When you work out — no matter what kind of exercise you choose — you are going to get your heart pumping. That’s because exercise increases your heart rate to supply your body with the oxygen and fuel needed to keep going. 

Anyone looking to improve their overall fitness can benefit from learning more about heart rates. By breaking down heart rates and how they affect your workouts, you will be able to tailor your workouts to your needs and optimize your performance long-term. Many elite athletes use the heart rate zones to tailor their training and pursue their goals. 

Understanding Heart Rate Zones 

There are five heart rate zones, which are determined by percent of maximum heart rate. Everyone has a different max heart rate, so knowing your maximum heart rate and how it corresponds to the heart rate zones is important. 

The Five Heart Rate Zones 

Zone One (50-60% of maximum heart rate). Your zone one heart rate is light movement. Often warm ups and cool downs will take place in zone one. This is the heart rate target for active recovery. 

Zone Two (60-70% of maximum heart rate). Zone 2 is conversational pace. You should be able to sustain your zone two heart rate for a long period of time while being able to talk. Runners, for example, will often target a zone two heart rate in their long training runs. Sometimes zone two is called the “aerobic” or “base” zone because this is the heart rate where you build your base aerobic fitness. Most of your training should be in zone two. 

Zone Three (70-80% of maximum heart rate). If you are training in zone three, you are likely bettering your speed and/or strength. During a zone three session you will feel like you are pushing yourself, but it is doable. If you are running, zone three might be the target heart rate of a tempo run, where you run in between an easy pace and race pace for a sustained period of time. 

Zone Four (80-90% of maximum heart rate). Training in zone four helps prepare your body for race day or competition. In this heart rate zone, sometimes called lactate threshold, the body produces more lactic acid than it can efficiently remove. You will likely have fewer training sessions in this zone, but doing Zone 4 workouts can help you improve your performance. When running a 5K or 10K, your race pace will likely be in zone four. 

Zone Five (90-100% of maximum heart rate). Zone Five is your max heart rate. If you are in zone five, you are likely sprinting or putting in the most effort you can into your exercise. This heart rate is not sustainable long term, but doing some training in this heart rate zone can help improve the mind-muscle connection. 

Using Heart Rate Zones to Optimize Your Workouts

The first step to using heart rate zones to optimize your workouts is finding your maximum heart rate. Wearable fitness tech like a Garmin watch or heart rate monitor strap can often provide information about your heart rate zones. Having heart rate data on these devices can help you plan your workouts more effectively as well. 

Zone 2 Training 

When you think about time spent exercising, most of it should be in zone two. Zone 2 training improves your overall endurance and stamina and helps make your body more efficient at using its energy stores. Some runners spend 80% of their training in Zone 2 and still see huge results in their times and overall fitness. 

While it may seem counterintuitive — shouldn’t we run fast to get fast? — zone 2 training is actually the most effective. 

Improving Speed & Efficiency with Zone 3, 4, and 5 

As you are building your workout plan based on heart rates, it is important to include Zone 3, 4, and 5 heart rates. Exercising at these rates builds your speed and can help your body become more efficient. In effect, the heart becomes stronger and can pump more oxygenated blood, both due to its increased strength and because of the increased network of capillaries in the body. 

Lowering Your Resting Heart Rate 

One of the benefits of targeting exercise to your heart rates is that your resting heart rate is likely to lower as well. When the heart becomes stronger due to a heart rate-focused exercise plan, the heart is able to pump a higher volume of blood with fewer beats. 

A low resting heart rate will increase your exercise capacity and reduce your risk of long term cardiovascular disease.

As you continue to perfect your exercise regimen, you can use the ZOZOFIT app to monitor your fitness progress when you use our body scanning technology. All you need is your smartphone and two minutes to scan, and once you are done, you can begin to see how these exercises are impacting your arm muscles. ZOZOFIT also helps you monitor your body fat percentage, set goals, assess your glutes, and more.