Heart rate zone? Am I doing it right?

[Sunshinegrl]

I have been a runner for about 3 years now. I usually jog about 3 miles 3-4 times a week at a 10 to 10.5 minute pace. Recently joined a gym and decided to run on the treadmill in the "target heart rate zone" for optimum fat loss.

 

The problem is I had to slow down to a 12 minute per mile pace to keep my heart rate at the top of this "fat loss range". It showed me at almost 90% of maximum heart rate even at 12 minute pace. I am a 38 year old woman about 26% body fat.

 

Does it really make sense that I will have to slow down to achieve faster fat loss? I don't get it

[DannyMason]

I'm not a fitness expert, but perhaps the "fat loss range" is a safe zone where exceeding that speed strains your heart. If that's true then your higher pace probably is burning more fat, but at the expense of some of the cardiovascular benefits of exercise. Or maybe going slightly slower allows you to exercise longer and therefore burn more calories overall.

[Imported]

I never paid attention to heart rate stuff. For running, I always run at the fastest pace I could for the distance I want to cover and am always seeking to improve upon it. I am very lean.

 

I am not sure how running at a pace that is always pushing you will rob you of the cardiovascular benefits. So long as you stay within reason, I would think it'd just take you to the next level of a strong heart more capable of moving blood and providing oxygen and strong lungs, considering most people would get winded out trying to run at a high clip.

 

My approach for burning fat is to have muscles. Lifting to gain more lean muscle mass will help you burn more calories and fat 24/7 even though you only lift for X hour/s a day. Cardio just mainly burns calories as you're doing it. I run and swim because I like running and swimming. They are good capabilities to have and I like being capable. I lift and control the hell out of my diet to shape my body. It works for me, but I am also the kind of guy that will make a square peg fit into a round hole.

[Ivan_the_Terrible]

Recent research indicates that heart rate zone does not really ;work as well as previously thought. I faced the same problem that I had to run at the crawling speed to keep the rate in the zone. It didn't make sense and my weight loss was less than I expected considering my diet and exercise load. I added HIIT (high intensity interval training) for 16 min on tworkout days - started losing weight much faster. I am down 15 lbs in two months. Google it and give it a shot. It worked for me. Good luck.

[robaday]

Whoa was gonna ask this too!!! Im 31 yo male, whos just getting into running for first time. Went on treadmill the other night and it said my heart rate was 160, which seems ridiculously high. Ran 4 km in 25 mins or so. I do smoke which might increase it and obviously it was the first run in some time.

 

Does that mean Im going to have a heart attack??

[McDonald]

My target heart rate zone is 170- 180 BPM.

 

granted im 20 years old and pretty fit... I feel that maintaing that zone for a given amount of time.. say 30 minutes is much more beneficial to me than if I were just to run 3, 9 minute miles.

 

Before I would just run a 3 mile lap and try to get my time faster and faster... I was getting the time lower but it wasnt until I started running in my zone when I really saw improvements. You can tell that you are improving because now my resting ehart rate is much lower than what it was before. At first it was around 80 but now its down to 60.

[McDonald]

Whoa was gonna ask this too!!! Im 31 yo male, whos just getting into running for first time. Went on treadmill the other night and it said my heart rate was 160, which seems ridiculously high. Ran 4 km in 25 mins or so. I do smoke which might increase it and obviously it was the first run in some time.

 

Does that mean Im going to have a heart attack??

 

Actually... the more fit you are.. the higher your target heart rate zone will be.

 

Somone out of shape will usually have a lower target heart rate zone because it doesnt take much for them to get a work out in.