Aerobic exercise heart rate zones

For the vast majority of healthy adults, the general effective heart rate range for aerobic exercise is 60%-80% of your own maximum heart rate. However, this is only a reference benchmark, and there is no absolutely unified standard value. After all, everyone’s cardiopulmonary foundation, exercise habits, and even sleep and diet status of the day are different. Applying the formula mechanically may lead to errors or even injuries.

This 60%-80% benchmark first came from sports medicine statistics in the 1970s. The supporting formula of "220 minus age" to calculate the maximum heart rate is also a conclusion drawn from the group average. It inherently has an error of 10-15 beats/minute, so don't take it too seriously. For example, for a 30-year-old person, according to the formula, the maximum heart rate is 190, and the aerobic zone is stuck at 114-152. However, if you usually can't even climb three floors without panting, you may have already started to struggle when your heart rate reaches 120. At this time, if you push it to 150, you have already entered the anaerobic zone, and it has no effect until your face is pale. ； If you are an amateur marathon runner who has been running for three or four years, you may be able to chat with people around you about whether today's breakfast tastes good if your heart rate reaches 160, then it is totally fine to increase it by 5%.

Nowadays, there are actually two schools of thought in the fitness circles regarding the calculation of heart rate zones. No one is right or wrong, it’s just that the applicable groups are different. Conservatives recommend using the reserve heart rate method for calibration, which simply means taking your resting heart rate into consideration. The formula is (maximum heart rate - resting heart rate) × intensity percentage + resting heart rate. It is much more accurate than directly multiplying by the maximum heart rate. It is especially suitable for novices or people who don't exercise much. For example, if the maximum heart rate is 190, the resting heart rate of a person who does not exercise all year round may be 75, so his aerobic range is 144 to 167, while the resting heart rate of a person who exercises all year round is only 55, the range is 136 to 163. The difference between the two is almost 10 times, and it is definitely not accurate to directly apply the general formula.

The other group is the "sensory first" advocated by running circles. Many veterans who have run tens of thousands of kilometers now do not wear heart rate monitors at all when running, and rely entirely on body sensing. As long as they can speak complete sentences coherently without gasping for words, they will default to the aerobic zone. Don't tell me, this method is really not a wild idea. In sports medicine, there is a standard for judging aerobic intensity by "talking test", and it can also avoid equipment errors - when I ran a mountain last time, my watch had a sweat-soaked sleeve on it, and my heart rate went straight to 200. Is it possible that I could still lie down immediately? Judging from my physical experience, I was still able to joke with my teammates at that time. It was not at my limit.

Speaking of which, I met a very serious friend before. He just bought a sports watch worth several thousand dollars. Every time he ran two kilometers, he would stop and take a look. As soon as his heart rate exceeded 140, he immediately switched to slow walking. He said he was afraid of losing muscle after exceeding the aerobic zone. As a result, after running for half a month, his weight did not move at all, and his heart and lungs did not increase. Later, I asked him to turn over his watch and stop looking, and just keep running at a speed that allowed me to chat normally. That time he ran for 40 minutes at a stretch, and later recorded a maximum heart rate of 148. He didn't even breathe during the whole process. After practicing at this pace for a month, he lost 6 pounds and became more energetic. To put it bluntly, tools serve people, and they cannot be kidnapped by the numbers on the watch, right?

Of course, there is a special situation that must be mentioned: if you have high blood pressure, coronary heart disease or other chronic basic diseases, don't calculate the range by yourself. It is best to go to the hospital to do an exercise treadmill test first and let the doctor determine the safe range based on your heart's tolerance. I have a distant uncle in my family who has mild coronary heart disease. I read online health posts saying that the aerobic heart rate is only effective when it reaches 120. I secretly danced in the square for half an hour. At that time, my chest was so tight that I couldn't stand. I finally called 120 and sent him to the hospital. In fact, the safe upper limit the doctor had set for him was only 110. This is really careless.

In fact, in the final analysis, the aerobic heart rate zone is a reference tool to help you exercise safer and more efficiently, not a KPI used to block people. If you stayed up late today and didn't sleep well, or you just have a cold and don't have enough energy, it's normal to adjust the range down by 10%. There's no need to make up the numbers, and there's no need to be anxious when you see other people's aerobic range being higher than yours. After all, fitness is to make yourself comfortable, not to compare data with others. Slowly understand the rhythm of your body, which is easier to use than any formula.