According to the American Heart Association, the most effective way to lose weight, get healthy and increase fitness levels is to exercise within one's target heart rate zone. Heart monitors are designed to measure heart rate throughout the entire workout, providing an easy and accurate way to continuously monitor heart rate and improve overall fitness.
Heart Rate Monitors
Heart rate monitors offer instant feedback on the heart's work level by measuring and recording heart rate during exercise routines. This is key for increasing aerobic fitness and cardiovascular respiratory endurance. Many types of heart rate monitors are currently available on the market. The simplest resembles a sports watch and has a feature that allows target heart rate zones to be adjusted. More complex models can measure overall averages, disparities between high and low heart rates, the number of calories burned, distance traveled, altitude and ambient temperature.
Reading Heart Rate Monitors
Using a heart rate monitor ensures that you are maintaining the optimal target heart rate zone for your specific goal. Even the simplest heart rate monitors will display two numbers -- the desired target heart rate and the current heart rate. These two numbers act as a personalized pacer, providing the information necessary to make the pace adjustments needed to maintain the desired target heart rate zone. The most basic models will typically offer up to three programmable target heart rate zones, while higher-end models can feature up to six.
Target Heart Rate Zones
Heart rate zones are usually broken down into four different intensity levels. Typically, athletes train within the second and third zones. These two zones span the 60 to 80th percentiles, burn calories, and increase endurance. The first zone ranges the 50 to 60th percentiles and is useful for maintaining weight and heath. The fourth zone pushes the heart rate up past the 80th percentile and should only used for advanced training. According to the American Heart Association, the target heart rate zone for maximum weight loss and aerobic exercise is between the 50 and 80th percentiles.
Determining Target Heart Rate
Heart rate monitors are most effective when your resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and target heart rate are known. The resting heart rate is simply your pulse while at rest. The easiest way to estimate the maximum heart rate is to subtract your age in years from 220. From here, finding the target heart rate is simply a matter of choosing a heart rate percentile. Percentiles can change daily, depending on the training program. To avoid injury, beginners should start at the lower end of the target heart rate zones, then push themselves as their fitness levels increase.
Training with a Heart Rate Monitor
Heart monitors can be valuable as training aids. Establishing a target heart rate and measuring it with a heart rate monitor can regulate training and ensure that a steady, sustainable pace is set. Monitoring heart rate also allows exercisers to adjust their pace to fit the terrain, their energy levels, and the remaining distance to be covered. This awareness of heart rate can also be useful for preventing over- and undertraining. Overtraining and exercising at unsustainable pace can place excess stress on the body and will often lead to injury. Undertraining involves a minimal increase in pulse, and is ineffective.
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