You\u2019ll be able to focus on getting your heart rate up the ideal amount for an effective workout. At the same time, you can reduce your risk of cardiac issues<\/a> caused by pushing your heart too much if you track your heart rate response to exercise.<\/p>\n 1 in 5 American adults<\/a> currently use a fitness tracker or smartwatch which allows them to monitor their heart rate (among other metrics) in real-time. Tools such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, and countless others allow users to track their pulse, and use it to optimize their workouts. Smartwatches are an especially great way to track your heart rate response to exercise (and track how many calories you burn during exercise.)<\/p>\n Knowing your heart rate at any point in your life can be quite useful. When measured at rest, your heart rate can be an insight into your health. If you have a lower resting heart rate, this is a good sign that you\u2019re not under immense stress.<\/strong><\/p>\n When you measure your heart rate response to exercise, your heart rate is a tool to plan and monitor your physical activity. <\/strong>Is a certain low-impact workout not getting your heart rate up enough? Try something that\u2019s a bit higher intensity, such as a spin class.<\/p>\n Using your wearable device, you can use your heart rate as a tool for losing weight and improving physical performance during exercise. This is because heart rate is an excellent indicator of exercise intensity. The higher the intensity, the faster your heart will beat.<\/p>\n In general, Barbara Bushman<\/a>, PHD, and Professor of the Department of Kinesiology at Missouri state, says exercising at 55% of your maximum heart rate is considered very light exercise. 60% of your maximum heart rate is \u201clight\u201d, 70% is \u201cmoderate\u201d and 85% is \u201cvigorous\u201d.<\/p>\n To leverage the benefits of heart rate monitoring during exercise, you\u2019ll need to calculate your \u201cmaximum\u201d heart rate. This is the term used to refer to the fastest your heart can beat during an intense workout. Doctors can use exercise stress tests with treadmills to determine this number.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have immediate access to a stress test at a doctor\u2019s office, don\u2019t worry. You can use ready-made formulas to calculate maximum heart rate instead. For instance, a popular option is to use the number 220 minus your age.<\/p>\n So, the maximum heart rate for a 30 year old would be 190 beats per minute. Notably, your stress response to exercise will usually depend on a number of factors outside of your age. You can use your CircleDNA app to understand your heart\u2019s response to exercise and plan your routines accordingly.<\/p>\n Once you know your maximum heart rate, you can determine your \u201coptimum heart rate\u201d.<\/p>\n Your heart rate naturally increases during exercise due to physical exertion. However, pushing yourself to the \u201coptimum\u201d level for your heart rate is how you make sure you\u2019re burning more fat, building more muscle, and fuelling your body with the right oxygen and nutrients to thrive.<\/p>\n The American Heart Association considers around 50-85%<\/a> of your maximum heart rate to be the ideal zone to improve the outcomes of your exercise routine. Exactly how far you go in terms of intensity will depend on a number of factors, including what you want to accomplish with your workout, and whether you have any pre-existing cardio conditions.<\/p>\n Understanding your heart rate when you exercise is how you avoid both the dangers of overexertion, and the issues of undertraining.<\/p>\n On the one hand, your heart rate needs to be higher during exercise than it is when you\u2019re resting to ensure you\u2019re putting pressure on your muscles and undergoing physical stress. The concept of \u201cno pain, no gain\u201d applies here. If your heart rate isn\u2019t increasing, you\u2019re not exercising properly.<\/p>\n On the other hand, going too hard with your exercise can be extremely dangerous. If you have a higher than usual heart rate response to exercise, you might risk overexertion during your routines. Taking your heart rate too high can lead to symptoms such as dehydration, dizziness, and sickness. You may even damage the outcomes of your workout.<\/p>\n Training at over 85% of your maximum heart rate<\/a> increases may lead to shortness of breath, chest pain, atrial fibrillation, cardiac arrest, and heart attack. If you already have cardiovascular issues, your doctor may advise keeping a close eye on your heart rate during training, to ensure you don\u2019t put your heart under undue stress.<\/p>\n The exact heart rate you need for an effective exercise depends on what you want to accomplish. In general, regularly increasing your heart rate with bouts of physical exercise<\/a>, even if you only go a little above your resting heart rate, will help to strengthen your cardio muscles, which improves endurance, stability, and long-term good health.<\/p>\n If you want to achieve something specific, such as losing weight, you\u2019ll need to keep your heart beating at around 70-85% of your maximum level, according to the AHA.<\/p>\n There\u2019s even a heart rate range where people tend to burn more calories derived from fat, known as the \u201cfat-burning zone\u201d. If you\u2019re concerned about having excess fat on your body, getting to around 59-76% of your maximum heart rate<\/a> during exercise can help with this.<\/p>\n Going above 76%, and up to 85% can help with burning more carbohydrate-derived calories than fat-derived calories. Studies into the impact of exercise and heart rate on weight loss indicate that if you want to burn more fat, you need to pay close attention to your exercise intensity.<\/p>\n Watching your heart rate may also help you with achieving the \u201cafterburn effect\u201d during exercise, otherwise known as excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption. In this state, the body continues burning calories even after an exercise session ends.<\/p>\n While there\u2019s no specific heart rate threshold which guarantees the afterburn effect, evidence indicates<\/a> the higher the heart rate is during exercise, the bigger the chances of experiencing the afterburn.<\/p>\n Knowing your heart rate and its response to exercise can help with a wide range of health and fitness strategies. You can use your knowledge of your heart rate to experiment with different kinds of exercise. For instance, you might use low-heart rate training to improve your endurance gradually over time when recovering from an injury.<\/p>\n Alternatively, if you\u2019re trying to strengthen your muscles, heart, and metabolism all at once, you can experiment with High-intensity interval training. This involves a series of short exercises which push your heart rate to an intense level, followed by periods of recovery.<\/p>\nWhat is Heart Rate Monitoring in Exercise?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"circlemagazine-circledna-heart-rate-response-to-exercise\"](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1616279967983-ec413476e824?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8Mzd8fGV4ZXJjaXNlfGVufDB8fDB8fA%3D%3D&w=1000&q=80\")
What is Your \u201cMaximum Heart Rate\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What is the Optimum Heart Rate for Exercise?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Heart Rate Response to Exercise: Using Your Heart Rate to Improve Workout Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"circlemagazine-circledna-heart-rate-response-to-exercise\"](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1522898467493-49726bf28798?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8NDJ8fGV4ZXJjaXNlfGVufDB8fDB8fA%3D%3D&w=1000&q=80\")
Additional Benefits of Heart Rate Monitoring<\/strong><\/h2>\n