Find the appropriate heart rate for your training goals. A couple of years ago, I used to run with a heart rate of 160 to 180 beats per minute because I thought it was tough training. At that time, I didn’t burn fat, and my endurance didn’t improve either. The reason was that when my pulse was too high, I only stressed my body. In other words, if you go over 170 beats per minute, you are competing, not training. Training is not the same as competition. After a hard competition, your body needs a few days to recover. Continuing with the next training session the very next day just leads to overtraining. Find the appropriate heart rate for your goal in the table below.
)120 to 140 beats/minute
Fat burning heart rate.
Appropriate for weight loss.
140 to 160 beats/minute
Endurance training only.
Muscles might become thinner but won’t lose much fat.
170 to 200 beats/minute
Only during competitions.
Not good for training — harmful.
This heart rate table is for persons in their twenties. The older you are, the lower your heart rate should be. For example, if you are 45 years old, 100 to 120 beats per minute are sufficient for weight loss, and 140 beats per minute is the upper limit for endurance training.
