Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Heart Rate Monitor: Use This Device To Gain Max Results From Gym Exercise

By Alan Walker

It has become almost mandatory for top sportsmen and fitness experts to use a heart rate monitor regularly. The heart rate monitor - of the basic type - includes a receiver device worn like a wrist watch and a sensor strap to be tied around the chest during an exercise session. As you work out on the treadmill or otherwise, the strap sensor sends heart rate data to the watch. Using a heart rate monitor is one of the best way to improve the results of your fitness training.

Up to a few years back, most people used the traditional method of feeling their pulse for a minute or so to record their heart rate after a workout. But the method does not give an accurate reading because your heart tends to slow down when you pause to check the pulse. Using a heart rate monitor does not interfere with your movements and you get a much more accurate measurement of your aerobic endurance - a critical factor in evaluating your fitness level.

Most people tend to work out a tad bit too much out of sheer enthusiasm and then spend three days relaxing to get over the fatigue. A heart rate monitor can prevent over-exercising. While the monitor will let you know if you are not working out enough, it will also serve as a reminder to stop when you cross your body's endurance level and check injury.

Two values are to be calculated before you employ a heart rate monitor during your workouts. These are the rest heart rate (RHR) and the max heart rate (MHR). Both define the lower and higher limits for your heart rate during exercise and at rest. Once you have these two values, you can use the heart rate monitor almost as a biofeedback unit keeping track of how intensely you exercise.

For calculating the MHR, men must subtract their age from 220 and women from 226. This is the formula to be used for a person who is just beginning to exercise. For those who have already been exercising, both men and women, the MHR works out by subtracting half their age from 205.

Your trainer will be able to give you a chart to use the MHR and RHR to divide your exercise routine in a way to help you gain maximum benefit from your exercise routine. Eventually, you need to focus on being able to work out longer at a faster speed with a lower heart rate.

Earlier, only the basic heart rate monitors were available in the market that gave you data for a single session. You had to write this data down for record-keeping before using the monitor again. However, modern devices are much more advanced items with utility features like an extended memory, calorie burner readings, improved backlight systems, altitude measurements etc. These devices may be a little expensive but can even be hooked up to your computer for detailed data analysis.

You must always buy a heart rate monitor that gives out coded signals. Heart rate monitors have become an essential gym equipment and if you use one without coded signals your device will, in all probability, end up behaving erratically due to interference from another device being used in the gym area.

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