Monitoring heart rate is a good tool to help beginners work out at the right intensity, and many elite athletes use them when concerned about hitting specific fitness goals [1] [2]. So it may be worth getting a heart rate monitor (most are watches!) to more objectively see how hard we’re really working at the gym [3] [4]. Exercising in our target heart rate zone assures that we’re getting our fitness bang for our buck: burning enough calories, but not going overboard and risking injury. Monitoring heart rate may also be useful if we’re headed to the gym for different fitness goals. Some experts suggest fat-burning and aerobic training fall into different heart-rate categories, the typical fat-burning zone between 50 and 75 percent of our heart-rate max, while aerobic training falling at 75-85 percent. But before we reach for the watch, other research states there isn’t a real difference between these two intensity zones [5]. Fortunately, working out to the right degree is also based on individual perception, and can as simple as doing the talk test, or rating how we’re feeling from a scale of zero – 10, which is also known as Rated Perceived Exertion (RPE).
And between me and you (and everyone else), heart rate levels can vary: They depend on the person and differ based on factors including genetics, fitness level, nutrition, and surrounding environment. Several types of medications can alter resting and active heart rate, too [6].
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