WHY DO I NEED A HEART RATE
MONITOR?
By Sherry Shelton
Why Buy a Heart Rate
Monitor?
Using a hr monitor will
make you a better runner.
The monitor accurately measures the number of
times your heart beats in one minute. Knowing that
figure helps you gauge how your body is responding to
training.
Hr monitors measure and record your heart rate while
giving instant feedback about the work level of your
heart. The
fitness of the heart is the key to one’s aerobic
endurance.
Aerobic endurance is the main point of focus for any
runner. Hr
monitors are one of the most effective ways for tracking
and developing your progress toward building aerobic
endurance.
Without a heart (hr) monitor, most of us over-train by
expending too much energy and take too long to recover;
under-train and fail to get the most out of the
workouts; monitors teach good pacing during training and
good pacing during a race. It’s difficult to be
objective about our fitness level without some outside
help. Lack of
sleep, job stress, over or under-training – all of these
impact our fitness in ways we may generally feel
but can’t really measure.
That’s why we can’t understand why we can’t lose
those last 5 or 10 pounds or can’t run that last mile.
Hr monitors provide objective information that
measures improvement.
How Does a HR Monitor
Improve and Reflect Overall Fitness?
Your heart rate is the best
measurable indicator of your overall fitness level.
When you exercise your heart pushes oxygen-rich
blood from your lungs to your muscles and back again.
The harder you exercise, the more fuel your
muscles demand, and the harder your heart beats. To
maximize the benefits of exercise, it is critical to
tailor the intensity level for maximum benefit.
As you become more fit, your heart pumps more
blood with each beat, your muscles get more fuel, and
your heart becomes more efficient, beating at a slower
rate. Hr
monitors allow you to track your heart beat and see
whether it’s staying at the same level, or decreasing as
your training progresses.
Choosing a HR Monitor
While there are many hr
monitor choices, the price of a monitor increases with
the number of additional performance features.
In most cases, you do not need a lot features
unless you are training for a competition. However, a hr
monitor is an investment that last years and I recommend
you select the highest level hr monitor that you think
you’ll need for your health and fitness goals.
Varying levels of HR
monitors
Basic hr monitors should
include among other things, an in-and-out of heart rate
zone alarm; your continuous heart rate; allow you to
program your own training zones at varying percentages
of maximum heart rate; time your exercise; and provide a
general summary indicating your average and maximum
heart rate during the exercise.
Mid-level units build onto
the basic model and are often more sport-specific
(Cycling, Running, Triathlon, Duathlon, etc.) and are
compatible with other sensors (bike wheel rotation, foot
stride, monitor speed and distance).
Top level units also build
onto the basic hr model but offer many more features
than the mid-level unit.
Some or all the features offered may include
coded transmitters that eliminate interference with gym
equipment or other monitors, includes PC-compatible
software for downloading and analyzing your workouts,
building programs to reach specific fitness goals, GPS
tracking devices, and how well your heart rate recovered
from your last workout and so on.
What are the difference
fitness zones?
HR monitors usually have
multiple fitness zones and exercising at each of them
stimulates fitness in differing ways.
·
Below 60%
of your maximum heart rate feels like everyday exercise
(walking, climbing stairs) and is very easy on your
body. Ideal for recovering from harder workouts or just
beginning a training program. This is the ideal range
for beginner runners.
·
From 60-70%
is the ideal range for long duration cardiovascular
workouts and burning a lot of your body’s stored fat.
·
From 70-80%
starts to feel like hard work. This zone improves your
body’s efficiency in removing lactic acid.
·
From 80-90%
of your max heart rate can lead to overtraining if
you’re not conditioned, but done carefully through
distance and speed intervals, is a good range when
training for a competition.
·
Workouts done above 90%
need to be done carefully with a quality length of
specific training.
Exercising at this intensity builds lactic acid
faster than your body can flush it out.
If you are not conditioned from training at this
level, exercising
in this range can lead to
injury or even death.
Why Are Fitness Zones
Important?
To
exercise at the right level, your heart rate needs to
work at a certain percentage of its maximum.
A Coach or certified Personal Trainer can help
you determine and set your fitness zones.
Exercising at too high an intensity and you hit
the wall, too low and you don’t improve. Whether to
improve overall fitness, lose weight or run a race, a HR
monitor will monitor your percentage of maximum heart
rate zones so you can train at the best level that meets
your needs.
Sherry Shelton has over 25 years experience in
the health and fitness industry. Sherry is a licensed
USA Triathlon, Running and Cycling Coach and a
nationally certified Personal Trainer.
She is the owner of
In
Home Personal Training
which has serviced
North Georgia
for over ten years.
She has been competing in triathlon, duathlons,
and road races for many years.
She has contributed numerous health and fitness
articles for both North Fulton Living and
Atlanta Sports & Fitness magazine and The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution newspaper.
