The Benefits of Heart Rate Training
There are many benefits that a heart rate monitor can bring to a training program. As many of the world's top athletes have learned, your heart rate can be used as a gauge for many aspects of exercise, from determining whether you are training in the correct way to obtain the result that you want, to whether you are working out in a way that is safe and will minimize the chance of damage to your body. Whether you are training for weight loss, better health, or competition, this article will explain how a heart rate monitor can help.
Training for Weight Loss
Most people who are new to physical fitness may have decided to exercise because they want to lose weight. Some people decide to attempt to lose weight without the assistance of a heart rate monitor, and quickly become discouraged, and quit. It is virtually impossible to monitor your own heart rate while you work out, and many inexperienced people may be inclined to exercise at a pace that is actually far above the zone in which the body burns the most fat. A very moderate exercise pace, 50-60% of your maximum heart rate, is all that is required to lose weight. At this pace of exercise, 85% of the calories that you burn will be fat, and longer workouts will be possible.
Training for Better Health
If you are already at a weight that you are happy with and are considering getting into an exercise program simply for a longer, healthier life, a heart rate monitor can still be an essential tool. If you are already in good health, your concern during workouts will not be your target heart rate so much, but rather making sure that you do not stress your heart, causing more harm than good. Experts generally agree that it is not wise to exceed 85% of your maximum heart rate unless you are in peak physical condition and training for a competitive environment.
Training for Competition
If you are an endurance athlete training for any type of race, a heart rate monitor is an essential tool that you simply can not do without. Endurance trainers need to carefully monitor their heart rates during training sessions, because an endurance session will typically have multiple intervals, including periods where you will approach 100% of your maximum heart rate to truly push the maximum capacity of your body. Only a heart rate monitor can confirm that you are actually reaching your target heart rate, while also keeping track of the time so that you do not do any damage. Additionally, a common result of working too hard during an endurance training program is a condition known as overtraining, in which the fitness level of a person's body actually deteriorates as they work harder. If this happens, it can take weeks or even months for the body to fully recover. A heart rate monitor can make it possible to detect overtraining early, before it causes long term damage.
Every workout program has a purpose, whether you are training to lose weight or to improve your race performance. A heart rate monitor can help you achieve that purpose, by making sure that you are always exercising in the best possible way for the goal that you want.
