Should I Exercise at Maximal Heart Rate?

by Daniel
(USA)

I am 20 years old and just started to exercise. Some people answer to my question that you should exercise at 80% or less of my maximal heart rate and others say it is OK to go for your heart. What do you say, is it healthy to do it?

Daniel

Answer:

Daniel: the answer to your question may be yes and not….. It depends what you are looking for in the exercise you practice. For example if you want to run long distance, you should do most of your training at 80% or lower of your maximal heart rate. Nevertheless, in order to prepare for a race you have to do intervals, short bursts at maximal speed with recuperation between intervals, during the last weeks of preparation for the race. This has the effect of increasing your overall speed, not only the speed in the last seconds of the race.

If you are a speed runner you will have to train basically at high speed or close to maximal heart rate in different length intervals. So, both runners, the high speed and long distance, benefit from high speed intervals.

Now, when we come to health, there was the theory during several decades that in order to keep your heart healthy you just have to do slow running……If perhaps you had some kind of heart problem like hypertension, high cholesterol or even if you were over 50-60 years old, you should never train or do ANY high speed running because it could mean a possible fatal inconvenient. Even those that were running just to keep their weight and health were advice that the best exercise was slow and continuous.

Today, many health experts differ from that point of view. They encourage all age exercise lovers to exercise at high intensity during short periods of time, which is close to maximal heart rate. The reason is they believe that this way you achieve maximum fat burning capabilities, your body keeps burning fat up to 24 hours after you have done a 20 minutes session, and produce and elevation of beneficial hormones like HGH and testosterone (take a look at how and sprinter and a marathoner look).

When your heart exercises at close to maximal you prepare your heart to avoid heart attacks caused by extremely stressful emotional situations where your heart may otherwise give up. You just have to be careful to prepare yourself for this type of exercise, because it could be dangerous if you do it the first time at maximal speed, by slowly increasing the speed at which you exercise, giving yourself plenty of time to recuperate your breathing before you do the next interval.

Please read, Exercise, We Have It in Our Genes
My best for you,

Alfredo E.
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