Resting state (RHR) - 50 beats / min.

Reserve (HRR) - 190 - 50 = 140 bpm.

Minimum intensity to start classes - 60%

The minimum heart rate for fat burning will be, based on the calculations, (140 * 60%) + 50 \u003d 134. Indicators that do not reach this target heart rate zone are considered ineffective. If the intensity percentage increases, the weight loss process begins to progress.

For women

The average heart rate for the beautiful half of humanity is 70-80 beats / min. To find out at what pulse fat is burned in women, you should use the above formula. Girls who ignore physical exercises suffer from increased pulse intensity and are at risk of pathologies of the circulatory system. The initial stages of training very quickly increase the girl's heart rate, so sudden pulse jumps must be leveled, increasing the load gradually.

If beginners do not exceed the threshold of 120-135 beats per minute, the risk of overwork and cardiac arrest is eliminated. Using the Karvonen physiologist's formula, each girl must determine an individual target exercise threshold for optimal fat burning without harming health.

For men

The fat burning formula shows that the male pulse is on average lower than the female one, and varies between 60-70 bpm. The advantage here is achieved due to the fact that the body of the stronger sex, supported by specific hormones, has great endurance and power. Gradually gaining tolerance to oxygen deficiency in the tissues, and developing the heart muscle, the exercising man reaches the optimal heart rate limits from 125 to 160 beats / min.

Online heart rate calculator for fat burning

Our online calculator calculates the heart rate for fat burning using the Karvonen formula in its algorithm.

Moderate physical activity while exercising in the green zone increases the body's endurance and optimally burns calories. The pulse should not exceed 70% of the maximum heart rate, as neglecting the allowable limits will cause the tissue to stop oxygen consumption. Burning extra fat will also stop in this case.

The online calculator will help you determine the optimal load during exercise and the duration at which the most efficient combustion fat.

Running to burn fat

Running is a great form of aerobic exercise, the goal of which is to increase endurance and burn fat. Frequent exercise develops the heart muscle, normalizes metabolism and helps to lose weight. To calculate the heart rate for burning fat, you need to know the individual anaerobic zone, crossing the border of which the body will not be able to continue to burn extra calories. Beginning runners should vary their jogging with a regular stride when the heart rate reaches its peak.

120-130 beats per minute is considered optimal for the average athlete.

Using specific meters, a person will not need to stop in order to calculate the pulsation. Those involved often experience sensations that are rarely seen in a calm rhythm of life.

What you need to know while running

Running significantly increases body temperature, which often reaches 39 degrees. For training, this indicator is normal. Hot blood destroys some viruses and promotes recovery from colds.
Beginners often experience pain in the sides. Here it is necessary to slow down or massage the abdominal cavity so that excess blood in one area spreads to the extremities.
A disturbing heart during active running indicates the unpreparedness of the body and requires a slowdown.
The normal condition is pain in the muscles and joints, since during exercise the skeleton and fibers experience serious stress that must be endured. After the exercise, the disturbing areas are massaged or treated with ointments.

Important! If a person who wants to lose weight is engaged in hot weather, he needs to carefully monitor the maintenance of water-salt balance. A complete refusal of fluid will provoke a sharp rise in heart rate and cause dangerous consequences for the practitioner.

Beginner running program

Very accurate information, one of the best running videos for beginners you can see on the net. Recommended for beginners.

If you can’t run at a low heart rate of 120-135 beats per minute, but you don’t suffer from tachycardia. You should alternate between walking and running until you can work at a lower heart rate. At a heart rate of 150, you should run relatively easy for over an hour, but this is not a recovery run, since the heart rate interval is different.

Fat Burning Workouts

The bottom line is to perform strength and aerobic exercises with little or no rest. This forces you to work at the limit of your capabilities and takes a lot of energy. The complex includes push-ups, squats, leg raises, jumps and a stand in the "bar". Before starting, a mandatory warm-up is required. To maintain an optimal heart rate for burning fat, you need to monitor the indicators on an electronic device on your wrist.

The main benefits of this training include:

Increases endurance and strengthens the heart muscle.
Since classes increase metabolic rates, the body gets rid of extra pounds more efficiently.
The skeletal muscles are strengthened, and the training itself takes no more than half an hour.

How to effectively burn fat

In 9 minutes of the video, he explained how to properly burn fat in such an intelligible and understandable way that no trainer would have coped with such a task.

How to write a fat burning program

All information is luxuriously laid out on the shelves and in places! There is no cheap populism, there is a clear setting for long-term work for compiling a fat burning program.

After a workout, a good sleep is best, and not everyday activity. In a dream, recovery, healing of minor injuries and growth muscle mass. If, after training, you also engage in other activities, then chronic lack of sleep and deterioration of immunity is guaranteed. But of course, I mean a training session during which it is impossible to talk on the phone or communicate with people, and after it the muscles are simply killed.

I admit that if such a training was in the afternoon or in the morning, then at first it is best to take a nap in the afternoon, and then go for a walk or do business. Yes, and after a workout, not everyone eats a piece of cake right away, there are not so many such stupid people. Many smart people eat cottage cheese and go to bed.

Let's summarize:
Most effective tool for weight loss, there have always been rational cardio workouts, which in a few months save a person from excess weight, shortness of breath and metabolic problems. Those who want to lose weight should know at what pulse fat is burned. Starting classes, you should calculate the individual heart rate threshold using the Karvonen formula.

Regular running training and knowledge of one's own body will surely bear fruit for those who want to become vigorous and strong.

How to calculate your "fat burning zone" from your heart rate.

There are two main methods for determining the optimal heart rate zone for burning fat. If you don't know what your resting heart rate is, you can use age method.

This formula assumes that you must calculate your maximum heart rate and multiply it by the intensity of your workouts.

If you know your resting heart rate, then a more accurate method is Karvonnen formula.

This method will accurately calculate your cardio zone based on your heart rate.

Karvonnen method (must know your heart rate at rest)

Step 1. Determine your resting heart rate ( RHR).

You can measure your resting heart rate by holding your finger on inside wrist for 60 seconds. Exactly 60 seconds. For accuracy, it is better to wait a minute, and not measure 30 seconds, and then multiply by 2.

It is best to determine the most accurate resting heart rate in the sutra, immediately after waking up, before you start doing physical exercise or drink coffee. Resting heart rate is a fairly accurate indicator of your physical form.

The better your physical form the lower should be resting heart rate.

The average heart rate at rest is approximately 72 beats per minute. If your frequency is significantly higher, for example 80-90 beats per minute, then this means that you have a weak physical form. Also, a higher resting heart rate can be a sign of overtraining.

A low resting heart rate is a sign of good physical shape. Some marathon runners have a resting heart rate of 40 beats per minute or even less.

Step 2. Determine your maximum heart rate ( EMHR).

Your maximum heart rate is a measure of how fast your heart can beat while exercising.

The formula for determining your maximum heart rate is very simple: 200 minus your age.

Example:

You are 30 years old.

Maximum heart rate = 220 - 30 = 190 beats per minute.

Step 3. Determine the reserve of your heart rate ( HRR)

Your RHR is 58 bpm.

Reserve HRR = 190 - 58 = 132 bpm.

Step 4: Calculate your heart rate range based on your goals and fitness level.

Target zone is between 60% and 80%

Step 5. Multiply your heart rate reserve by your intensity.

You are a beginner

You have chosen a low intensity of 60-65%

Multiply HRR by 60-65%:

Step 6. Add your previous result to your resting heart rate

79 (HRR) + 58 (RHR) = 137 bpm

86 (HRR) + 58 (RHR) = 144 bpm

So, your target zone: 137 - 144 bpm.

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If you observe the desired heart rate during exercise, while running, for burning fat, then you can conduct training much more efficiently. With the knowledge of the heart rate, you can adjust the intensity and duration physical activity and get results faster.

How to determine the heart rate at rest

The pulse rate at rest is determined after waking up. To do this, you need to count the number of beats per minute while lying down. You can also determine the heart rate in the middle of the day: 20 minutes of rest in a state of lying down and then measuring the number of beats. The heart is a muscle and with the help of cardio (walking, running) you can train the heart and reduce the heart rate at rest. The average value is 60-80 beats per minute.

Warm-up zone (recovery)

With a pulse in the warm-up zone, start or end a workout. The warm-up or recovery zone heart rate is approximately 50-60% of your maximum heart rate. This zone allows you to prepare the body for stronger loads, or, conversely, to restore strength. In this zone, the greatest fat burning occurs, but since the intensity of the warm-up is low, a very small amount of fat is generally burned.
Training in this zone allows you to speak freely, although breathing may be slightly difficult. This zone does not offer much advantage in training the heart and respiratory system, but at the same time affects the stabilization of pressure and excess weight.

Pulse to burn fat

The fat burning zone (fitness zone) averages 60 to 70% (according to different formulas, the results differ slightly) from the maximum heart rate. Breathing becomes harder, but it is possible to say short sentences. To achieve these heart rates, you need to move more intensively than in the warm-up zone, so you walk a greater distance. In this zone, fat is burned intensively, the amount of fat burned is affected by the length of the distance and your weight.

Aerobic zone

In the aerobic zone, the pulse is approximately 70-80% of your maximum heart rate, breathing is difficult, you can only say short phrases. This zone develops endurance, improves the functioning of the heart and lungs, and builds new blood vessels. For achievement best results required to practice from 20 minutes to an hour. To achieve the pulse of the aerobic zone, you need to move even faster - race walking or running, again covering more distance and burning more calories per minute.

anaerobic zone

In general, in the anaerobic zone, the pulse rate is from 80 to 90% of the maximum pulse rate, it is impossible to say. Exercise in the anaerobic zone increases VO2 max. Loads in the anaerobic zone lead to the production of lactic acid. In this zone, they usually train for 10-20 minutes or as part of interval training.

limit zone

The limit zone is from 90 to 100% of the maximum heart rate. Most people cannot stay in this area for more than a few minutes. Classes in the maximum zone can only be for minute intervals during interval training, then lowering the intensity of the session. For training in the limit zone, a doctor's consultation is necessary.

How to check your heart rate zones

The results obtained by the formulas can be verified by experience.

Your heart rate zones are low if:

You have to practically stop to stay in the warm-up zone
If you run very lightly and your heart rate is already above the warm-up zone
At medium load your readings are at or above the upper limit of the aerobic zone
With a heavy load, the heart rate value is higher than the speed (maximum) zone

Your heart rate zones are elevated if:

You are walking quickly and with effort, but you are below the warm-up zone
You are jogging at an average pace, but have not yet reached the fat burning zone
You are at the limit of strength, but have not reached the maximum zone

Many people dream of losing weight and gaining a slim, attractive figure. In this case, all the little things are important, otherwise the result will not be achieved or the process will drag on for a long time. In this article, we will find out what pulse to keep to burn fat in gym or when playing sports in any other place.

The fact is that insufficiently intense training will not allow you to deal with fat reserves, but overly active loads will not give positive results. The golden mean is important - the ideal pulse for burning fat. But at what level should it be maintained?

Division of the pulse into zones

Exists a certain amount of heart rate zones, training with which will give one or another result. We are mainly interested in the fat burning zone, and so that you can better understand, we will consider the rest. The heart rate is indicated as a percentage of the maximum allowable contraction rate for a particular person (depending on age, physique and other factors):

more than 90% - in such a pulse zone, even the products of material metabolism are split, but they are not excreted from the body and muscles are burned;
from 85 to 90% - training in this range is also not recommended due to the increased load on the heart;
from 70 to 80% - carbohydrates are oxidized in this heart rate zone and such training helps to build muscle mass;
from 60 to 75% - the ideal heart rate for fat burning on a treadmill, exercise bike or other cardio workout for weight loss;
from 55 to 65% - useful for strengthening the heart and lungs;
from 45 to 55% - in such a heart rate zone, the body recovers quite quickly during training.

In addition, the heart rate table for fat burning will help you figure it out, in which heart rate values are divided by age for men and women:

Optimal heart rate for fat burning

The theory of the optimal heart rate for burning fat has been repeatedly confirmed. With some loads, fat cells really burn better. It is convenient to control the intensity by heart rate. It is believed that the optimal heart rate in this regard is from 55-60% to 75% of the maximum heart rate by age.

Here is an example of calculating heart rate for a 50-year-old athlete. The maximum heart rate for him is 170 beats per minute. We carry out the simplest calculations: 0.55 * 170 = 93. It turns out that in order to start fat burning, you need to accelerate the pulse to 93 beats per minute.

The upper limit of 75% is calculated using a similar formula: 0.75 * 170 = 127. This is the maximum heart rate for fat burning. Try to keep your cardio heart rate in this zone to body fat burned most qualitatively during physical training.

Karvonen formula

Finnish physiologist Karvonen invented a method for calculating the heart rate range for athletes. Its calculation formula is very simple and understandable to everyone. The value determined with its help is the ideal midpoint between peak heart rate and a calm state. The Karvonen formula for calculating the fat-burning heart rate is calculated taking into account certain criteria:

Calculate the RHR pulse in calm state. You need to measure it for a minute, putting your finger on your wrist or neck on the left side so that you can feel the heartbeat. The most accurate values can be obtained in the morning after waking up. The average heart rate in a healthy person is 72 beats per minute. If the indicators are higher, this indicates overwork or deviations in the physical condition.
The maximum frequency or EMHR shows the intensity of contractions during training. The indicator is considered simply: 220 - "age".
Frequency reserve or HRR is the difference between the first two parameters EMHR and RHR. The pulse should not go beyond these limits during fat-burning workouts. The optimal fat-burning heart rate is calculated by multiplying HRR by 95%, and adding RHR to the resulting value (there will be a good example below, so you will understand everything).
Beginners are advised to additionally calculate the amplitude of the heart rate, which depends on the goals and physical training person. Start at the lower heart rate limit for fat burning and you can gradually increase the heart rate.

Let's look at an illustrative example of how to calculate a fat-burning pulse using the Karvonen formula. Take for example a 30-year-old girl. EMHR is 220 - 35 = 185 beats per minute. At rest, the RHR is 70 beats, and the HRR reserve is 185 - 70 = 115 beats. The minimum intensity threshold for women is 60%, and then it turns out: 115 * 60% + 70 = 139 beats per minute.

Now it’s clear what kind of pulse is needed to burn fat: less than 139 beats will not allow you to effectively deal with hated deposits. To determine the upper limit of this heart rate, instead of 60%, substitute 70-75% in the formula.

As for men, for them the minimum heart rate threshold when substituting into the formula is 75%, and the upper 75-80%.

Conclusion

Remember the formula for calculating at what pulse rate fat burns, and use it to effective weight loss. The calculations are quite simple, so everyone will understand. Many workouts professional trainers based on heart rate.

Exercising with too intense or low loads, you will not get desired result. Of course, training in any case will give positive effect, but instead of burning fat, you can get the effect of gaining muscle mass or increasing endurance. Use the received information about the fat-burning heart rate zone wisely, and you will be able to get and maintain a slim figure.