Studies have shown that the ultimate way to burn fat is by exercising between 60-85% of your maximal heart rate. It’s important to figure out your target heart rate zone to be sure you’re getting the most from your work-out.

Exercising below your target heart rate zone shows minimal result and exercising above your target heart rate zone puts your body into an anaerobic state which is no longer burning fat. The Karvonen formula is a very effective way of achieving those numbers.

Here’s how it’s figured using an example of a 23 year old.

220 - 23 (age) = 197
197 - 65 (resting heart rate) = 132
132 * 65% (low end of heart rate) OR 85% (high end) = 85.8 OR 112.2
85.8 + 65 (resting heart rate) = 150 112.2 + 65 (rhr) = 177

The target heart rate zone for this 23 year old would be 150 to 177 bpm.

At Fit for Life we assess your current fitness level and determine your target heart rate zone based on that fitness level through our Get Started Program. Call for more information.