Once you have identified an estimate of your Maximum Heart Rate you can then calculate a percentage of this number to focus the workout on calorie burning or cardiovascular aerobic development.

There are several empirical methods for determining maximum heart rate and other methods of estimation, each method have pros and cons.

The purpose of determining your maximal heart rate is to then identify the training zone that best fits your fitness objectives:

FIVE HEART RATE FITNESS ZONES

Zone 1. 50 - 60% of Maximum heart rate

Light exercise - Maintains health, a get fit and active campaign, begins the process of balancing energy in and energy out equation.
Pre-conditioning or training session "warm-up" and "cool-down"


Zone 2. 60 - 70% of Maximum heart rate

Weight Management - Lose weight and / or burn fat. Based on the premise sustained low intensity effort will on balance use more calories than short high intensity exercise.


Zone 3. 70 - 80% of Maximum heart rate

Increase stamina aerobic endurance. Training at this intensity will stimulate various physiological changes that will increase the aerobic capacity of the individual. Race pace for endurance events lasting longer than 1 hour.

Zone 4 80 - 90% of Maximum heart rate

Maintain excellent fitness condition - training at this intensity will develop speed endurance, physilogically building up lactate acid and developing efficient processes to remove this bi-product of muscular work. Training in this zone is especially important for competing at events that have a duration between 1 minute and 45 minutes.


Zone 5 90 - 100% of Maximum heart rate

Manitain superb athletic condition for sprinting and other speed power training for explosive maximal speed training.