Understanding Heart Rate Zones

What is Heart Rate?

Heart rate, sometimes abbreviated HR, is the number of times a heart beats in one minute. Sometimes this is also referred to as your pulse or your pulse rate. Heart rate is a direct reflection of the workload on the heart. The more work you do, the harder your heart is working.

The normal resting heart rate for a healthy adult is somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute, or BPM. However, this can vary from person to person and from minute to minute.

Factors that affect heart rate include age, fitness level, body temperature, emotions, medications, time of day, and body position. Another topic to discuss before diving into heart rate zones is your max heart rate, sometimes abbreviated as HR max.

What is your Max Heart Rate?

Max heart rate is the upper limit of what your cardiovascular system can handle during physical activity. It is the highest number of times your heart can beat per minute while exercising. Accurate measure of max heart rate can be done through clinical testing and more advanced equations, but you can get an estimate of your max heart rate simply by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you’re 60 years-old, your HR max is 220 - 60, or 160 beats-per-minute.

HR max = 220 - age

Please keep in mind this is just an estimate and just like your regular resting heart rate, max heart rate can vary from person to person and is influenced by age, genetics, and size.

What are Heart Rate Zones?

Now, we can talk about heart rate zones. A heart rate zone is a range of heart rates that indicate the intensity of an exercise. These zones are usually calculated as a percent of your max heart rate. Zones can help you gauge the intensity of your workout and get the most of it while staying safe.

This can help you avoid over-exerting yourself, reduce your risk of injury, and improve your fitness level. Please note that different devices like the Apple Watch or Garmin may have different ways of calculating their heart rate zones.

It's important to note that heart rate response is very different from individual to individual depending on medications you may be taking, medical history and other factors that can blunt your heart rate response

If you have concerns about your heart rate response, always consult your health care team. Those who may know that they have a blunted heart rate response, meaning that their heart rate does not increase to exercise as expected due to factors such as beta blocker medications or a condition called autonomic dysfunction, there is the RPE scale. This RPE scale is also useful if you do not have a wearable device to track your heart rate.

How do Heart Rate Zones and RPE relate?

RPE stands for rate of perceived exertion and is a subjective measure of how hard you think you're pushing yourself during your exercise. One of the most common scales used clinically is the Borg RPE scale which has you rank your exercise intensity on a 6 to 20 scale. This can help you estimate your heartrate for an activity. Multiple your RPE by 10 to get an estimate. So if you rate an exercise as having an RPE of "12", you may roughly have had a heartrate of 120 beats-per-minute.

This is a great option for those who have blunted heart rate responses to exercise or those without a wearable device. There is no one size fits all exercise program, as this greatly depends on your symptoms and your safety. Always speak with your healthcare provider prior to starting a new routine and if you ever have a concern about your heart rate or your heart rate response to exercise.

Lastly, consistency with an exercise routine is key, so make sure it's an activity you enjoy.