What Is The Optimal Heart Rate For Burning Fat?
Polar S625X Heart Rate Monitor Watch
It is of course no secret that if you wish to burn up fat and lose weight then you need to take some exercise. However, our bodies do need a certain amount of fat and the problem for many people lies in knowing just how much exercise to take not simply to lose weight but to trim the body so that you are carrying an optimal amount of fat.
After many years of research it has been found that the key lies in ensuring that you keep your rate within certain zones while you are exercising. Research also shows that the target heart rate zones vary from one person to the next and also vary between men and women. So how do you know what your target heart rate should be for burning fat?
Unfortunately, opinions differ on the answer to this particular question but it is generally agreed that an individual needs to exercise at between 60% and 70% of their maximum heart rate. This is a fairly large window and it is further generally held that people who have led a sedentary life should look towards the lower end of the scale at 60% while individuals who are reasonably active should aim towards 70%.
If this is getting complicated don’t worry because everything will become clear in a minute.
Having decided that your target heart rate should be between 60% and 70% of your maximum heart rate, the next thing you need to know is what your maximum heart rate is. Here we use a simple formula. For women the formula is 226 minus your age in years and for men the formula is 220 minus your age in years. So, for a 50 year old man for example the maximum heart rate would be 170 beats per minute (220 – 50).
From this we can then simply calculate the target exercise heart rate by taking 60% of this figure for a sedentary man and 70% for a more active man. So, if our 50 year old man has led a fairly sedentary lifestyle is target heart rate will be 102 beats per minute (170 x 60%). If, on the other hand he has led a slightly more active life then his target would be 119 beats per minute (170 x 70%).
So, if you wish to workout and burn fat to get your body into the very best shape possible you need to set your heart rate monitor watch to your target heart rate and then exercise to this level for at least 30 minutes each day. It really is as simple as that.
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