Understanding heart rate zones is essential for safe and effective walking.
Heart rate training can be an effective way to measure how hard your body is working while walking. Remember not to push yourself to the point of complete exhaustion when training.
You can calculate your maximum heart rate (also called the HRMax) by subtracting your age from 220. If you're 45 years old, subtract 45 from 220 to get a maximum heart rate of 175.
When discussing heart rate, zones are measured by the percentage of your HRMax. So if it is 176, and we’re talking about 50% of your HRMax, the number is 88.
Heart Rate Zones 1:
This is essentially your resting heart rate. Normally it’s below or right around 40%.
Heart Rate Zone 2:
40–60% of your maximum heart rate is in the lower-intensity zone. Training at this intensity will boost recovery time and prepare you to train in the higher heart rate zones. Ideally, a light warm-up will bring you up into this zone.
Heart Rate Zone 3:
60–80% of maximum heart rate or heart rate zone 3 should feel like moderate exercise but still be fairly comfortable. You should be able to go on at this intensity for a long time.
Staying in this zone improves your general endurance: your body will get better at burning fat and improving muscular fitness, as well as capillary density.