If you are a first-time exerciser, you may wonder why your fitness instructor pauses in the middle of a cardio run and requests two fingers be placed on your carotid artery. This is just one method used by fitness professionals to monitor exercise exertion. Checking your heart rate or pulse during exercise is a way to track your intensity level, which in turn may help you achieve optimal results from your workout. Always consult with your physician before you start a new exercise routine.
Exercise Intensity
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends healthy adults engage in moderately intense aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes five days a week. Moderate intensity is defined as working out hard enough to break a sweat but still being able to carry on a conversation with the person next to you. Monitoring your heart rate can help you stay at this intensity -- also known as your target heart-rate zone.
The Zone
Before you can find out your target heart-rate zone, you have to determine your maximum heart rate, which is related to your age. Subtract your age from the number 220 to estimate your maximum heart rate. Your target heart rate or moderate intensity level is considered to be in the range of 50 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate or MHR. For example, if you are 30 years old, your MHR is 190, making your target zone between 95 beats per minute on the low end and 152 beats per minute on the high end.
Benefits and Risks
Taking your pulse during exercise not only allows you to take control of your intensity, but it also decreases your risks associated with exercising too hard. As you become more fit, you may gradually exercise at a higher level until you are regularly working out at the upper end of your range. Exercising above 85 percent of your MHR does not provide any added benefit and may lead to orthopedic injuries as well as cardiovascular risks.
Checking Your Pulse
Immediately after cessation of exercise, isolate your pulse at either your carotid artery at the side of your neck or your radial pulse at the base of either thumb. Press lightly with your index and middle finger and count the number of beats over a 10-second period. Multiply the pulse beats by six to get your heart-rate estimate. Monitoring your pulse during exercise is just one way of taking control of your overall fitness.
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