The following are exercise guidelines for a normal healthy adult engaging in an endurance or strength program and in no way should be taken over the advise of your Physician or other healthcare professional whose care you may be under.
The calculator below will help determine your different heart rate training levels to help maximize your goals and benefits.
All you have to do is enter your age, resting heart rate, and your max heart rate (220-age).
Normally a doctor or other healthcare professional would determine the max heart by administering a max stress test. It is always advisable to be seen by your doctor before beginning an exercise or endurance personal training program.
Everyone is different however a good way to estimate your heart rate max is to take 220-age as stated above.
Personal Fitness Zone Levels Explained
Level 1 (50 – 60% of MHR) Easy
This Level is used for the following reasons:
- Beginners and people after long layoffs.
- Improve overall health.
- Weight loss.
Level 2 (60 – 70% of MHR) Light
This Level is used for the following reasons:
- Endurance begins to improve.
- Body fat is the preferred source of energy or fuel.
- Best level to do long duration or distance work.
Level 3 (70 – 80% of MHR) Aerobic Zone
This Level is used for the following reasons:
- This level is the best for improving your overall cardio respiratory fitness.
- Start to breakdown stored sugar as energy in the muscles.
- Good level for the weekend warrior.
Level 4 (80 – 90% of MHR) Anaerobic Threshold
This Level is used for the following reasons:
- Start to move into anaerobic training or without oxygen.
- Body can no longer keep removing lactic acid so it builds up and causes failure or exhaustion.
- Most athletes try to train and compete here to with stand the vigor’s of competition.
Level 5 (90 – 100% of MHR) VO2 Max
This Level is used for the following reasons:
- Only extremely fit people can train here.
- This level is for short periods of training and relies almost entirely on sugar.
- Can’t train in this level long. It is primarily used to increase speed and muscle strength.
