Target heart rates help determine how hard you need to exercise to achieve an aerobic workout or stay in the fat-burning zone. Widely accepted standard calculations used over the past 40 years were based on male-only studies. Women have a different exercise capacity that should be measured using a gender-specific formula. Therefore a formula has been found especially for women to find out target heart rate.

Team@CMHF

A formula is developed in 2010 based on a study of 5,437 healthy Chicago-area women ages 30 and older. It tells women to take 88% of their age and subtract it from 206 to find their maximum heart rate.

In the doctor’s office, it shows that women who can’t reach the old target heart rate are not at as high a risk for cardiac events and death as men who can’t reach their targets.

ACSM spokeswoman, allows that target heart rate formulas can be useful but says two other tests are better. You assess how hard you’re working based on how you feel in the perceived exertion test. “Moderate” is good. Unless you’re an athlete, make “sort of hard” your upper limit, Foster advises.

At the right intensity, you should be able to talk comfortably but not sing.
Target heart rates for fitness and heart health need a change.
Exercise intensity should be high enough to help your health but not so high it endangers your health.

Reference: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2011-09-21/Target-heart-rate-formula-made-especially-for-women/50501680/1