Target heart rate is not recommended for individuals on which medication?

• A. Beta-blockers
• B. Antibiotics
• C. Insulin
• D. Antidepressants

Answer: (A)

Prescribing exercise intensity based on a specific heart-rate target assumes you’ll get a predictable rise in heart rate as effort increases. Beta-blockers blunt the heart’s rate response by blocking sympathetic stimulation, which lowers resting and peak heart rates and reduces heart-rate reserve. Because of this altered and blunted HR response, using a fixed target heart rate to guide exercise can misjudge intensity, potentially underloading or overexerting the individual. For people on beta-blockers, it’s safer and more accurate to use alternatives such as rating of perceived exertion, the talk test, or workload-based measures (like watts or pace) to gauge effort.