Target heart rate question

[Viraja]

If anybody really, really knows this stuff, please clarify.

I have 2 workouts - as a beginner, I do not have the stamina to exercise at Target heart rate for a very long time.

Say, in workout 1, I walk at the Treadmill at target heart rate for 25 min. and burn 156 calories (for my weight and heart rate), is that a good workout (or)

I take to the ellipticals and exercise for 25 min but at a heart rate lesser than target heart rate and burn 200 Calories --

Which one is a better workout, and why?

 

[sun rise]

I'm not an exercise physiologist but it depends what your goal is. Cardiovascular exercise is related to heart rate. Exercise to burn calories or build muscles is not necessarily related.

So what is your goal or goals in exercising?

Another note that 25 minutes of exercise of either sort puts you way ahead of the vast majority of people.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

As far as I know, reaching your target heart rate is better for aerobics and for improving your cardiovascular health. I also would use those "calorie burned" meter thingies on the machines as nothing more than a very rough approximation, to the point you can just ignore them.
As for which is better, it just depends on your goals. I'd bump it up to 30 minutes and alternate usage to use the treadmill one day and elliptical the next. You can get too familiar with a specific workout regiment, it can become too easy, or you could just get burn out on the same thing over and over.

 

[ChristineM]

As far as I know, reaching your target heart rate is better for aerobics and for improving your cardiovascular health. I also would use those "calorie burned" meter thingies on the machines as nothing more than a very rough approximation, to the point you can just ignore them.
As for which is better, it just depends on your goals. I'd bump it up to 30 minutes and alternate usage to use the treadmill one day and elliptical the next. You can get too familiar with a specific workout regiment, it can become too easy, or you could just get burn out on the same thing over and over.

All good points.

 

[YmirGF]

If anybody really, really knows this stuff, please clarify.

I have 2 workouts - as a beginner, I do not have the stamina to exercise at Target heart rate for a very long time.

Say, in workout 1, I walk at the Treadmill at target heart rate for 25 min. and burn 156 calories (for my weight and heart rate), is that a good workout (or)

I take to the ellipticals and exercise for 25 min but at a heart rate lesser than target heart rate and burn 200 Calories --

Which one is a better workout, and why?

I do a series of three laps around the house.
1. Run to the coffee pot. Pour coffee
2. Run to the living room to change the CD
3. Run to bathroom to take a pee.
4. Go back to step 1

I've never concerned myself with heart rate as long as the ticker keeps beating.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Don't sweat the details. Move more, eat less (but with adequate nutrition), and you will be healthier. Exercise science is complex, but for anyone out-of-shape or overweight it is much more simple. Consistency is the key. If you feel like you're exercising (breathing hard, exerting yourself), then the level is fine. Everything else being equal, I'd probably tend towards more exercise time versus higher exercise intensity for people who are older, overweight, or out-of-shape.