Why Are Heart Rate Monitors The Most Important Thing You Can Buy To Achieve Your Fitness Goals?
What is your fitness goal? Lose weight? Have more stamina? Improve cardiovascular health? Whatever your goal, a heart rate monitor is essential to reach your goal.
I’m sure you’ve heard the term work smarter, not harder. Why would you want to overdo your cardio when working in a low zone is the key to achieving your goal? It will make your life so much easier and take you faster to achieve your fitness dreams. It will also help you when you hit a fitness plateau and your body isn’t progressing the way you want it to. When you wear a monitor, you know that you are training at the correct intensity. You know that you are not over training or underestimating your body. In other words, you’ll see faster and better results, driving your motivation through the roof! You will know that you are on your way to being the best you can be.
But there are other ways you can use one that you may not have thought of. If you play sports, you will probably do speed exercises during practice. Using a monitor during speed work allows you to calculate how quickly your heart reacts to these exercises. Your pace should mimic the demands of whatever sport you are playing.
Do you like weight lifting? If you are doing an aerobic / muscle workout like Crossfit, wearing one ensures that you are working out at your desired intensity. If your workout has a recovery time, you can see how much your heart rate drops while resting, which is very important to keep track of.
So what is the best way to use a monitor?
Its basic function is to show you where you are and your heart rate. You can set the minimum and maximum heart rate (MHR) based on your fitness goals and it will alert you when you go above or below the selected zone.
To calculate your FCM:
1. Take 220 and subtract your age. Example: 220 – 40 years = 180
2. Determine your goal. Example: you want to lose weight. To calculate your bpm (beats per minute) range, you must be between 60-70% of your MHR (the zone where you lose weight). Take your maximum heart rate (180 from example) and multiply 60 – 70%: 180 x 60 – 70% = 108 – 126
To lose weight, you know that your heart rate should not drop below 108 and should not exceed 126.
How is this ensured? A heart rate monitor!