How Long Should I Be in Different Heart Rate Zones Each Week?

[glbg1]

Hello! I'm a sixteen-year-old female and I want to know how long I should be in the cardio/peak zone each week. I typically run/bike/strength train 4 times a week. My Fitbit says that I am in the cardio zone when my hr is 142+ bpm, and my peak is 179bpm. I find that I'm usually in the cardio zone 75 minutes per week, and was wondering I should be spending more/less time in this zone. Thanks!

[WavyDavey]

Hi @glbg1,

I think the answer depends on your goals. If you're looking to lose weight, adding some more cardio could be helpful. If you're more focusing on strength, then I would keep cardio about where it is.  With my goals, 15 minutes of peak training a week is useful.

[DominicJ]

Zones are fairly arbitrary

Unless you have a specific purpose for them, they don't really come in to play.

[SunsetRunner]

I have to agree with @WavyDavey it depends on what your goals are, if you just want a steady lose weight goal then ensuring you stay in your Fat Burn zone for longer periods is the slow but easy way to go.

If however you want to lose weight faster and want to improve your aerobic fitness levels then the more cardio the better around the mid range is best.

To really accelerate your Aerobic fitness go mid to high cardio for longer periods (but do it under the guidance of a medical or exercise professional (coach/trainer) 

To improve your Anaerobic fitness go for short High Intensive Cardio for around 5-10 min Bursts during you aerobic workout, Spin classes are great at this witha  long aerobic workout at low to mid range interspersed with Short High Intensive Cardio Bursts throughout the the routine.

You can do the same while running by sprinting at full pace for 2 to 5 mins at various times throughout your run.

But again it depends on your goals and what you want to achieve. 

[emili]

Not to sound like an old mom... but at your age I am not sure you should be worried about it. staying active is your primary goal. if you are looking to lose weight, I would pay more attention to diet than to your HR. reading what you do, I would say you do alright...