Heart rate monitors provide a variety of information to help you exercise or train for athletic competitions. Basic functions include tracking your heart rate during physical activity and providing reports on calories burned, average heart rate, minutes spent below, in and above your target heart and maximum heart rate. More advanced models let you store multiple workouts, download data into software programs for long-term tracking and give workout splits to help you gauge different stages of your routine.
Step 1
Read the instructions that come with your heart rate monitor. Familiarize yourself with the features of your monitor and determine which ones you'll want to use during your training. Determine what personal information you will need to input into the monitor to allow it to provide accurate data for your training.
Step 2
Calculate your resting heart by counting the number of times your heart beats in one minute while you are resting, such as sitting in a chair. Measure this number several times to ensure you get a consistent number.
Step 3
Calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 if you are a male and by subtracting 88 percent of your age from 206 if you are a female.
Step 4
Calculate your target heart rate for training. For lower-intensity, fat-burning exercise, you will work between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. For aerobic exercise, you will exercise between 70 and 80 percent; for anaerobic exercise, you will exercise at 80 to 90 percent. Multiply your maximum heart rate by those percentages to get your training heart rate range.
Step 5
Begin your training, using your heart rate monitor to guide your warm-up. Raise your heart rate to your target number, using moderately intense movements, over the course of several minutes, rather than immediately beginning at a high intensity. This will create a more effective workout, including more efficient muscle contractions, according to performance coach Brian Mac.
Step 6
Look at your heart rate monitor throughout your training to ensure you stay in your target heart rate zone. Listen for audio signals that tell you when you are below or above your target.
Step 7
Lower your heart rate at the end of your training, gradually cooling down until you are below 100 beats per minute, rather than stopping your workout cold. This helps prevent blood from pooling in your joints and muscles, which causes stiffness and soreness later.
Step 8
Write down the data from your training session, including the number of minutes you exercised, your average heart rate, minutes in your target heart rate zone, calories burned and any other data you wish you track during the course of a season or until you reach your training goal.
Tips and Warnings
- There are numerous formulas for calculating maximum heart rate and target heart rate. None are completely accurate, because they don't take into consideration each user's age, gender, weight, condition or other factors. The Mayo Clinic recommends 220 minus your age for adults, which is the widely used Fox-Haskell formula. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital found that 88 percent of age minus 206 is the most accurate general formula for women.
- Always consult with a professional before starting an exercise program.
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