Many people track their heart rate during workouts with Apple Watches and Fitbits. You may see something completely different from the woman next to you. Different people have different heart rates. Heart rate range is just that: a range. UConn Health Medical Center assistant professor Dr. Peter Robinson stresses there’s no perfect number
Heart rates rise with intensity and more exercise, he said. You may notice your heart rate isn’t as high as it once was, or your heart rate rapidly increases during a run. Both things have reasons. When you work out, here’s what you need to know:
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Knowing A Healthy Heart Rate Is The Start
According to Dr. Aaron Baggish, director of the cardiovascular performance program at Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center, a regular heart rate during a workout depends entirely on the type of workout and the individual. Our top heart rate usually depends on our age and gender, he said.
People have different maximum heart rates. Heart rates slow around age 35 or 40 for women and 10 to 15 beats per minute for men. Baggish noted that it drops a few beats every year. The best way to know your maximum heart rate is by subtracting your age from 220.
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Don’t Keep Your Heart Rate High For Long.
Keeping your heart rate at a maximum for too long can easily lead to a heart attack, says Emory Healthcare’s Dr. Danny Eapen, a preventive cardiologist. For training purposes, you can use interval training by raising your heart rate to (or near) its maximum, then bringing it back down.
Do a two-minute run and a two-minute walk, for example. Increasing aerobic exercise capacity and conditioning muscles using that method is crucial.