Heart Rate and Perceived Exertion
When exercising, many programs will state which zone you should be in or your perceived exertion. Here is a handy reference and explanation...
Perceived Exertion Scale
1 - not moving
2 - barely moving
3 - gently moving
4 - warming up the muscles
5 - a pace you can do all day
6 - slightly winded
7 - can talk in choppy three word sentences
8 - can talk but you don't want to, muscles start burning
9 - can't talk, muscles are burning, near maximum effort
10 - can only sustain for about 20 seconds...all out effort
HR Zones
55 - 65% - Low intensity zone used for warm-ups before high intensity work and used for long, steady state cardio. This zone is commonly used for cardio sessions greater than 60 minutes like endurance training. It builds your aerobic base. It is also a good zone for cool downs.
65-75% - Moderate intensity zone used for workouts. This zone is used for recovery workouts and easy days. It is also a zone you dip into when doing interval training. This zone is also called the "dead zone" because you aren't getting as much benefit in this zone as you are in the other zones.
75-85% - Moderate to High intensity zone. This zone is great for calorie burning and cardio benefits. This zone has been shown to be the most effective for overall benefits.
85%+ - High intensity zone. This is your anaerobic zone and cannot be sustained for long periods of time. Typically this zone is used for interval training and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It is short and quick bursts and improves your oxygen extraction capabilities (VO2 Max).