AbOrigineMundi

When you want to perform sport, body exercise or fitness training, it is useful to know how hard you should train to obtain the goal you want to achieve. Are you trying to lose weight? Are you striving for better cardiovascular fitness? Are you an athlete targeting higher performance levels such as maximum speed? Do you want stronger muscles? Or do you simply want to feel fitter?

Depending on your sport or fitness goal, you should train with different heart rates. When sporting, wear a heart rate monitor suited for your sport and stay in the right training zone:

• Zone 1: at this level, you will increase your fitness level without risking to get overtrained. You should start at this level when you are a beginner or when you did not take exercise during a long time. Even when training at this level, you will lose weight.
• Zone 2: this zone will take your cardiovascular fitness to a new height. The heart will become more efficient in pumping blood and the muscles will become better at taking oxygen from the blood stream.
• Zone 3: this zone is often called the “target heart frequency zone”. Training in this zone improves the cardiovascular fitness and the capacity of the body to consume energy and release waste products. Also the general muscle strength will increase.
• Zone 4: in this zone lies the anaerobic threshold, the level at which is becomes difficult for the body to consume enough oxygen and to release waste products. Muscles will fill with lactic acid when training too long in this zone. Most athletes can compete at about this level. Training at this level should be done only for short periods of time and with advice from a doctor.
• Zone 5: this zone is the maximum your body can do. It is useful if you are an athlete trying to increase speed. Stay away from this zone unless you are in optimal fitness and with medical advice.

Download freeware

Download the FitnessZoneCalculator for free to know your personal training zones. Freeware Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator download: zip file of 240kb.

Unzip the downloadable file and double click the exe file. Use at your own risk and consult a doctor when in doubt.

How to use the training zone calculator

Freeware training zones calculator

Determine your Rest Heart Rate (RHR): this is the lowest heart rate under normal circumstances. The best time to measure your RHR is before you get out of bed in the morning. Measure your heart rate for 30 seconds and multiply the result by 2.

Determine your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR): this is the highest heart rate your body can deliver. It should be done by a professional (sports doctor).

If you cannot consult a doctor, you can also estimate your MHR by providing the training zone calculator the following information:

• Age: generally, the higher your age, the lower the MHR.
• Sex: generally, males have a slightly higher MHR than females.
• Weight: the heavier, the lower the MHR.

Simply provide the Fitness Zone Calculator with the right data and it will calculate your personal estimated training zone levels (min and max heartbeat for each zone).

Hover over the zone labels to get a short description with each zone.

When following a training plan, do not forget to reestablish your resting heart rate from time to time. An increased RHR signals you are overtraining, a decreasing RHR tells you you are on the right track to become a fitter person. Success!