Achieve your target heart rate
By Anup Deb Nath

TO achieve the maximum benefit from any exercise programme, it is essential that it be done correctly, for the minimum time span required and sustained over a period of time for it to be effective. If our exercise programme is going to be more off than on or the time spent exercising is not enough, or the exercise is not done seriously for the minimum number of days, it will not give the desired benefit. Exercise will be effective if it is done about three to five times a week and each session lasts for 30-40 minutes.

Many people who start exercising are confused about how much is enough and at times are even worried that they are overdoing it. Some often asked queries on the time and pace of exercises.

I have been doing aerobics for three months. Despite this, I have not lost any weight. Everyone says I look better now but the needle on the weighing scale just won’t budge. I want to lose at least 4 kg. Could you advise me on how to achieve this?

It’s good to know that you have joined an exercise programme though do remember that three months is not all that, long a time. Don’t worry and give it some more time. One anxious moment is when, after a couple of months of high intensity aerobics, you climb on to the weighing scale only to find the needle showing you have gained. People certainly don’t expect any movement towards this end of the scale. The reason why many people gain or then stay steady on the weighing scale, despite dedicated workouts, is easily explained. When you start any exercise programme you lose fat and gain muscle.Fat weighs less than muscle as muscle composition is more dense. If there has been any muscle gain it will register on the scale.

The correct way to gauge how much you have lost would be to monitor your weight as well as your size in inches. This way even if you are gaining muscle and showing an increase in weight but your inches are decreasing you are on the right track and need not worry. Also remember that it is more important how you look and feel rather than what your weight is.

I go for a 5-km jog everyday. My friend tells me that I should work out at my body’s target heart rate for the exercise to really benefit me. Is this correct? Please could you also tell me what is target heart rate and how do I calculate it? Is there any other method of calculating my workout intensity apart from this?

Yes, your friend is correct. You should workout according to your body’s target heart rate in order to achieve the maximum benefit from your exercise. The heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. The resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats while you are completely at rest. The average person has a resting heart rate of 60-85 beats per minute. Many athletes and sports people have a lower resting heart rate, which means that with every beat of their heart a larger volume of blood is pumped easily through their bodies. To measure your resting heart rate the best way is to take it the minute you wake up in bed. This should ideally be taken before you so much as sit up.

Target heart rate is the ideal range of heartbeat, per minute, to make your workout effective. In order to calculate your target heart rate you need to know your maximum heart rate.

To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220, the answer you get is your maximum heart rate. For instance if you are 30 years old, then 220-30=190 which is your maximum heart rate. The target heart rate varies from 60 per cent to 80 per cent of your maximum heart rate; this variation will depend on your fitness level. Taking the above example for a maximum heart rate of 190, a person who is physically very active and fit would calculate his target heart rate at the higher end of 80 per cent while a person of the same maximum heart rate but a lower fitness level would calculate it at the lower end of 60 per cent.

According to the Karvonen formula, you can calculate your target heart rate by taking your pulse first thing in the morning for three consecutive days, (we are taking the readings at 69, 70 and 71 which averages at 70).

Now calculate your target heart rate by subtracting your age from 220, (220-30=190) and then subtracting the average of your resting heart rate (190-70=120). The lower range is calculated at 50 per cent of this plus your resting heart rate (120x.5+70=130). The higher range is calculated at 85 per cent plus your resting heart rate (120x.85+70=172).

In other words, according to this theory, a person who is 30 years old should work out between the range of 130-172 BPM. Another way to gauge the intensity of your workout is using the Borg scale of perceived exertion.

On a scale of 1-10 try to calculate how much you are exerting during your workout with 10 reflecting the maximum effort and 1 the least amount. The intensity of your workout should make you work at your target heart rate and you should also sustain it at this for at least 25-35 minutes, at a time, for it to benefit you.