Heart Rate Monitors for Running - Why you should have one.
Heart Rate Monitors can help you train.
Once worn by just elite runners and techno junkies, heart rate monitors are now fast becoming must have kit for all runners. Read how they can help you.
Why do you run? To lose weight, to run in races, to keep fit or to feel good about yourself?
Would you like to know how successful your running is and proof that your exercise is effective in achieving your goals?
Instant feedback is one of the most effective ways of keeping you motivated and ensuring that you know your training is on track. Without a personal trainer or running coach at your side it is hard to ascertain if you are heading in the right direction so have you ever considered adding a heart rate monitor to your kit bag?
Maybe you have a heart rate monitor that you have only used once or perhaps you want to use it to its maximum effect but don’t have the time to read the manual. Well, Elizabeth Shenton the Performance and Education Manager from Polar Electro UK talks to us about the advantages and benefits you can gain by taking a heart rate monitor on your runs.
The Perfect Training Companion
There is a preconceived notion that heart rate monitors are only used by, or indeed, useful to elite runners. Due to the impressive technology involved in developing innovative monitors there is also an opinion that heart rate monitors can be confusing to use and understand.
However, thanks to the wide range of monitors now available you don’t have to be an elite athlete to use or understand one. Whatever your goal there is a heart rate monitor for you, helping to motivate you and keep you going.
A heart rate monitor can be your perfect training companion providing you with instant data and feedback, allowing you to exercise efficiently and according to your personal needs.
What is my Heart telling me?
But what is my heart rate and what does this tell me?
The heart is the most important muscle in the body; it pumps blood to the lungs and body by rhythmically contracting and relaxing. The number of times these contractions take place in a minute is your heart rate, during physical activity this rate increases making your heart rate a reliable indicator of your physical condition and the level of your exercise.
Aerobic (cardiovascular) fitness is one of the most important components of physical fitness and is measured by the amount of oxygen transported in the blood and pumped by the heart to the working muscles and the efficiency of the muscles to use that oxygen. By increasing your aerobic fitness you are improving the heart’s capability to supply oxygen and energy to your body.
Using a heart rate monitor is easy and non-invasive, making it more practical than other more complicated methods of heart rate recording using oxygen uptake, cardiac output or stroke volume.
By wearing the wrist unit and a transmitter belt you can feasibly, effectively and comfortably measure your heart beat and pick up any anomalies. Measuring devices that rely solely on recording the pulse have no transmitter belt and therefore cannot provide accurate heart rate information.
By knowing what your heart rate is at any time during your run you will be able to interpret how hard your body is working and ultimately decide if you’re running at the correct speed or distance for your own personal goal.
Using a Heart Rate Monitor
Heart rate monitors have been developed to measure healthy peoples’ heart rates and to help you exercise safely and effectively. To get the most out of your training you should ensure that the intensity of your running is based on your fitness level and your goals, such as:
- Maintaining health & fitness levels
- Improving health & fitness levels
- Training for an event
- Recovering from injury
- Weight loss
During training the optimum position you are seeking is a balance between:
1) frequency (how often)
2) intensity (how hard)
3) duration (how long)
4) exercise type (what you do)
A heart rate monitor can help ensure that you maintain equilibrium of all these factors. So by monitoring your heart rate you can record how your body is coping with the training.
Measuring Intensity
The intensity you are training at can also be evaluated with a heart rate monitor. The wrist unit displays your heart rate in beats per minute (bpm), or as a percentage of your maximum heart rate (HRmax). The HRmax is the highest number of heart beats per minute during maximum physical exertion.
Intensity is an essential part of the traditional exercise recommendation for aerobic fitness, it is measured as maximum oxygen uptake, known as VO2 max, which refers to the highest rate of oxygen consumption measured during exercise.
A heart rate monitor can tell you exactly what level to exercise at for maximum benefit, allowing you to accurately measure your intensity and maximum heart rate.
Often these different levels of intensity are called heart rate zones, with different heart rate zones producing different fitness results.
For example, if you want to burn fat you need to do this at a lower intensity than you would if you wanted to burn carbohydrates. Lower intensities bring more health benefits and are recommended for those undergoing active recovery or for more inexperienced runners.
By running at a moderate intensity you will improve endurance and overall aerobic condition.
Higher intensities are only recommended for short times when concentrating on improving performance.
The majority of time should be spent at a moderate intensity rather than a higher intensity; however, it is beneficial to spend time exercising in the different heart rate zones.
Who needs a heart rate monitor?
Whether you are going on your weekly jog, hitting the treadmill, heading out on a speed session or tackling a marathon, heart rate monitors are designed to meet the needs of runners of all ages and at all levels.
Monitoring the heart’s electrocardiogram (ECG) remains one of the most effective and accurate methods for you to ensure that you train intelligently and efficiently providing you with the instant feedback required to achieve your training goals and maintain motivation.
Every body tells a story and a heart rate monitor will help you listen to and establish what story yours is telling you.
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