The Benefits of Heart Rate Training
Are you looking for a way to maximize your fitness and wellness goals? Heart rate training may be the answer. By accurately measuring heart rate during exercise and staying within your target heart rate zone, you can work to increase endurance, burn fat and build lean muscle, and even boost your metabolism. At CORE57 we are big advocates of the MyZone fitness tracker to help our clients target their ideal heart rate zones and maximize the effectiveness of their workouts.
We are sharing a few of the benefits of heart rate training, some tips on how to measure heart rate accurately during exercise, tips for staying in your target heart rate zone while exercising, and why we include heart rate training as one of our 7 Foundations of Fitness.
What is Heart Rate Training and Why is it Important?
Heart rate training is a tool to help you optimize the effectiveness of your workouts based on your desired results. By tracking real-time data points for your heart rate throughout your workouts and your day, you can ensure that the zone you are in is appropriate based on the goal of the particular workouts you’re completing.
The heart is a muscle and like any other muscle, building cardiovascular endurance and improving cardio health takes specific training to achieve the best results.
You can use heart rate training in a variety of ways, depending on your desired wellness results. For example, the target zones for someone looking to build cardio endurance would be different than someone looking to tone muscles or improve overall strength, or burn fat. This is where understanding heart rate zones come into play.
Understanding Heart Rate Zones to Maximize Fitness Results
Before you begin your journey into heart rate training, it's important to understand a few key factors, including your maximum heart rate, resting heart rate, and the various heart rate zones:
Zone 1 (Very Light): Recovery and Cool-Downs
Zone 2 (Light): Warm-Ups and Basic Endurance
Zone 3 (Moderate): Aerobic Endurance
Zone 4 (Hard): Speed Endurance and Performance
Zone 5 (Maximum): High-Level Performance
Benefits of Heart Rate Training for Personal Wellness Goals
So, what’s all the fuss about? Why does heart rate training matter so much? We're glad you asked.
Some of the biggest benefits our clients experience with this type of heart rate training is increased endurance, effective fat burning, building and sculpting lean muscle, and even boosting your metabolism.
Increased Endurance
Effective heart rate training helps to increase endurance by pushing the heart to maximum heart rate zones for a sustained period of time. When you practice this type of training regularly, your heart becomes stronger by working harder in those target zones.
Increased Fat Burning
It's true that fat burning happens at different heart rates for everyone, but heart rate training helps to maximize fat burning for weight loss goals.
Building and Sculpting Lean Muscle
Heart rate training can help to build lean muscle by pushing heart rates into the target zones for optimal muscle development. These zones are typically anaerobic, with heart rate levels ranging from 60-80% of maximum heart rate.
Boosting Metabolism
Regular heart rate training helps to increase your metabolic rate which in turn can help you burn more calories even while at rest. This is why heart rate training is so effective for long-term weight loss goals.
Measuring Heart Rate During Exercise
There are tons of fitness and activity trackers out there, but here at CORE57, we're big fans of the MyZone tracker.
Why? One word. Data.
The insights collected inside MyZone help you track effort in your workouts as a percentage of your maximum heart rate helping you establish a baseline for your cardio capacity as you push to build strength and stamina over time.
In addition to tracking your heart rate during workouts, we also help our clients track how their heart recovers. A strong, healthy heart is one that recovers efficiently after increased activity levels.
An added bonus? MyZone makes it like a game, awarding you MEP (MyZone Effort Points) for reaching and staying in your target zones during your workouts.
Targeting Your Ideal Heart Rate Zones with MyZone
Many of our clients are surprised to learn that they earn MORE MEPs when they are taking strength-based classes than crushing a cardio-intensive class. We don't recommend a fitness program that keeps you in your red and yellow zones in every workout.
For many of our clients, we help you build programs with this in mind. When we are recommending modifications to the classes and Semi-Privates you are taking, it's to help you work towards your goals more effectively and improve your heart rate training. Sometimes that might look like adding a strength class but upping the weight and resistance you use to increase your MEPs in those types of workouts.
Boost Your Fitness Journey with MyZone Monitors at CORE57
Achieve your fitness goals faster with the MyZone monitors available at CORE57 to make sure you are exercising in the optimal zones for maximum results.
Key Features and Benefits
Real-Time Heart Rate Tracking: Accurately monitor your heart rate and stay informed about your workout intensity, allowing your trainer to make adjustments on the fly for more effective sessions.
Personalized Feedback: MyZone not only tracks your heart rate but also calculates it as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, offering insights into your performance and helping you and your trainers understand your progress.
Enhanced Workout Effectiveness: By using MyZone, your trainers can tailor your workouts to your specific fitness objectives, whether you're aiming to improve endurance, burn fat, or build strength.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the MyZone monitor work for beginners?
Absolutely! MyZone monitors are designed for users of all fitness levels. Whether you’re just starting out or are an experienced athlete, they provide valuable insights tailored to help you progress at your own pace and safely reach your fitness goals.
How easy is it to use a MyZone monitor?
Using a MyZone monitor is a breeze and incredibly user-friendly. Just strap it on, connect to the MyZone app, and dive into your workout. The device seamlessly tracks your heart rate and effort level, offering you real-time feedback without disrupting your exercise flow.
Are MyZone monitors compatible with other fitness apps?
Yes, MyZone monitors can sync with various fitness apps like Apple Health, Strava, MyFitness Pal, and Google Fit.
Can MyZone monitors be used for all types of workouts?
Yes, MyZone monitors can be used for a variety of workouts, from cardio to strength training. They help you understand how different exercises impact your heart rate so you can tweak your routine for the best results.
Get Started with Heart Rate Training Today
By understanding heart rate training and heart rate zones, you can start to optimize your wellness results for improved heart health, increased energy, and better physical performance.
If you're not already tracking your heart rate with a fitness tracker such as MyZone, ask one of your CORE57 coaches for more information on how to purchase one the next time you're in the gym.
We can't wait to help you optimize your results through effective heart rate training and our customized wellness programming!