My cardio workouts are typically done on a treadmill at the gym. Lately, I've been wondering about this little chart that is printed next to the treadmill screen, which has target heart rates for different ages--with one column of rates for "fat burning" exercise (60% of max HR, I think), and another column for "cardio" exercise (80% of max HR).
Now, as a rule, my pulse rate (per minute) when I'm running has always hovered around 162. It has been this way since I was in high school. However, according to the chart and my age (29), I'm at way over 80% of my max HR and am probably working "too hard."
So, 2 questions for the athletically-informed out there:
1) Should I be taking my cardio down a notch to avoid pushing my heart too hard, or is this chart just BS?
2) If I am working out at 80% plus of my max HR, does that mean that I am in the anaerobic threshold and am therefore not burning fat whatsoever? It's been a long time since I studied this stuff in school.
I guess I thought that as long as I was working myself hard, I'd be burning fat as well as improving cardio health/stamina. But if I do just want to lose weight, should I be down around that 60% of max HR range (which would mean a very light jog--really not my style!)?
Thanks for any tips.
The main goal is to stay in shape, of course--but I wouldn't mind shaving off a pound or two this winter, now that I've finished my 10k goal and am just looking to tone up in the next few months.