There has been a lot of buzz in the fitness community about HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and using your heart rate to determine your intensity.

For the longest time, we have exercised without much thought as to what our heart rate is or why it is important. Over time we have started to understand how training at different heart rates can affect our body. Different heart rates fall into “zones” which correlate to different energy systems your body recruits during exercise.

Your body uses two different energy systems while exercising.

The aerobic energy system involves a lower heart rate and anaerobic energy system involves a higher heart rate.

• Examples of aerobic exercise would be walking, running, rowing, cycling, and swimming.
• Anaerobic exercise would be sprinting, Olympic lifting, jumping, or short exertion exercises.

An easy way to determine your heart rate/zone is by using a heart rate monitor. At EYS, we allow members to choose whether or not to use a HR monitor system.

The EYS heart rate monitor system tells you:

• heart rate
• what zone you are training in
• your effort level based on Target Achievement Points (TAPS)
• calories burned

During HIIT training we want you to be working at 80% or more of your estimated max heart rate (MHR).

How do you find your max heart rate? Use this easy formula: 206.3 – (.711 X your age).

Since you are working at max effort (unable to carry on a conversation) you will need an allowed rest time so your body is able to work at that same effort level during your next set. This rest time should be at 40-50% of your estimated max heart rate.

HIIT uses different work-to-rest ratios to keep your workout intense.