​How would you know if your heart can take your activities?

Are your heart strong enough to take your activities?
Know more about your heart to plan your sport activities not only protect your heart, it also make your exercise become more effective and safer.

Target Heart Rate (THR)
THR defined as  a specific age-based pulse rate to be maintained during an exercise in order to reach the level of exertion necessary for cardiovascular fitness or to achieve your goals of exercise. Knowing about your own THR range to make sure you’re training or exercise at a level that will improve your fitness level without over-exertion on your heart muscles. 

Our heart muscles formed by myocardiac. This kind of muscle are prone to wear and tear if workout excessively and the damage are irreversible as the cell cannot regenerate.  Heart cell damage can cause the heart to reduce its flexibility due to scarring formation and hence increase the risk of a heart attack during exertion.

Calculation of THR

THR (bpm) = (220 – Age) x  % of maximum heart rate
 *bpm: beats per minute
**normal heart rate 60-100 bpm

Eg:      Your age: 40 years old
                Activity: Running / Desired Heart Rate Zone
                THR        = (220 – 40) x 80%
                                = 180 x 0.8
                                = 144 bpm
Hence, you should try to maintain your heart rate at 144 bpm during the activity to maximize the benefits of your sport. 

Heart Rate Zone
Heart Rate zone also needed as We NEED to determine the % of heart rate workout base on the goal of exercises and age.

Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up)
  • 50-60% of your maximum heart rate. 
  • Best for exercise beginners, can be used as warm up before a real workout or sport activity.
  • Benefits: Increases the level of good cholesterol, Reduces blood pressure.
  • Eg: general gardening, ballroom dancing

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning)
  • 60-70% of your maximum heart rate.
  • Benefits: Similar benefits as the healthy heart zone, but more intense and burns more calories.
  • Eg: brisk walking, water aerobic, golf

Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training)
  • 70-80% of your maximum heart rate. 
  • Benefits: Improves your cardiorespiratory system, increase the strength and endurance of your heart.
  • Eg: race walking, rope jumping, tennis, swimming laps, running / marathon

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training)
  • 80-90% of your maximum heart rate.
  • Benefits: Improves VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and hence increase your cardiorespiratory system. You can fight fatigue better as training in this zone improves your muscles lactate tolerance level. It burns more calories.
  • Eg: weight lifting, sprinting, high intensity interval training (HIIT)

 RED line (Maximum Effort):  
  • 90-100% of your maximum heart rate.
  • This zone usually requires short periods of time. But, it has the highest risk of injury if your body is not fit enough. Your body will degenerate faster. You should consult your physician/ physiotherapist/ personal trainer before you train in this zone.
  • Eg: intensive anaerobic exercises

WARNING:
If your heart rate is TOO HIGH, you’re straining. STOP!!
If your heart rate is lower than the target heart rate, you may not achieve your goals.
Therefore, it’s important to know your Target Heart Rate (THR) during an activity to maximize the benefits of the activity without hurting your heart. ​

Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) 
Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a subjective perception that used commonly in health care to rate "how hard / tired your body is" during an activity. ​

RPE = Target heart rate THR ÷ 10
 
How to rate yourself?
 
Eg:   
Your calculated target heart rate is 144
144 ÷ 10 = 14.4
Hence, your RPE should be maintained between 14-15.

​Ask yourself,
What is your tiredness level at that moment?

STOP if your scoring is near score 17-20!!

Heart Rate Reading
1) A light touch under the angle of the jaw
2) Put left hand under your right wrist (as shown). Bend your left fingers. Pulse can be felt easily by the 2 left finger tips.
3) Heart Rate Monitor / Watch

Contributed by Senior Physiotherapist, Sally.
​Permitted by BENPHYSIO & Rehab