Reduction of mortality or prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. These are just some of the benefits you get when you bet on a good cardiorespiratory physical condition.
In this sense, it is essential to control the intensity during training, since the health and physical benefits increase in parallel as the intensity of the physical activity or sport we carry out increases.
To ensure good control of it, you have to have several clear concepts. First, what do we mean by heart rate (HR)? According to the Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC), this is the number of heartbeats made per minute. It is usually expressed in “beats per minute” or “pulses per minute,” the most popular expression.
There is also the maximum heart rate (HRmax), which represents the maximum number of beats per minute the heart can reach during maximum effort. This value can be useful for calculating the intensity of aerobic exercise.
How to calculate heart rate?
Today, there are several devices to be able to monitor the heart rate while exercising, so it represents an accessible way to control the intensity. But there are also other forms of calculus, according to the FEC.
To calculate the theoretical maximum heart rate, it is useful when the subject cannot make a maximum effort, and this value needs to be estimated. It should be clarified that theoretical HRmax has many limitations, so it will sometimes be far from the real value. The most common formulas for calculating the HRmax depend on the type of population.
For athletes, the following formula is required: 208 – (0.7 x age). For the non-athletic population, the FEC recommends differentiating between men and women: for the first group, 220 – age; for the second, 226 – age.
You can also calculate the percentage of maximum heart rate (%HRmax). This uses a fraction of HRmax to estimate the intensity of an aerobic effort, although this is the least accurate way to calculate intensity, especially if we use the theoretical HRmax instead of the actual value.
Generally speaking, although with limitations, the FEC divides the intensity rates into three groups:
1. Low intensity: <70% HRmax
2. Moderated intensity: 70-85% HRmax
3. High intensity: >85% HRmax
In addition to these calculations, the user can always choose to benefit from the wide range of possibilities offered by new technologies to have control over heart rate.
- 7 tips that help us control stress
- The best exercises to perfect your running technique
- Do you want to increase your muscle mass? Know the best-kept secret