From improving your endurance to burning fat and reducing high blood pressure, you gain the most from your workouts when you exercise in your target heart rate zone. Find out what your target range is and make sticking to it a part of your exercise routine.

Step 1: Calculate your maximum heart rate.

Your target heart rate is actually a range determined by your fitness level. To figure out your range, you first need to figure out your max heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. For example, a 40-year-old's predicted maximum heart rate is 180 beats per minute. You should never exceed your maximum when working out.

Step 2: Figure out your target heart rate range.

Not all people can handle the same amount of physical activity, so the American College of Sports Medicine has devised three successive stages to ensure that individuals exercise at their recommended level. As your fitness program intensifies, you'll have to reach a higher rate in order to continue benefiting from your workouts.

• Initial stage: This lasts four to six weeks. At this level, the general guideline is for beginners to start at 40 percent to 60 percent of their target heart rate for 12 to 15 minutes at a time, not including warm up and cool down periods.

• Improvement stage: This lasts about four to five months. At this level, you should gradually increase your workout's intensity to between 70 percent and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. Every two or three weeks, increase the time you exercise as well, until you can do so for 20 to 30 continuous minutes.

• Maintenance stage: Begin this after the first six months of training. While improvement will now be minimal, performing the same fitness routine should enable you to maintain your gains and continue progressing.

Your advancement through these stages should be gradual and comfortable. If you're exhausted and excessively sore, then you're pushing too hard. Follow these guidelines and climb the stages as your body gets stronger and your ability to handle strenuous exercise improves.

Step 3: Reach and maintain your range during exercise.

You won't make much athletic headway if you exercise below your target heart rate range. You're also liable to injure yourself if you overdo your workouts and stay above your max rate. Sticking to the range that's appropriate for your fitness level is the best way for your physical health to benefit from your regular routine.