If you’ve added cycling or spin classes to your workout regimen, you’re part of a trend that has seen this low impact cardio workout surge in popularity. More and more people are recognizing the cardiovasular and muscle toning benefits of these workouts, while appreciating the minimal impact on their joints. Let’s examine a few ways you can get the absolute most out of your cycling or spin classes.

If you’re exercising to lose weight, you’ll want your workout to be as efficient and optimal as possible. You may have heard the term “fat burning zone” from your instructor or personal trainer. For best results, your body needs to work at an optimal level, meaning not too light or not too difficult. Since everyone’s fat burning zone can be dramatically different, you should understand the nuances of target heart rate and fat burning zone.

If you’re interested in spinning classes and decide to participate, you’ll go through five distinct levels (zones) of intensity during a class. These zones are warm up, endurance, strength, interval, and race. In a typical one hour class, you’ll move between the levels, which will help improve your cardiovascular fitness level.

Understanding your maximum heart rate is an important factor, because your heart rate will essentially tell you how hard you’re working and how much fat you’re burning. Calculating your maximum heart rate is easy. Just subtract your age from 220. As an example, I’m 46, so my maximum heart rate is 174 (220 – 46 = 174).

Going back to the five zones, each zone has a heart rate range assigned to it, including upper and lower percentages. We’ll explain in a minute. Basically, each of the five zones has a heart rate maximum and minimum, give or take a few percentage points. Each of these heart rate ranges are calculated by taking a percentage of your maximum heart rate (the rate we just calculated by subtracting your age from 220).

The first range is the warm up range, which is also the cool down range. During this range (at the beginning and end of class), your heart rate should be 50% to 65% of maximum. Using my maximum heart rate of 174, that means during warm up or cool down my heart rate should be between 87 and 113. Doing the quick math, 50% of 174 is 87, and 65% of 174 is 113. Yes, it’s best to write these numbers down or commit them to memory so you’ll know in an instant if you need to work harder or back off on the intensity during class.

Endurance Range: 65% to 75% of maximum heart range (MHR)

Strength Range: 75% to 85% of MHR

Interval Range: 65% to 92% of MHR

Race (also known as Sprint) Range: 80% to 92%

You’ll work the hardest during the Interval and Race ranges. The endurance range is actually where you’ll spend most of your time during the class. Not so coincidentally, that’s the range where you’ll burn the most fat!

Finally, the best way to check your heart rate while exercising is with a heart rate monitor. If you don’t have one, you can place your index and/or middle finger on your neck artery where you can feel your pulse. Most spin instructors will do a six second heart rate check. Multiply your count by 10, and that’s your heart rate. Compare your heart rate to the range you’re at during the class, and increase or decrease your intensity accordingly. Here’s to a great workout!