A normal heart rhythm for an adult at rest is between 60 to 100 beats per minute.
During the workout, your heart beats faster and more robustly. That is because muscles need more oxygen, and the heart may even need between 3 or 4 times your average cardiac output.
Following your heart rate (HR) zones is a way to monitor how hard you’re training. Most recreational athletes follow five heart rate training zones: very light, light, moderate, hard, and very hard. They differ by person and can be determined by:
your max HR,
your max HR in combination with resting HR,
your lactate threshold (for the most dedicated athletes).
Zone 1: The easiest of the zones. Exercising in this zone allows your body to recover.
Zone 2: Exercising here is the best way to improve endurance without a considerable need for recovery afterward. It is also best for burning body fat.
Zone 3: When developing stamina and increasing aerobic capacity, this zone is the magic spot. These workouts are either long, steady efforts or intervals, depending on fitness.
Zone 4: For boosting your performance and increasing your lactate threshold, training in zone four is a must. At this level, acid production is significant, but the body copes with it well.
Zone 5: It’s the most effective for improving anaerobic capacity, but such workouts demand a significant recovery. Therefore, this sort of training should be done infrequently, if at all, for most endurance sports. In fact, at this upper limit, you can probably maintain the effort for a few minutes.
If you are at the beginning of establishing a regular workout routine, don’t worry about HR. Instead, focus on building a solid training base for at least four to eight weeks. The intensity of your workouts and HR zones depend on your health, performance, goals, and workout preferences. Make sure to work with a professional if necessary.