What are heart rate zones, and how can you use them to optimise your workout?
Monitoring your heart rate is an effective way to ensure you get the most out of each workout. By monitoring your heart rate during workouts, you can scale the intensity and difficulty of each session according to your fitness goals.
What are heart rate zones?
Heart rate zones are based on your maximum heart rate (MHR). For example, if your MHR is 194 beats per minute, the heart rate zones make up between 50% and 90% of 194.
Confused? Don’t worry. The app will calculate your MHR for you on the app.
Each zone corresponds to a different training intensity or difficulty. For Burn sessions, the more intense the workout, the more you improve endurance and maximise calorie burn. In other words, the higher the zone, the better and quicker the results. For Build workouts, we encourage you to keep your HR below Zone 3 to better facilitate strength gains. For Balance workouts, we also encourage you to keep to the low to moderate HR ranges in order to focus more on the quality of the movement.
For this reason, heart rate zones offer a solid framework to moderate your training intensity.
What are the 5 heart rate training zones?
There are five heart rate (HR) training zones, which provide a solid framework to help you moderate your exercise intensity:
Zone 1 Low intensity; 50-59% MHR
You can maintain a conversation
Zone 2 Medium intensity; 60-69% MHR
Talking becomes more difficult
Zone 3 Moderate intensity; 70-79% MHR
You’re unable to hold a conversation
Zone 4 Vigorous intensity; 80-90% MHR
Around your lactate threshold
Zone 5 High Intensity; 90-100% MHR
Able to sustain for short periods only
As you get fitter, your heart rate adapts and decreases at certain intensity levels so you can eventually do more work at a given heart rate. The result? Optimised fitness and weight loss.
To maximise your burn (cardio) workouts, we suggest keeping your heart rate at least above zone 3, with an emphasis on zones 4 and 5. This ensures you are working at or above your lactate threshold, meaning more oxygen goes to your muscles. To maximise your Build and Balance workouts, we suggest keeping your heart rate at or below zone 3. This encourages you to lift slower and heavier, maximising your time under tension, therefore increasing your strength gains.
So, get your heart rate monitor ready because it’s time to get into the zone with the in-app guided workouts.