Aerobic Zone Heart Rates and Benefits

The aerobic exercise zone is the intensity at which your body is using its aerobic metabolism system to produce energy from fat and glycogen. It spans the divide between moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity exercise. In general, you must use your major muscle groups continuously, especially your legs, to bring your heart rate up into this zone.

Aerobic activities include running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and rowing. Cardio exercise machines such as treadmills, elliptical trainers, stair steppers, rowers, and ski machines can all provide an aerobic workout. 

Aerobic Zone Heart Rates

There is a narrower and a broader range of heart rates given for the aerobic exercise zone. A wider definition of the aerobic zone is from 40% to 85% of maximum heart rate. Within this wide range, you are using aerobic metabolism during exercise and the body doesn't have to switch to anaerobic metabolism.

A narrower and more commonly used definition involves the five heart rate zones. In this definition, the aerobic zone is a heart rate between 70% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. You are exercising at moderate to vigorous intensity. In this range, 50% of your calories burned in this zone are fats, 1% are proteins, and 50% are carbohydrates.

Maximum heart rate (MHR) varies by age, gender, and athletic condition. You can use a heart rate zone chart or calculator to find your result based on your physical characteristics and condition. For a range based only on age and a resting heart rate of 60, you can use this chart:

Aerobic Zone Benefits

The aerobic heart rate zone is excellent for increasing the number and size of blood vessels in your muscles and improve your lung ventilation. As a result, your body is able to carry more oxygen to your muscles and take away waste products. You also will be burning stored fat for fuel, which is desirable for those who want to reduce body fat and lose weight.

Moderate Effort

To an activity to be considered aerobic exercise, you are doing sustained major muscle group effort for 10 minutes or more. You are breathing harder than normal to take in the oxygen needed for aerobic metabolism, but you are not completely out of breath. The effort should feed within the range of moderate intensity.

• The aerobic zone is at the top of the moderate-intensity exercise zone (50% to 70% of maximum heart rate). This heart rate can be achieved with brisk walking.
• The aerobic zone is at the bottom of the vigorous-intensity zone (70% to 85% of maximum heart rate). This heart rate can be achieved by running or racewalking.

Sustainable

You are able to exercise in this zone for a long period of time, first using glycogen for energy and then, after about 40 minutes, stored fat. Even people who have lean bodies have plenty of stored fat unless they have been starving. This is why you can perform endurance exercise for long periods. You can replenish carbohydrates while you are exercising in the aerobic zone to keep the supply available to your muscles.

Measuring Your Heart Rate

You can measure your heart rate during exercise in several ways. You can take your pulse at your wrist or neck, counting for 60 seconds. There are apps that you can use to take your pulse on demand as well. But it is less disruptive for your exercise activities to use a heart rate monitor or pulse monitor.

Pulse monitors are built into many fitness bands, such as the Fitbit Charge, and into smartwatches such as the Apple Watch. But it is more accurate to wear a chest strap heart rate monitor. You can see your heart rate and get alerts when you are in or out of the exercise zone, either on a phone app, fitness band, or wrist display.