What does the term "target heart rate" refer to in cardio training?

The term "target heart rate" signifies the optimal heart rate zone that individuals should aim to reach during cardio training to maximize cardiovascular benefits. This zone is typically expressed as a percentage of an individual's maximum heart rate and is crucial for ensuring that the exercise is effective in improving aerobic capacity, burning calories, and enhancing overall cardiovascular health.

By maintaining the heart rate within this target zone, exercisers can improve their endurance and fitness levels while reducing the risks of overtraining or injury. Properly gauging the target heart rate also allows for effectiveness in various forms of cardio training because different target zones serve specific training purposes—such as fat burning, cardiovascular fitness, or performance enhancement.

Overall, achieving and maintaining the target heart rate during a workout ensures that individuals are training at an intensity level that elicits the desired physiological response of improved heart and lung function, which is the hallmark of effective cardio training.