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If you’re not an elite athlete, and let’s face it most of us are not, a heart rate monitor can still be an effective tool whatever your goals. Weight Loss: The key to loosing weight is burning kilojoules, and the best way to burn kilojoules is to work hard. Using a heart rate monitor to aid weight loss means you will be using your exercise time efficiently; it will in a word stop you cheating. After finding your heart rate max (the simple way is to use the following equation, 220-your age, fit training features a more scientific way to find out) you can exercise at the top of end of your heart rate meaning you will be working harder for longer. Fitness: A heart rate monitor is the perfect way to build your fitness. For example when running the best way to build fitness is by doing a long steady run, a medium length tempo run, and then a speed session. In each of these sessions your heart rate should be within a certain range. A heart rate monitor can help you remain within those ranges, but can also help you track your fitness gains. Heart rate Zones: Once you have worked out your max (read FitTraining) the following shows you where your heart rate should be for each session. For weight loss you want it to be in the aerobic zone. For fitness design your sessions around each heart rate zone. Long slow sessions: 60-70 per cent of max Aerobic zone: 70-80 per cent of max Anaerobic Zone: 80-90 per cent of max Vo2 max or red line zone: 90-100 per cent of max. |
