If you work out regularly, how do you measure your fitness progression? Knowing how far you can run and at what pace is very important for anyone working out. The good news is that with technology comes excellent ways of ensuring you are maximizing your fitness. For example, your heart rate is one of the best exercise intensity and performance indicators. It can tell you about your overall cardiac health vs. your workout performance.
Features of Heart Rate Monitors and their Relevant Health Considerations
Heart Rate Monitors are primarily to be worn around the wrist. However, they can also pair to a person’s gym equipment. Using a heart rate monitor in your workout comes with several benefits.
The first and the obvious is the accurate determination of your resting heart rate. It defines the intensity zone you’re working in and how long you can maintain it. The general rule is to have a lower heart rate when working out. Nonetheless, the secret is to try and work out in higher intensity target zones and assess how long you can train in the peak heart rate zone (85% or greater).
Increased fitness levels come from training in higher intensity zones for long periods. However, mixing this with intensities has better results. That means working in different heart rate zones.
Factors such as your level of tiredness and hunger can considerably impact how hard you can train. But having a heart rate monitor on your wrist could be a great encouragement even when you are feeling off the hook. Unfortunately, many people would rather have the same workouts at the same intensity every week, whereby the gains are very minimal. This is because they have nothing from previous workouts to measure against.
Meanwhile, it is imperative to choose the right heart rate monitor, and some of the things to look out for include: –
- Battery strength
- Memory function
- Waterproof designs to make it easy to use when swimming
- Connectivity
- Ways of wearing – chest straps and wristbands
- Suitability and price
There are also many to choose from, such as Scosche Rhythm+, Wahoo Tickr FIT, Fitbit Luxe, Withings Steel HR, and Garmin HRM-Dual.
