Determining Your Target Heart Rate (MHR)

There are two methods in determining your target heart rate, one general and one that incorporates your resting heart rate.

Method One
Subtract your age from 220. The result is your maximum heart rate (MHR). This is the theoretical maximum that your heart can beat per minute. Based on your goals, you multiply your MHR by the target heart rate (THR) percentage you established earlier. For example, you want to improve your cardiovascular conditioning and decrease your blood cholesterol levels. You should exercise within 60-80% of your maximum heart rate.

Let’s say you are 30 years old:

220
-30 (Age)
_____
190 or maximum heart rate (MHR). Multiply 190 (MHR) by 60% to determine your lower limit and then multiply 190 by 80% to determine your upper limit.

Results: suggested range of 114 beats per minute for the
lower limit and 152 beats per minute for the upper limit. When exercising, you should maintain your heart rate between 114-152 beats per minute.


Method Two
We establish your resting heart rate (RHR) by taking your pulse at rest by counting the beats for one minute.

Step 1:
(You are 30 years old and have decided to exercise at 60-80% of your max).

220
-30
_____
190 MHR (so far the same)

Step 2:
Now subtract your resting heart rate from the MHR and get 130 (known as the heart rate reserve - HRR).

Step 3:
Multiply your predetermined training ranges by the heart rate reserve (HRR) and add the RHR:
130
x .60 (%)
---------
78
+60 (RHR)
---------
138

130
x .80 (%)
---------
104
+ 60 (RHR)
---------
164

We established a range of 138-164 beats per minute. If you compare the ranges of method one to method two, you can see that there is a great degree of variation. Estimating the proper heart rate zone is critical to maximize your exercise time commitment. By incorporating your resting heart rate in Method two, you are personalizing the formula and adapting it to your current fitness level.