Athletes and other exercisers use heart monitors, often called heart-rate monitors or HRMs, to monitor pulse rate. They permit you to keep the intensity of a given workout within a given heart-rate range and to analyze the gathered data post-workout to determine and chart progress. Certain activities lend themselves especially well to the inclusion of a heart-rate monitor.
Walking and Running
You can use monitors while walking and running for exercise to determine whether you are getting an aerobic workout. In general, a heart rate at about 60 percent of your maximum--roughly 220 minus a man's age or 226 minus a woman's age --confers aerobic benefit if sustained for 20 minutes or longer at a time at least three times per week. Monitors also prevent overtraining; by avoiding spending too high a fraction of exercise time above a certain heart-rate threshold, you can improve your day-to-day ability to recover from workouts and thus enjoy fewer interruptions in training and lackluster sessions.
Cycling
You can use heart rate as an advanced cyclist as a guide to distribute effort evenly during a long ride and in a way that leaves you just enough in reserve for a final sprint or an extended hill climb. As a novice, a monitor may motivate you when a coach is not present. You can use the data to help establish proper heart-rate training zones pertinent to any day's scheduled ride.
Ancillary Data
The data from monitors--using heart-rate information and numbers gathered from secondary devices--can help to assess and plan other aspects of aerobic training. For example, monitors can make a reasonable estimate of calories burned during exercise, with the error being greater in women than in men. Monitors may come packaged with Global Positioning Satellite signal detectors and processors that can be used to calculate total distance traveled or altimeters that supply you with information about total vertical climb and descent during a hike, run or ride.
References
- The Walking Site: Your Target Heart Rate
- MarathonGuide.com: Heart Monitor Training
- Cycling Performance Tips: Heart Rate Monitors
- PubMed.gov: Accuracy of Polar S410 Heart Rate Monitor to Estimate Energy Cost of Exercise
- Nordic Ski Racer: Calculating Training Load Using Your Heart Rate Monitor: Adjusted TRIMP
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