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What should your target heart rate be during exercise?

During exercise, you need to train at a pace and intensity where your heart rate increases, but not exceeds, 70% - 75% of your theoretical maximum heart rate (TMHR).

How do you calculate your MHR?
Your MHR = 70 % x (225 minus your age).

A 35-year-old’s MHR will be:
70/100 x (225 – 35)
= 70/100 x 190
= 133 – 142 (75 % will be 142)

How would you measure your heart rate?
Easy! Feel your pulse for 10 seconds. It’s easiest to feel it with two fingers in your neck – follow the arch of the trachea from the midline of your throat to either the left or right side of your neck. You’ll feel the beating pulse right where the arch of the trachea curves into the hollow “valley”. You should count 1/6th of your TMHR. For most people this will be approximately 17 –25 beats per 10 seconds.

Here's a table to your MHR according to age.

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During exercise, your heart rate will increase. But this should happen within certain limits. Use the tables below to check whether your heart is overworking during exercise:

 

  Target heart rate during exercise
Age (years) Minimum - maximum heart rate (bpm)
15 123 - 164
20 120 - 160
25 117 - 156
30 114 - 152
35 111 - 148
40 108 - 144
45 105 - 140
50 102 - 136
55 99 - 132
60 96 - 128
65 93 - 124
70 90 - 120
75 87 - 116

 

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