Better Fitness with Heart Rate Monitors
If you are trying to improve your level of cardio fitness a
heart rate monitor can make the whole process much easier. A heart rate monitor
is a tool that essentially lets you know how hard you are trying. You can
monitor the effort you are putting forth throughout the workout and you will
know in an instant whether you have to put forth more effort or tone it down a
little. It essentially keeps you in the happy medium that is best for building
up heart strength.
Heart rate monitors come in many different forms. They are
attached to the handles of stationary bikes as well as tread mills and
ellipticals. They also make handheld versions that you can hold while working
out, and they even have heart rate monitor watches. With all of the options out
there it is easy to get a hold of a high quality monitor that will aid you in
building up your cardiovascular fitness level.
To figure out what target range your heart rate should be in take
220 and subtract your age from it. That is your approximate maximum heart rate.
After you have the max heart rate multiply it by .7 and by .8 and your two
answers become your range. When you figure out your range use that to control
how hard you work during your workout.
With most heart rate monitors you can set the monitor at a
specific range and it will give you a beep when you go above the range or below
it. With the beeping noise you no longer have to worry about looking down at the
monitor and you can continue to focus on the workout. Eventually you won’t even
need the monitor anymore because you will be able to feel when you are in the
right range. That is the biggest benefit of heart rate monitors on your personal
fitness. They make you aware of how much effort you are putting out, by putting
a number to how much you are trying it is easier to judge how hard you are
working all the time. You won’t have to worry about overtraining or
undertraining any longer.