Do You Know Your
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Target Heart Rate (THR) is a "window" of desired heartbeats per minute reached during aerobic exercise. When you are in the THR for a particular activity, it enables your heart and lungs to receive the most benefit from a workout. So working out in your THR is excellent for cardio training.
If your main goal is burning fat calories, however, you will achieve that by exercising at a lower THR rate. In your THR window you will burn more calories overall, but a lower percentage of those calories will be from fat. If you want to burn more fat (and who doesn't?) keep an eye on your THR and make sure it doesn't get too high.The THR range varies based on your physical condition, age, and fitness level, and is between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.
For moderate-intensity activity, a person's THR should be at the lower end of the scale. For more intense activity, the THR should be at the higher end.
The table below shows estimated THRs by age. Use the age that is closest to yours.
| Age | Target HR Zone 50-85% | Avg Max Heart Rate 100% |
|---|---|---|
| 20 years | 100 - 170 bpm | 200 bpm |
| 25 years | 98 - 166 bpm | 195 bpm |
| 30 years | 95 - 162 bpm | 190 bpm |
| 35 years | 93 - 157 bpm | 185 bpm |
| 40 years | 90 - 153 bpm | 180 bpm |
| 45 years | 88 - 149 bpm | 175 bpm |
| 50 years | 85 - 145 bpm | 170 bpm |
| 55 years | 83 - 140 bpm | 165 bpm |
| 60 years | 80 - 136 bpm | 160 bpm |
| 65 years | 78 - 132 bpm | 155 bpm |
| 70 years | 75 - 128 bpm | 150 bpm |
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