Are you hitting your HIIT Heart Rate zone?
Metafit HR Training Zone – what is it & how to calculate it.
HEART RATE (HR) & INTENSITY – after a recent metafit session we had a little discussion about heart rate – what is the ideal HIIT or metafit HR training zone, how do you calculate Max HR and then training zones, my HR says xyz, is that good? etc – which prompted me to write this post. As lots of you have Fitbits or Garmins and the like with HR monitors built in – you may as well put them to good use! Here’s a little Heart Rate & Intensity 101…let’s put those fancy wrist adornments to work!
HEART RATE (HR) – the number of times your heart beats in a time period – we usually use a minute – and the unit of measure is BPM (beats per minute). With exercise your HR elevates as the heart works harder and beats faster to pump more blood around the body, to fuel the working muscles with oxygenated blood and remove waste products.
INTENSITY – this is a measure of how hard the body is working whilst exercising. Rate of Perceived Exertion (PRE) is the subjective scale you apply to measure intensity – for example going for a walk is probably a 2-3 out of 10 on a scale of 1 (super easy) to 10 (about to die hard!). HR is a measure of exercise intensity. The higher the HR or beats per minute, the higher the intensity or harder you are working.
MAXIMUM HEART RATE – This is the maximum your heart rate will reach during maximum physical exertion – beyond this you may run into problems. This number differs across age groups, physical fitness and genetics. For example a highly trained 45 year old will have a higher max HR to an untrained 45 year old. The standard formula for calculating Max HR is:
220 – your age = Max HR
Once you know your Max HR, you can then calculate the heart rate zones you should be working within to achieve the desired fitness outcomes of your training.
METAFIT HR TRAINING ZONE & INTENSITY – the ideal heart rate zone to be working within to get the most out of a metafit session is 80-85%. This is high when compared to moderate intensity endurance training, but that is why its called HIIT (HIGH INTENSITY interval training). Let’s use me as an example, my metafit HR training zone is:
220 – 45 (age) = 175 (my Max HR)
175 x 80% = 140
175 x 85% = 148.75
Metafit training zone: 140-150BPM
So, get the calculator out, calculate your Max HR and then your metafit training zone. Next time you do a session and you have your HR monitor on – keep an eye on it during the session and see if your perceived rate of exertion matches the actual HR you are working at.
I’d love to hear how you go – does your mind say you are working harder than your heart OR vice versa?


