Heart Rate Challenge
Resting heart rate
For 3-4 mornings in a row take your heart rate before getting out of bed and average the
days. Count the beats in your pulse for 1 minute. You can use your neck if under 60.
Over 60 years of age use your wrist.
Average person 72
Aerobically fit person 50-65
Aerobically fit athlete 40-50
* As you exercise more your resting HR will change. You will also notice that within 2
minutes of stopping your HR will start to drop faster. This is another good test of your
fitness level.
Karvonen Heart Rate
Use the above plan to find your resting heart rate = RHR.
Determine your maximum HR or MHR = 206.9 - (.67 * your age). This takes into
account differences in HR according to age.
MHR - RHR = Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)
HHR * 65% (heart rate zone) + RHR = target HR
So here it is for Kristen
206.9 - (.67*47) = 175.41
175.41 - 47 = 128.41
128.41 * .65 = 83.4665
83.4665 + 47 = 130.4 - - Target HR at 65%
According to VO2 test my aerobic zone is 129-137
Easy on-line calculator
http://www.briancalkins.com/HeartRate.htm
K. Hislop 4/12
Heart Rate Challenge
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
There are two scales used - Borg is 1-20 and the 1-10 scale developed by the American
College of Sports Medicine.
I like to think of it this way (everyone describes the scale a bit differently). A 1 on the
1-10 scale is how you feel when you first wake up in the morning - you haven't even
gotten out of bed yet. Your heart rate is at its lowest. As you get up and walk around
you move to a 2-3.
A 4 is doing basic tasks - never having any issues breathing. You head into a class and
start a warm up (maybe that is walking, jog, basic step warm up). At this point you are
at a 5 up to a 6. This is a place where you can workout very comfortably. Most people
don't feel like they are getting a 'real workout' here, but if they stayed at this intensity for
an hour they would be sweating at the end.
As you continue to build intensity you notice your breathing. You can still breathe out of
your nose, but you have to think about getting the deep breaths in and you have to take
a breath in the middle of a sentence - you are now 7 and moving to 8.
Between 8 and 9 you are into the anaerobic zone. You cannot get enough oxygen in to
create energy. You can only breathe through your mouth and you cannot carry on any
conversation. You cannot last very long at this level. Over a 9 your brain will tell your
body to stop - it is a maximum all out effort to sheer exhaustion.
Athletes want to build their body’s ability to use oxygen and become more efficient at
doing so.
K. Hislop 4/12
Heart Rate Challenge
1. Figure out your resting HR _________
2. Figure out your zones 50%, 65%, 75% and 85% using the Karvonen
method:
HR at 50% ________
HR at 65% ________
HR at 75% ________
HR at 85% ________
3.Give examples of what you were doing when your HR was 50%, 65%,
75% and 85%. Take your pulse for 30 seconds and double.
50 __________________________________________
65 __________________________________________
75 __________________________________________
85 __________________________________________
4. How does your actual HR compare to the perceived rate of exertion?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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K. Hislop 4/12