The running heart rate indicator helps to assess how adequate the body is receiving the load. If you constantly force him to work for wear, there will be no benefit from such physical education, on the contrary, you will harm yourself. In this article, we will consider what the pulse should be when running in a healthy person, what affects it and how to measure it correctly.
Why does your heart beat faster when you run
Why do you think your pulse quickens when you run, and why does your heart beat faster? The thing is that during physical activity, a person experiences an increased need for oxygen. As you know, the latter enters every cell of the body along with blood, which circulates due to the work of the heart muscle. Thus, as soon as the athlete starts to run, a chain of processes starts:
- Muscles require extra energy and more oxygen to work more efficiently;
- The heart begins to beat more intensely;
- The blood circulation rate increases;
- Metabolism improves, cells receive nutrition, the body experiences a surge of strength to continue to exist under stress.
Normal pulse and heart rate (in a healthy person they usually coincide) during sports are in the range of 120-140 beats per minute. It should be understood that each organism is individual, therefore, deviations are quite common, which are considered a kind of norm.
By the way, the heart rate while running for men and women is slightly different, but, in general, they should not exceed 75% of the result at rest - 60-80 beats per minute.
Most doctors are inclined to believe that only the athlete himself can determine what is the normal pulse when running in men and women. To do this, he should calculate his pace (as comfortable as possible for you), at which he does not pant, breathes measuredly through his nose, easily withstands in this mode, at least half an hour's run. As soon as the condition is found, measure your heart rate using a heart rate monitor or manually and read the resulting value as an individual norm
There is a formula that helps you calculate your optimal running heart rate, but it only works for young people under 30. To calculate what pulse should be during and after running, men should subtract their age from 220, women from 196. For example, for a 30-year-old man, the upper limit becomes 190 beats per minute.
If your heart rate has exceeded the maximum while running, you should go to a step, calm your heartbeat, and only then continue. If you are over 30, multiply the result by a coefficient from 0.5 to 0.8 (the older you are, the larger the number).
The less prepared a person is physically, the more often his heart rate will go off scale during a run, so beginners should be prepared for the fact that they will have to walk most of the workout. To reduce the high heart rate, you should slow down, switch to race walking, and catch your breath. Only after complete restoration of breathing, you can go back to running. Remember, running at a high heart rate is dangerous to your health.
What affects heart rate?
- Overweight;
- Age;
- Bad habits - alcohol and smoking;
- Air temperature;
- The psycho-emotional state of the athlete.
When calculating your individual rate, be sure to take these features into account.
Heart rate zones
To understand what a running heart rate zone is, you need to decipher the concept itself. So, the pulse is the rhythmic oscillations of the walls of the vessels in which the blood flow occurs. Between the normal heartbeat at rest and the upper limit of the pulse, at which the body is at the limit of its capabilities, there are 5 pulse zones. They determine the training intensity and fitness level of the athlete.
- Low Intensity Zone - Heart rate 115-120 beats / min. Ideal level for beginners;
- Low or fitness zone - Heart rate 120-135 beats / min. Such training pumps endurance well, and also, it is the optimal heart rate when running to burn fat;
- Aerobic zone - 135-155 bpm Such exercises train the body's aerobic capabilities well.
- Anaerobic zone - 155-175 bpm Jogging in such a zone helps to increase speed capabilities, break previously achieved records;
- Red zone - 175-190 - zone of maximum load and efficiency. Only professional athletes allow themselves such training. For lovers, they are categorically contraindicated, since if they are improperly organized, they can undermine health.
How to measure?
A little later we will look at running at a low heart rate, the pros and cons, but for now, let's talk about how to measure it correctly. You have two paths: manual and mechanical.
- With the hand, you will need to stop and place two fingers on your neck where the carotid artery passes. Watch 15 seconds on the clock and count the number of beats during this time. The resulting figure is multiplied by 4.
- The mechanical method involves the use of gadgets. There are wrist-based heart rate monitors, less accurate, and those with a chest strap - they are the most accurate. These devices will do all the work themselves. They will calculate your heart rate throughout the workout, draw up a colorful graph, tell you where and when you deviated from the norm. We recommend that you get a running watch with a heart rate monitor - you will definitely not regret buying it!
So, we figured out what the maximum heart rate when running for men and women is considered acceptable, and figured out how to measure it correctly. Now, let's talk about such a concept as low heart rate.
Running at low heart rate
This is the most comfortable type of load for the body, in which there is no oxygen starvation, muscle work for wear, stress for the cardiovascular system. A beginner is unlikely to be able to immediately run with a low heart rate, he will have to train a lot and hard. Start with a gentle, slow paced workout and walk a lot. Gradually increase your speed and pace, increase the load, make sure that your heart rate does not jump.
Remember, the low heart rate zone is in the 110-130 bpm range. By the way, it is optimal for fat burning, endurance development, health promotion.
Of course, you can't become an Olympic champion in this zone, by the way, this is its main drawback, but, on the other hand, it allows amateur athletes to get maximum benefit from jogging!
Normal heart rate
Now you know how to lower your high heart rate while running, and what is the optimal range for your purpose. At the end of the article, let's talk about which heart rate should be followed, separately, for women and men. So, let's begin.
For women
Remember, under physical exertion, the normal value of the heart rate for the fair sex is from 118 to 137 bpm. This is the optimal range for maintaining shape, improving health, and easily pumping muscles. And it is with such indicators that running for weight loss becomes the most effective.
If you feel short of breath, shortness of breath, pain in your right side, or increased pressure, take immediate steps to lower your heart rate.
For men
What do you think, what should be the heart rate when running at 40 years for a man, provided that he is absolutely healthy? The range is almost identical to the female one - from 114 to 133 bpm. Exercises at this pace improve well-being, normalize sleep, and stimulate an active metabolism. Such a load is considered moderate, the maximum oxygen consumption (Mpc) and the pulse during running remain within the normal range, the body does not experience stress, while it actively trains, the muscles tense, and endurance develops.
In addition to all the obvious health benefits of running, remember one more important nuance - running stimulates the production of endorphins - hormones of happiness. This means that training improves mood, improves well-being. Knowing how much the pulse should be when running, you will always control the load, you will be able to intelligently increase the requirements, and, in which case, you will immediately receive a signal about a failure.
Now you know which pulse to run at to get the most out of your workout - we wish you good luck and good health!
