Heart Rate Zone

DETERMINING TRAINING ZONES OR INTENSITY

After we perform a warm-up activitiy (fun runs or groups of three) when Mr. Doyle has you check for your heart rate, it should be within your training zone. If it is above your zone then you slow down, if it is below your zone then you should go faster or work harder.

The following steps are used to determine the intensity of exercise or heart training zone:

1. Estimate your maximal heart rate (MHR). The maximal heart is dependant on the person's age and can be estimated according to the following formula:

MHR = 220 minus age(220-age)

2. Check your resting heart rate (RHR) sometime after you have been sitting quietly for fifteen to twenty minutes. You may take your pulse for thirty seconds and multiply by two or take it for a full minute. In Physical education class we take it for 6 seconds and then just add a 0 to the number
ounted (equal to 1 minute), but is not as accurate as counting a full 1 minute.

3. Determine the heart rate reserve (HRR). This is done by subtracting the resting the resting heart rate from the Maximal heart rate (HRR = MHR - RHR). The heart rate reserve indicates the amount of beats available to go from conditions to an all-out maximal effort.

4. The heart training zone is determined by computing the training intensities (TI) at 70 and 85 percent. Multiply the heart rate reserve by the respective 70 and 85 percentages and then add the resting heart rate to both of these figures (70 percent TI = HRR = .70 x RHR, and 85 percent TI = HRR = .85 x RHR). Your heart training zone is found between these two target heart rates.

5. Example. The heart training zone for a 11 year person with a resting heart rate of 82 beats per minute would be:

MHR: 220 - 11 = 209 beats per minute (bpm)
RHR = 82 bpm
HRR: 209 -82 = 127 beats
70 percent TI = (127 x .70) + 82 = 171 bpm
85 percent TI = (127 x .85) + 82 = 190 bpm
Heart rate training zone: 171 to 190 bpm

The heart training zone indicates that whenever you exercise to improve the heart, you should maintain the heart rate between the 70 and 85 percent training intensities to obtain adequate development.