When calculating the lower end of your target heart rate, what is multiplied by 0.5?

To determine the lower end of your target heart rate, you multiply your heart rate reserve by 0.5. The heart rate reserve is calculated by taking the difference between your maximum heart rate and your resting heart rate. This reserve reflects the range of heart rates you can effectively use during exercise to improve cardiovascular fitness.

Multiplying by 0.5 helps establish the minimum intensity of exercise that can be considered effective for cardiovascular training. By knowing this value, individuals can better ensure they are exercising at a pace that is sufficiently challenging, yet safe, facilitating improvements in fitness while also promoting safe exercise practices.

In contrast, using maximum heart rate, resting heart rate, or age directly in this context does not lead to the correct calculation for establishing the lower end of the target heart rate, as the focus in defining the intensity is specifically on the heart rate reserve.