Find Your Target Heart Rate Zone

There is a lot of confusion about how hard you should be working in order to burn fat most effectively.

Without any actual calculations, I always recommend between a level of 6-9 on a perceived exertion scale of 1-10. This is method if left strictly to your own interpretation of what 6-9 is.

For some people, a 6 could be walking up a flight of stairs. For others a 6 is running a mile. So, to be more accurate, here is how you calculate your target heart rate.

220-age=maximum heart rate (it is dangerous to work at or beyond this level.)

maximum heart rate x .60 = the low end you should work at
maximum heart rate x .90 = the high end you should work at

So, for an example, let's say we have an individual who is 40 years old.

220-40 = 180 (maximum heart rate)

180 x .60 = 108 (the low end you should work at)
180 x .90 = 162 (the high end you should work at)

So, this person should work in a heart rate zone of 108-162 beats per minute to burn fat most effectively.