Optimum Heart Rate

E

EMW14

New member
I bet I can get a solid answer to this here. Regarding optimum heart rate during cardio, I get that 65% of max is best for fat loss, 80% for performance. But "max" is based solely on age for all of those calculations. Doesn't that change depending on physical condition? I'm 44; according to that, I should keep my heart rate around 117 for fat loss. At that rate I don't feel like I'm doing ANYTHING!! So I usually shoot for 125 - 130.

With that said, I don't seem able to get rid of the couple % I want to get rid of, so maybe I'm going about this all wrong.......
 
Just a thought make sure calories going in are less than calories going out and you should loose the fat.
 
Do Tabata exercices style twice a week.
20s Max effort.
10s rest.
X8.
You can do it with a cycle, running, body weight exercises, dumbells, kettelbells or whatever.
It s very challenging.
 
I'll have to look into what some of this stuff is about: Tabata? HIIT = Hi Intensity Interval Training, I guess?

Calories: I don't count calories, never been able to figure out how many I need vs how many I take in.... I just eat when I'm hungry and try to eat good stuff. I guess that could be my problem. I never had to worry about it before: until recently all I had to do was drop whatever junk food thing I was eating - like a blueberry muffin or corn muffin or whatever - but I can't remember the last time I had one of those! I'd drop that out of my diet and the extra fat would just melt away with zero extra effort! Now I have to work at it... :upset:
 
I'm gonna try out that Tabata thing. My wife's trainer (now former trainer- we just moved from Las Vegas area back to NJ), who is absolutely awesome, btw, had her doind a version of that. She said it's killer!!

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Still, the original question about heart rate: is it solely based on age?? Or conditioning as well? Seems like conditioning HAS to be a major factor. Right?

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Dude did you ever get one of those heart rate monitors and watch? You go through a whole test thing with weight age and resting heart rate. All the information is in the watch and you go by that. If you are close to decent shape for your age it is accurate. But honestly it doesn't differ much from say the cardio machine if you manually enter your weight and age. It is slightly different though. That's why I do the HIIT you get both the cardio and the lower heart rate fat burning zone.
 
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Rays21, no, I sure haven't. My wife has one of those... I'd steal hers but it's pink...... Lol! I usually stop for a little bit, take my pulse with my fingers and watch the clock for 10 seconds, then multiply by 6..... stone-age, I guess, but more accurate than most of the cardio machines' handle-sensor things.
 
Yeah you can just look down at your watch and see what zone you are in. I really don't know which zone is best for burning fat. Especially the dreaded last 10lbs on the belly or wherever your body keeps it. They both burn calories very well. I used to walk on the incline for 2-3 hours and burn like 800-1200 calories. Your body will get a better...after effect from the high intensity cardio. It will boost your metabolism longer after you finish. Plus if you can maintain the cardio you will burn more calories. That's why HIIT is best of both. I use to run for a minute and then shoot the incline up to like 6 or 7 and walk for 4 minutes. Then repeat. I would do that for an hour. Good workout. You'll burn a good 600 calories.
 
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Well I'm 41 now and I usually just get mine to around 138 for about 45 min then hit the sauna and steam lol. That last bit of back fat at the love handles is the last to go for me and toughest to get rid of.
 
Easy solution... Stop eating carbs completely, train twice a day, and do an ecay stack twice a day. A month from now you'll have veins on your abs.
 
fstr03svtcobra said:
Easy solution... Stop eating carbs completely, train twice a day, and do an ecay stack twice a day. A month from now you'll have veins on your abs.
Click to expand...

Cobra is dead on here brother!! Cuttin carbs, increasing training intensity and frequency and adding in the ECAY stack will have you a lean machine in about 4 weeks. I'm 42 and I like to get my heart rate up around 155-160 and keep it there for 30-45 min. Burn baby burn!!!

;)
 
I'm going to show my lack of discipline here: I have been trying and trying to cut WAY back on carbs, especially when I'm working, because for the last year or so I've been riding a desk. But I ALWAYS cave and have some carbs! If I don't have some carbs I am ALWAYS HUNGRY!!! As it is, I eat 5 or 6 times a day - pretty much every 3 hours.

I guess I gotta try harder. We switched to brown rice, whole wheat pasta (which we don't eat very often - pasta, that is), whole wheat noodles, etc.

I suppose carbs is carbs........

- - - Updated - - -

I usually wind up with my heart rate between 125 and 135 when doing cardio. When I play hockey I'm sure it's up in the 160 range.
 
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