Using heart rate monitors during aerobic activities, such as jogging, running and cycling, keeps you exercising at your target intensity level. To use a heart rate monitor, you must secure a chest strap to your body and have access to a transmitter, like a watch. You may purchase a heart rate monitor at a sporting goods store or use versions built into cardio machines, such as treadmills and stationery bicycles.
Benefits
Benefits of a heart rate monitor include the ability to keep your body from overtraining. If you work consistently above your target zones, you put yourself at an increased risk of injury. You will also tire quickly and need to shorten your workout. It can also alert you to when you are not pushing yourself hard enough and need to increase your intensity level.
Max Heart Rate
To use a heart rate monitor for exercise, you need to first determine your maximum heart rate and target heart rate zone. To calculate your maximum heart rate for a man, subtract your age from 220. For instance, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is 180. For a woman, the maximum heart rate is calculated by subtracting 88 percent of her age from 206. As an example, a 40-year-old woman's maximum heart rate would be 171. Your target training zones are a percentage of this value and depend on the intensity level of your exercise.
Target Zones
You can find out your target heart zones for low-, moderate- and high-intensity forms of exercise. Examples of low-intensity exercise include walking and household chores. Moderate forms of exercise are swimming, brisk walking and cycling at a steady speed. High-intensity exercise includes running, jogging, tennis and rollerblading. Your low-intensity target zone will range between 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Your moderate target heart rate is 70 to 80 percent of your maximum value while high-intensity exercise is above 80 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Considerations
You should not start off exercising at 80 percent of your maximum heart rate if you are new to working out. Begin your exercise program at the low end of your target zone, between 50 and 60 percent. Each week, increase the number as your endurance improves. After six months, you should be able to train at 80 to 85 percent within your target zone.
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