If you’re not already using a heart rate monitor when you workout, it comes highly recommended. Tracking your heart’s information is a great way to get better results because it helps you understand what impact your workout is actually having on your body. People who don’t have this information to act on often get stuck with stalled results and become frustrated.

Maintaining an optimal heart rate while exercising is how you strengthen that all-important organ and end up with less fat in the process. So without a heart rate monitor, you’re essentially flying blind where those two measurements are concerned. However, if you don’t know what you’re looking at, you’re no better off either.

Let’s start with finding out what your target zone is first. Begin by establishing you’re your max heart rate is. There are many equations for understanding this, but one of the most popular and accepted one is that it equals 220 minus your age. So a 30 year old person would have a max heart rate of 190 beats per minute.

Your target heart rate zone is anywhere between 50 and 85% of that number. So, again, for a 30 year old, that would be between 95 and 162 beats a minute. See why a heart rate monitor is so helpful? No one wants to count those off in the middle of spin class.

Now that you understand what your target zone is, you can begin playing with what fitness results you want and leveraging your monitor toward achieving them. Here’s a breakdown by percentage of the different zones you can work in:

• 60 to 70% for Endurance and Weight Loss
• 70 to 80% for Overall Cardiovascular, Strength and Weight Management
• 80 to 90% for a Consistent Speed or Interval Training (this one is also good  for increasing your body’s tolerance of lactate, so it can help with muscle endurance too)
• 90 to 100% for Increasing Your Speed (this is only for interval training as  your muscles will quickly hit the wall in terms of oxygen)

By speeding up or slowing down your heart rate, you’ll be able to achieve all kinds of diverse goals. However, you can only be sure you’re doing this correctly, if you have a heart rate monitor measuring your heart rate at all times and reporting back. Fortunately, these handy monitors are easy to find and affordable.