Heart rate and pulse are the number of pulses or beats measured in 1 minute. Careful reads of the pulse or heart rate during exercise is the most effective way to ensure that the training session delivers the most effective benefits. Staying within the target heart rate, or THR, maximizes calorie burn, while keeping the heart rate low enough to be safe.
Pulse
An accurate read of the pulse is crucial to accurately assess heart rate, in turn, assessing your level of fitness at any given point during exercise. Pulse, as opposed to heart rate, is expansion and contraction of an artery, causing a rhythm. This rhythm mimics the beating of the heart. There are a number of places on the body where the pulse can be felt; however, the most convenient during exercise are the neck, or the carotid pulse, or on the wrist, or the radial pulse.
Measurement
According to The National Emergency Medicine Association, the pulse rate should be measured when the radial or carotid pulse is found using first and second fingers. The fingers should be pressed gently into the artery until the pulse is felt. The number of pulses should be counted for 15 seconds. The result is multiplied by 4, to estimate the pulses completed in 1 minute. More or less intense exercise will raise or lower the rate.
Heart Rate
Knowing one's maximal heart rate -- the maximum high heart rate that is safe for an individual -- is measured by a stress test or by subtracting one's age from the number 220. The pulse rate should read at 60 to 80 percent of that number during exercise for the most effective calorie and fat burn. This is the target heart rate, or zone where exercise is most effective.
Accuracy
The most accurate way to measure heart rate during exercise is through electrocardiograph, known as ECG or EKG. According to Dr. Edmund Burke, the most effective reads of heart rate, during everyday exercise, is by using a heart rate monitor that consists of a chest strap and electrodes that transmit rates to a wrist monitor. Burke reports that there is little evidence that supports a significant difference between these individual heart rate monitors and those used by doctors and hospitals.
Convenience
Using a heart rate monitor is easy to use and hands free. When participating in exercise, such as rowing, cycling, and various weight lifting or aerobics, monitoring heart rate can be inconvenient as it requires the exerciser to pause their work to accurately read the pulse. However, heart rate monitors can be expensive, where reading pulse does not require equipment.
References
- The National Emergency Medicine Association
- "Precision Heart Rate Training"; Edmund R Burke, Ph.D.; 1998
- American College of Sports Medicine Resources for the Personal Trainer; 2007
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