Heart rate monitors calculate your pulse rate, giving immediate feedback about how hard your heart actually works. On some models, audible alarms sound when your heart rate climbs above or drops below the levels you set as your workout goal. Because many other factors besides exertion affect your pulse rate, you shouldn't rely only on heart rate monitors to chart your training course.
Maximum Heart Rate
Exercise programs using heart rate monitors base training goals on the exerciser's maximum heart rate. Setting goals with a heart rate monitor depends on an accurate reading of MHR. The formula of 220 minus your age only approximates the MHR. The MHR for individual men 40 years old might vary between 170 and 206 beats per minute in actual tests. Maximums also vary by sport. Because the standard testing method involves a difficult treadmill run, lasting about 15 minutes and ending in exhaustive failure, safe MHR measurement requires supervision by trained medical professionals, according to aculty.washington.edu.
Fat-burning Levels
By setting the alarm limits of a heart rate monitor, exercisers get warnings when training too hard or when falling below the chosen training level. Moderate-intensity exercise -- the best range for burning fat -- falls between 50 percent and 70 percent of the MHR, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exercising at 65 percent of maximum burns the most fat in trained individuals, according to an article in the Journal of Applied Physiology. For the average person, the most efficient fat burning occurs at 49 percent to 52 percent of maximum, according to the journal Nutrition.
Interval Training
Exercising at only one exertion level won't result in the best overall fitness. Using the heart rate monitor to set interval training levels increases calorie burn and shortens workout time. After warming up at a moderate intensity level, work hard enough to reach 80 percent of your MHR and keep going until you're out of breath. Rest at a slower pace until you're ready to sprint again, and repeat the cycle five times per session. Beginning exercisers might not last long at the 70 percent to 80 percent aerobic training level, the best for endurance training, but can benefit from short intervals of that more intense exercise, the Mayo Clinic says.
Avoiding Dependency
Pay attention to physical signals as well as the readout from your heart rate monitor. Excitement on race day or a change in terrain could raise your heart rate but won't always signal a need to slow down. A good aerobic training pace for runners leaves enough breath to carry on a conversation with a partner. Chronically over-exerting may cause over-training and a steady decline in performance. Heart monitors help set training guidelines, but don't let the monitor set your limits, the New York Times says.
References
- Northwest Runner: Training and Racing with a Heart Rate Monitor; Greg Crowther; November 2001
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
- Journal of Applied Physiology: Substrate Metabolism During Different Exercise Intensities in Endurance-Trained Women; J.A. Romijn, et al.; May 2000
- MayoClinic.com: Interval Training -- Can It Boost Your Calorie-Burning Power?
- Nutrition; Optimizing Fat Oxidation through Exercise and Diet; J. Achten, et al.; July-August 2004
- New York Times: Marathon Tech Review -- Don't Let Technology Rule You; Danielle Bellopotosky; August 7, 2009
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