Workout Smarter, Not Harder Using Heart Rate Zones

Workout smarter, not harder.

The harder you workout the more calories you burn and the leaner you get, right? Well, not exactly.

Does keeping your heart rate in 80 and 90 percent range for most of your workout produce the best results? No again.

To look and feel your best everyday you want to keep you heart rate in to 60 and 70 percent range (blue and green zones if using MyZone). This is the range that allows your body to burn the most stored fat. When you reach the 80 and 90 percent range (yellow and red zones if using MyZone) you begin to burn sugars stored in the muscles, called muscle glycogen. When the body burns off its stored glycogen during a workout it causes you to go home and pig out because your body is depleted of energy. Additionally, working out in this high heart rate range tends to make you excessively tired and results in you being less active throughout the day. So while you may see calories burning like crazy on the screen and feeling like you are killing your workout, you end up burning less through out the day due to reduced overall activity along with being extremely hungry with a strong craving for carbs and sugar. So you end up eating more and this can turn you into a fit fat person overtime.

Also, working out in the higher ranges leads to chronic tiredness, aches and pains, injury, and burnout. None of which you set out to achieve when you began your fitness journey.

As you increase your fitness level you will find yourself having a harder and harder time leaving the 70 percent range. This is good. It is the result of an increased work capacity, meaning you are able to work at a high level for a long period of time without tiring easily.

The people who workout in the 60 and 70 percent range find that they feel great after their workout, leave the gym energized, and experience less injuries. They also tend to be leaner and look more fit than those who are always trying to stay in the highest heart rate zones.

So the next time you hit the gym for your workout remember, the yellow and red zones equal tired, injured, and excessively hungry. While the blue and green zones equal healthy, lean, and energetic people who are ready for whatever the day throws at them.

It is important to workout hard, but only hard enough.