What
you should know about your
Heart Rate or Pulse
Knowing how to measure your heart rate or pulse, can help you to learn
about your own degree of fitness and can help to detect potential medical
problems that should be brought to the attention of your physician.
» What Is Heart Rate?
» How To Measure Your Pulse
» What Is A Normal Heart Rate?
» Reducing Your Heart Rate
» Target Heart Rate
» Recovery Heart Rate
» A Final Word on Exercise Programs
What Is Heart Rate?
Very simply, your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats
per minute. You can measure your heart rate by feeling your pulse - the
rhythmic expansion and contraction (or throbbing) of an artery as blood
is forced through it by the regular contractions of the heart. It is
a measure of how hard your heart is working.
Your pulse can be felt at the wrist, neck, groin or top of the foot
- areas where the artery is close to the skin. Most commonly, people
measure their pulse in their wrist. This is called the radial pulse.
top « How To Measure Your Pulse
Taking your pulse is easy. It requires no special equipment, however,
a watch with a second hand or digital second counter is very helpful.
- Turn the palm side of your hand facing up.
- Place your index and middle fingers of your opposite hand on your
wrist, approximately 1 inch below the base of your hand.
- Press your fingers down in the grove between your middle tendons
and your outside bone. You should feel a throbbing - your pulse.
- Count the number of beats for 10 seconds, then multiply this number
by 6. This will give you your heat rate for a minute.
Example:
If you count 12 beats in the span
of 10 seconds, multiply 12 X 6 = 72.
This means your Heart Rate or pulse,
is 72 (or 72 beats per minute).
Another popular way to measure pulse rate is by measuring it at the
neck (carotid pulse). This is especially convenient during exercise.
The formula is the same as above, however, when taking the pulse at the
neck, place your fingertips gently on one side of your neck, below your
jawbone and halfway between your main neck muscles and windpipe.
Taking your pulse upon rising in the morning, or after sitting without
activity for about 10 minutes, is know as your Resting Heart Rate.
top « What Is A Normal Heart Rate?
A Resting Heart Rate anywhere in the range of 60 - 90 is considered
in the normal range. Your Heart Rate will fluctuate a lot depending on
such factors as your activity level and stress level. If however, your
pulse is consistently above 90, you should consult with your physician.
This condition is called tachycardia (increased heart rate).
Many athletes have pulse rates in the 40 - 60 range, depending on how
fit they are. In general, a lower pulse rate is good. Sometimes however,
one's heart rate can be too low. This is known as bradycardia and
can be dangerous, especially when blood pressure gets too low as well.
Symptoms include weakness, loss of energy and fainting. If this situation
applies, medical attention should be sought immediately.
If the pattern of beats or throbs you count is irregular (i. e. a beat
is missed) take your pulse for a full minute. If you experience irregularities
in your pulse on a consistent basis, you should consult with your personal
physician.
Many factors influence heart rate. These include emotions, temperatures,
your position or posture (sitting, standing, laying down), and your body
size (if you are overweight for your size, your heart will have to work
harder to supply energy to your body).
top « Reducing Your Heart Rate
A decrease in resting heart rate is one of the benefits of increased
fitness due to exercise. Before starting into any exercise regimen, however,
be sure to consult with your personal physician.
Your heart is a muscle and will respond just like any skeletal muscle
in that it will become stronger through conditioning. If your heart muscles
are stronger, then your heart rate will decrease. In other words, your
heart will be putting out less effort to pump the same amount of blood.
top « Target Heart Rate
When undertaking an exercise program it is important to have a goal
and a target range that you are trying to accomplish in each workout.
To be of benefit, you want the workout to be neither too hard nor too
easy. There is a simple formula to predict your maximum heart rate that
is used in the fitness industry:
Take 220 and subtract your age.
This will give you a predicted maximum heart rate.
For example, if you are 42 years old, subtract 42 from 220 (220
- 42 = 178). This means that your maximum physiological limit as to how fast
your heart should beat is 178 beats per minute.
Most exercise programs suggest that when someone is just getting started
that their heart rate during exercise should not exceed 60 - 70% of their
maximum heart rate. Therefore, given the example above, 60% of 178 =
107 beats per minute. As you progress in your exercise, the percentage
of your maximum heart rate to be set as a goal can be gradually increased.
Calculating a target heart rate zone is often desirable. To do so:
- Start with your maximum heart rate as shown above.
- Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.8 to determine the upper limit
of your target heart rate zone (divide this product by 6 to get the
rate for a ten-second count).
- Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.6 to determine the lower limit
of your target heart rate zone (divide this product by 6 to get the
rate for a ten-second count).
Example:
For a person 42 years old:
220 - 42 = 178 Maximum Heart Rate
178 X 0.8 = 142 Upper Limit of Target Heart Zone (142/6 = 24,10 sec. count)
178 X 0.6 = 107 Lower Limit of Target Heart Zone (107/6 = 18, 10 sec. count)
Note: Your maximum heart rate is the most your heart should reach after
a strenuous workout.
Your Heart Rate should be measured during warm-up, halfway into your
workout, at the end of your workout and at the end of your cool-down
period. If during exercise you exceed your upper limit, decrease the
intensity of your workout. Conversely, at the end of your workout if
your heart rate is much lower than your target, you need to work harder
next time.
top « Recovery Heart Rate
One way to determine if you are reaping the benefits from exercise is
to calculate your Recovery Heart Rate, a measure of how quickly you return
to your resting heart rate after a workout. To calculate your recovery
heart rate:
- Take your pulse ten seconds immediately after you have finished exercising.
Write down the number.
- One minute later, take your pulse again and write it down.
- Subtract the number for the second pulse check from the number for
the first pulse check. This number is your Recovery Heart Rate. The
greater the number, the better shape you are in!
top « A Final Word on Exercise Programs
Exercise programs help to increase the strength of the heart. Declines
will be seen in resting heart rate, and hopefully, blood pressure, and
stress levels as well. Overall body changes will also be experienced
including weight loss and increase of lean body mass.
Remember, however, that it is important to check with your doctor and
seek out a qualified exercise physiologist before your get started. An
exercise stress test may be advised to help ensure the training parameters
that are best for you.
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