Maximum Heart Rate
Hi Annette,
the commonly used formula is one of “220 minus age”. While this is a ballpark, it works pretty good as a starting point.
Let’s use an example with a client who is 60 years old. Based on this formula, his maximum heart rate is 160 (220 – 60). This would be a heart rate that the person really could not sustain without running out of gas in a very short time. So we tend to assign exercise intensities as a percentage of this maximum heart rate.
Let’s say, this person is really deconditioned and just starting to exercise. You ask him to exercise at an intensity of 60% to 70 % of his maximum heart rate. 60% of his maximum heart rate of 160 is 96 beats per minute 70 % is 112 beats per minute. In real life you would be close to the client and watch him as he exercises to see how this intensity works. If he gets out of breath very quickly, you adjust the range down.
If the client is already in good shape, you go with a higher exercise intensity. Your textbook gives you examples of you to do this. You always need to monitor the exertion, though. As I said earlier, this 220 – age formula is only a ballpark. Some people are simple born with a higher or lower maximum heart rate.
I hope this helped.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
I’m sure someone can give a good explanation as far as true max heart rate as it relates to someone being hooked up to all the fancy lab equipment but as far as your textbook goes it talks about maximum heart rate in the number of beats per minute that you shouldn’t really go over when training for safety reasons (in the general population…I suspect athletes can and do go over in certain training sessions)
So since you know the formula….220-age…we’ll take a 50 year old man (or woman, no need to discriminate) and you get 170 MAX heart rate. Ok, so now what? Well, we have to apply that info. In the cardio section of the book it talks about different training zones…you know, phase 1, 2 and 3. Phase one has a client work out to around 65-75% capacity. Ok great! but 65% of what?…oh ya, 65% of the Max heart rate you calculated earlier. If you want your client to train at 65% intensity then take 65% of 170…that’s 110 beats per minute. So if your client rides the bike and maintains a heart rate of 110 BPM, they would be working out at 65% intensity…or 65% of their max.
Imagine you own a hotel with 100 rooms (Your max capacity) and one weekend you want a fairly moderate weekend. You don’t want to be too busy but you don’t want to slack off either so you decide to book a 65% capacity. 65% capacity (intensity) of your total capacity of 100 rooms is 65! If you book 65 rooms you will be working at 65% capacity that weekend.
Remember though, the formula is a general guide and your textbook even says that the creator of the formula never meant it to be an absolute guide to training intensities. I often use the talk test or RPE method when working with people…and even when I’m just training myself. I find the RPE is pretty good. I generally know when I’m slacking and when I’m going to pass out.
Oh, almost forgot…you probably read in that same chapter about another formula, the Karvonen method, that takes into account the resting heart rate when figuring out the Max HR….same deal though…once you know the Max HR you can just multiply it by the intensity you want your client to work out in.
