Get an Effective Workout—With Less Effort

Reaching your target heart rate, which is typically between 60 to 70 percent of your max to burn fat and within 75 to 80 percent to increase endurance, is recognized as the best way to achieve an intense aerobic workout. However, the way to calculate your maximum heart rate (and thus your target heart rate) has changed. According to a recent report in Circulation. the previous formula (220 minus your age) was derived from research on men and results in a max heart rate that’s too high for women. The new calculation—206 minus 88 percent of your age—would lower a 40 year old’s peak rate about nine beats a minute, making it easier for her to reach and maintain her target heart rate, say researchers.

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