How to calculate your maximum heart rate (MHR) when exercising

Why is knowing my maximum heart rate useful

when exercising

Knowing your maximum heart rate enables you to exercise at the optimum level for your own body at every session. Exercising below the optimum means that you are not getting the most out of the time that you are putting in and your path to fitness may be longer. To exercise above your MHR risks you tiring too quickly and not being able to complete your session, as well as increasing your risk of injury.

How do I calculate my MHR?

To take your pulse, place your index and middle fingers firmly but without hard pressure onto the palmar side of your wrist, about a fingers breadth from the skin crease at the wrist on the side just below the thumb. You should be able to feel your pulse here.

To calculate your heart rate in beats per minute you should count how many beats you feel over 15 seconds then multiply this number by 4.

For instance if you count 18 beats in 15 seconds:

18x4=72

To calculate your maximum heart rate deduct your age in years from 220.

You should be exercising at a level of between 60-80% of this. For instance if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is:

220-40=180 beats per minute

Your ideal heart rate when exercising will be 60-80% of this:

108-144 beats per minute

Please note

This rule does not apply if you are taking medication such as a beta blocker which slows the heart rate.

For other methods of calculating the optimum level at which to exercise and some fun ways of getting fit, see the Health Compass book

A good warm down routine

following exercise

Your warm down is really important as your muscles shorten during exercise. Whatever exercise you have taken you should aim to do short warm down if at all possible.

To do so speeds your recovery, prevents muscle and ligament strains and injury and improves your flexibility. A good regime should only take 10 minutes to do.

Start your warm down by decreasing the intensity at which you have been exercising, spending 4-5 minutes at a slower or less intense pace or level.

This should be followed by some static stretches specific to the muscle groups that you have been using.

What is a static stretch?

A static stretch is a stretch which is held in position. You should hold each one for 10-30 seconds and should repeat each one, once or twice per muscle group. You must breathe throughout as this allows oxygen to the tissues and speeds their recovery.

You should not bounce as you stretch.

As you start the stretch, you should be able to feel the gentle pull on the muscle you are working on. At no point should this be painful. If it is, release the stretch a little. Hold it for 15 seconds, at which time you will feel the muscle “give” a little as it relaxes. At this point you can very gently increase the stretch and hold it for a further 10-15 seconds.

This kind of stretch should not be done as a warm up for exercise as it can impair balance and reaction time and can reduce the power output of your muscles, without any of the benefits of injury prevention. For ideas for a warm up routine (dynamic stretches) please see the Health Compass book

In reality most forms of exercise use both the upper and lower body. Even if you have been walking, you to a small extent, use your arms. For this reason, although you should focus on the major muscle groups used for your specific exercise, it is helpful to also stretch other parts of the body.

Here is a guide

Muscles to stretch if you have been:

● At the gym:   biceps, triceps, latissimus dorsi, hamstrings, quads and gastrocnemius muscles.

● Walking:       hamstrings, quads and gastrocnemius muscles

● Running:      hamstrings, quads, gastrocnemius, adductors and

iliotibial band

● Tennis:         hamstrings, quads and gastrocnemius muscles

biceps, triceps, deltoid latissimus dorsi

● Swimming:   biceps, triceps and latissimus dorsi

● Football:       hamstrings, quads, gastrocnemius muscles

and adductors

● Hockey:        hamstrings, quads, gastrocnemius muscles

● Cycling:        biceps, triceps, hamstrings, quads and gastrocnemius muscles

The biceps stretch (the muscle on the front of the upper arm)

• Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and with “soft” knees (slightly bent).  

• Hold your arms out to the side, outstretched with the palms of the hands facing backwards.

• Stretch your arms behind you as far as possible.

• You should feel the stretch through your biceps (the muscle at the front of your upper arm) and chest

The triceps stretch (the muscle on the back of the upper arm)

• Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and with “soft” knees (slightly bent).

•  Place your right hand above your head, then keeping your shoulder in that position, bend your arm at the elbow and slide your hand down your spine as demonstrated in the picture to the right. To increase the stretch you can pull gently to the left on the elbow with the opposite .hand .keeping your body upright. If you lean your upper body, you will find that you are stretching your .latissimus dorsi (see below).

• Repeat on the other arm. You should feel the stretch down the back of your upper arm (your triceps)

The Latissimus dorsi stretch (the large sheet of muscle on the back that gives boxers and swimmers their upside down triangle shape-see picture to the left)

• This stretch starts in the same way as the triceps stretch (see triceps stretch above).

• Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and with “soft” knees (slightly bent).

• Place your right hand above your head, then keeping your shoulder in that position, bend your.arm at the elbow and slide your hand down your spine.

• With your left hand, gently pull the elbow down and across towards the opposite shoulder.

• Lean your upper body into the stretching side and push the ribs upwards taking care not to lean forwards or backwards.

• Repeat with the opposite arm

The deltoid stretch (the muscle that forms the “cap” of your shoulder)

• Extend your right arm in front of you and keep it straight.

• With your left arm supporting your right upper arm, gently pull your right arm across the body and hold.

• Turning the palm to face the ceiling will increase the stretch.

• Repeat with the opposite arm.

The hamstring stretch (the large muscle at the back of the thigh)

My son calls this one “man with a broken leg sitting on a toilet.”

• Stand tall with soft knees. Extend one leg in front of you with your toes pointing towards the sky and the extended leg straight.

• Bend your other knee and lean your upper body forwards slightly, while sticking your bottom out almost as if you are going to sit down .(please don’t or you will end up on the floor).

• You should feel the stretch all the way up your calf and thigh.

• Now switch sides

Alternative hamstring stretch

• Sit on the ground with both legs stretched .out in front of you

• Bend the left leg so that the foot touches the inside of the knee of the opposite leg (see the picture to the right)

• Keeping the right leg and back straight, lean forward, grasping your toes, aiming to touch  your chest to .your knee. Don't be tempted to bend your head towards your knee, as this will put strain on your back. If you are unable to reach your toes with your hand, grasp your shin. 

• You should feel the stretch all the way up your calf and thigh.

• Now switch sides

This one also stretches the calf muscle. It is important to keep your back straight for this one as it can put a strain on your lower back. If you have back problems, use the stretch above.

The Quadriceps stretch (the large muscle on the

front of the thigh)

This one requires a little balance and so is also good for helping strengthen the muscles around the ankle. If you have trouble staying in the correct position, try looking straight ahead and not down. Alternatively you can hold onto the back of a chair.

• Stand tall with soft knees.

• With your right hand take your right ankle and bring your foot up behind your bottom ensuring that you hold the leg by the shin just above the ankle and not the foot, as this can strain the ligaments at the front of the ankle.

• Keep the knees together and the bent knee pointing towards the ground avoiding the temptation for it to come forward.

• Repeat the stretch on the opposite leg

The gastrocnemius stretch (the calf muscle)

• Stand tall with your hands on your hips.

• Extend your right leg behind you keeping it straight, avoiding the temptation to bend it at the knee.

• Bend your left knee and push your weight forwards over your knee as you do so. If you have good balance, keep your hands on your hips. If you wobble, you can either rest your hands on your bent knee or do the exercise in front of a wall and use your hands on the wall to stabilise you. 

• Push your heel gently into the ground, keeping your back straight and your shoulders and pelvis square and both feet pointing forwards.

• Feel the stretch through the back of your lower leg.

• Hold and then repeat with the opposite leg

The adductor stretch (the muscle on the inside of the thigh)

• Stand with your feet flat on the ground, spread wide and with your toes pointing forwards
• Bend your right knee and transfer your weight over to that knee, straightening the left leg as you do.
• Tilt your body forwards slightly and balance yourself either by using your right hand or forearm on your right knee as shown in the picture to the left, or by putting both hands on the ground. You should be able to see your right foot peeping out from under your right knee.
• Keep your toes pointing forwards and feel the stretch on the inner thigh.
• Repeat on the opposite leg

 If you have trouble with your knees try the alternative stretch below

Alternative adductor stretch

• Sit with your legs spread wide apart and your toes pointing towards the sky.

• Lean forward between your legs to try and touch your chest to the floor. Make sure you keep your upper back straight, avoiding the temptation to bend your shoulders over (can you see the runner in the photo is holding her stretch with slightly curved shoulders which is not good for your back and neck and doesn’t improve the stretch). Keep looking forwards.

• You should feel the stretch through your inner thigh

• Hold and repeat on the opposite side

 If you have trouble with your back, try the alternative stretch above.

The iliotibial band (the thin strip of muscle that runs down the outer thigh)

• Sit upright, with your back straight and your right leg bent at the knee with the knee on the ground.

• Place the foot of your left leg on the ground to the outside of your right knee keeping your left knee bent pointing to the ceiling as shown to the left.

• Take your right elbow and hook it around the outside of the left knee, gently pulling the knee to the right with the elbow, whilst looking over your left shoulder.

• Repeat on the opposite side

Alternatively

• Stand tall with “soft” knees. Cross your right foot over the left foot with the soles of …your feet flat on the ground.

• Lean your upper body over to the right, taking care not to lean forward.

• You should feel the stretch down the outer thigh.

• Change legs and repeat on the opposite side.

Can I exercise in bad weather?

In short, yes. As the great man Billy Connolly said: "There's no such thing as cold weather, just the wrong clothes." Living in England, if we were to skip getting out every time it rained, we'd never get off the sofa.

There is no such thing as "catching a chill"

If you suffer with angina, you should make sure that you wrap up warmly and take your GTN spray with you, if it's cold or windy as these conditions can bring on angina.

If you have a high temperature you should not be exercising. If you have ear ache, you should wear a hat that covers your ears.

Children absolutely love getting out and splashing in puddles. My children love walking in the rain. Firstly because where there's rain there's mud (the only creatures with a greater affinity to mud than hippopotami) and secondly because after coming in wet from a walk, they know that they can have a hot chocolate.

Go out appropriately dressed so you don't have to be too precious about spoiling shoes or clothes. As long as they haven't got an open cut, let your children wallow. Better still, do it with them

you become excessively short of breath

you feel light headed dizzy or clammy

you experience chest pain

 

The Health Compass

Inspiration for change

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