Whatever type of physical activity you engage in, your body will respond to it by changing your heart rate. When starting cardio training for the purpose of losing weight, many believe that the longer and faster they run, the faster they will reach their cherished goal. This is not entirely true. The fat burning process starts at a certain number of heartbeats, while the heart rate for weight loss will depend on physical fitness, age and degree of training.
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Let's see how it works, but first let's find out what cardio training is and why you should do it, especially if you are new to sports and decide to lose weight.
Cardio training is the same as aerobic training. Her exercises involve performing muscle movements due to the release of energy, which is produced by the oxidation of glucose molecules with oxygen. This factor distinguishes strength training from cardio, where the body produces energy using an oxygen-free method. When performing cardio training, not only the muscles of the body are pumped, but also the muscles of the heart. This in turn increases the endurance of the entire vascular system.
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The most common aerobic workouts include long-distance running, cycling, team sports and swimming. The main distinguishing criterion for such training is its duration, which ranges from thirty to sixty minutes. At the same time, the entire training process takes place in a very dynamic rhythm.
Why do you need cardio training?
The main goal of such training is to:
- the body has become stronger and more resilient;
- immunity strengthened;
- the person has become more resistant to stress;
- the body became athletic and lost weight;
- the cardiac system began to work better.
Today there are several types of cardio training. There are separate sets of strength exercises, as well as special programs for women who want to lose weight. In addition, such a load is very useful for beginners in sports, since it makes it possible to prepare the heart for the upcoming loads.
Karvonen formula
Heart rate calculations for cardio training are also carried out using the Karvonen formula. In general, there are several ways to determine this indicator. The usual method is to subtract the age from 220.
The optimal heart rate is also determined using a separate formula for women and men. It is called the Karvonen formula. In this case, in order for a man to get the necessary data, he must subtract the number of years lived from 220. Women should carry out the same calculations, but also subtract 6 from the result obtained.
The method of calculating a normal heart rate for fat burning is considered difficult, in which the heart rate is determined using the Karvonen formula for men and the resting heart rate is subtracted from the result.
According to the results, the average woman's heart beats at a rate of 135 beats per minute during fitness.
But the amount of fat burned in this case is no more than 30%. Therefore, even Karvonen himself considered this method to be arbitrary and unscientific, since everything depends not on heart rate indicators, but on how physically prepared the person is.
To obtain more detailed information, it is also recommended to use special cardiac tests created taking into account individual characteristics.
Cardio for burning fat
The use of cardio training for the purpose of losing excess weight is a very popular trend in fitness, especially for middle-aged women. Treadmills are used in gyms for this purpose. With the right approach to exercise, these exercises effectively help in the fight against excess fat deposits. This effectiveness of the method is explained by the fact that under large and intense loads, lipids quickly oxidize and turn into energy, due to which a person can endure fairly heavy loads for a long time. Even experienced athletes recommend aerobic training for beginners.
You should also know that when performed correctly, cardio training is an excellent preventive measure for preventing the occurrence of vascular and heart diseases, which usually affect people from middle age. Those people who regularly train using this method are more resilient. This in turn increases their longevity and improves their health.
Frequency and timing of cardio training
In this type of physical activity, the load falls on most of the muscles and internal organs. During such training, the heart rate greatly accelerates. During exercise, the athlete inhales large quantities of oxygen, which takes part in the combustion of carbohydrates and fats, which leads to rapid weight loss.
Regular exercise can normalize blood pressure, speed up the digestion process and improve overall health. They also have a beneficial effect on a person’s morale and lift his spirits.
However, in order for aerobic training to be truly beneficial and effective, it must be done correctly. The most important conditions for aerobic exercise are the duration and frequency of its implementation.
The total duration of the entire workout should be thirty minutes. After the body gets used to the new loads, the training time can be increased to one hour. However, not all people have the opportunity to devote an entire hour to studying every day. In this case, trainers advise combining these exercises with normal daily activities. For example, instead of going to work or to the supermarket by car, you can get there by bicycle, or instead of taking the elevator, you can walk up the steps to your apartment.
Training frequency refers to the total number of sessions performed per week. The most effective way is to do four to five workouts every seven days. For those who are just starting to play sports, three classes a week will be enough. At the same time, breaks between trainings at first should be no more than two days.
The most favorable time of day for these activities is considered to be the evening, namely the period from five to seven in the evening. This is justified by the fact that the processes of metabolism and fat burning work best at this time. In the case when you do not have a goal for losing weight, but you need cardio training to increase overall endurance, then you can do it in the morning. However, it should be remembered that in the morning the metabolism is lower, so you should not overdo it with exercise.
Recommendations for losing weight
To make fat burning and figure correction much more effective, you should learn a few rules. Recommendations from professional athletes and specialists will help make your classes more useful.
First of all, you need to find out about the duration of the lesson. Aerobic exercise should last more than half an hour. It is after 20-30 minutes that the fat burning process starts. First, you need to do exercises to warm up your muscles to prevent damage to ligaments and joints. This should take at least 10 minutes. After which you can begin intense exercise. After the active phase, you should also do a few simple elements - stretching or gymnastics to prepare the body for rest and recuperation. The average workout duration ranges from 40 minutes to 1 hour.
To achieve your goal quickly without harm to your health, it is better to perform strength and cardio exercises at the same time. The former will help build muscles and shape the body, while the latter will help develop endurance, improve health and develop good breathing. In addition, it is recommended to devote time to dynamic loads. These can include running, cycling, swimming, football and other active sports.
The last important factor is regularity. Experienced athletes say that it is enough to visit the gym 2 times a week to stay in shape. If the goal is to lose weight and get rid of fat, then you need to increase the number of approaches to 4. It is not recommended to exercise every day; the body needs time to rest and restore resources. Each workout is necessarily controlled by heart rate counting. This can be done using a heart rate monitor that is attached to your wrist or arm. The convenient device carries out control automatically; if there is an increase above the norm, a signal is given.
What should the pulse be?
During these workouts, heart rate is the very first indicator of a person’s activity. As a rule, novice athletes do not take into account the state of the body and exceed the permissible loads, expecting to immediately achieve good results. In fact, this is a very wrong and unreasonable approach that can pose a real threat to health.
Both experienced athletes and beginners during cardio training need constant monitoring of the heart rate, that is, its rhythm. In other words, even when performing exercises, a training person must look at his heart rate from time to time, and based on them, select the load for himself.
Also, before starting training, it is important to know your heart rate limits: the lower and upper limits. As for the workouts themselves, you should always take a heart rate monitor with you so that you can independently determine your heart rate.
How to calculate heart rate for fat burning
The pulse for fat burning will be different for everyone, based on the age and individual characteristics of the body.
The easiest way to determine these indicators is to subtract the number of years lived from 220. Having received the result, during your next workout you should determine your pulse to check how normal it is. It is important not to exceed the maximum value.
For those who are interested in what heart rate fat is burned at, it is enough to calculate 70% from the results obtained in the calculations. This will be the maximum point of efficiency at which fat is best burned.
The degree of development of one’s own cardiovascular system is also learned by determining the heart rate. To do this, in a calm state, you need to count your pulse:
- If there are results of 60 strokes, they conclude that the body is well trained. Athletes' hearts beat slower. This is normal and indicates ideal nutrition by the circulatory system of the entire body.
- If the indicators reach 80. Then this is also not bad, but in case of excessive loads, the vessels are overloaded with blood.
- A deviation from 80 beats indicates the need to consult a doctor, as it indicates some problems in the cardiovascular system.
These standards must be followed to avoid deterioration in health.
Uniform exercises, appropriate to age, gender, and body abilities, perfectly strengthen the four-chamber mechanism, pump blood, and help burn fat. Exceeding its capabilities causes the body to work for wear and tear, without bringing any benefit. Today on the Internet there are special calculators that determine this standard, but you can calculate the pulse zone yourself using the formula:
- (220 - age) x 0.6-0.8,
- where 0.6 is the first intensity limit, and 0.8 is the last.
Heartbeat zones during sports
The boundaries of safe heartbeat zones are calculated depending on age. It is not necessary to remember all the numbers, the main thing is to remember your personal maximum and train within 65-75% of it.
- Pulse at rest - 35-50%
- Warm-up zone - 50-60%
- Activity zone - 60-70%
- Aerobic zone - 70-80%
- Endurance zone - 80-90%
- Danger zone - 90-100%
How to calculate your maximum heart rate: 220 - age = maximum heart rate.
Features of calculating heart rate for weight loss under different loads
The heart rate for burning fat on a training calculator can be calculated in different ways:
- If a person decides to lose weight by running, then by monitoring the heart rate, you can create a training program so as to get rid of the required amount of fat without exhausting yourself. During cardio training, 120-130 contractions are considered ideal. To effectively burn calories, train at these levels for at least twenty minutes. After this, increasing the running speed, achieve an increase in performance by 20 and keep it within this range for about ten minutes, after which they reduce the pace and return to the previous heart rate. You need to do about three repetitions.
- With strength training the situation is more complicated. During physical activity with heavy weights, you should not allow your heart rate to drop below one hundred beats per minute. Increasing to 140 is also contraindicated. This indicates that the exercise is performed with excessive intensity and the pace should be slowed down.
To quickly reduce the heart rate, take a two-minute break after each approach. There is no need to sit or lie down while resting. It is advisable to get up and walk slowly, this will allow you to quickly achieve a decrease in indicators. Also, breathing rules and exercise techniques must be observed. With the help of such recommendations, drawing up a training plan will be more correct and the loads will not harm your health.
Fat burning heart rate zone
When running in the “fat burning zone” of 60-70%, the body covers the largest percentage of energy costs from fat deposits. In 30 minutes of such training, 146 calories are burned, 73 calories (50%) of which are fat.
When training at a higher or lower heart rate, the body works differently, covering no more than 35-40% of energy costs from fat. However, it is important to note that the duration of training at a low heart rate may be higher, as well as the total number of calories burned.
