3 Reasons Why You SHOULD Wear a Heart Rate Monitor While Training
The heart rate monitor is the ultimate tool to use in an exercise class. That may be surprising to you but let me explain. With a heart rate monitor you are able to see the intensity of your workout within seconds and get immediate feedback.
I can tell how hard I am working…or can’t I???
By wearing a heart rate monitor you can make your workout more efficient AND way more effective. You may think you are working hard in a class but that just may not be the case - the heart rate doesn’t lie.
We use LIVE heart rate monitoring through 24alife regularly with our private training clients and our bootcamp clients. It has been super helpful in measuring progress. Why?
The heart is just like any other muscle in the body. The more we train it the more conditioned becomes.
Measure intensity & track progress
Safety
Efficiency
This is the most important reason you should wear a heart rate monitor. You want to be challenging yourself when you are supposed to be pushing hard and you want to make sure your heart rate is slowing down when you are supposed to be recovering. We can train in specific zones to help you reach your goals.
To determine your max heart rate take 220-age (age-adjusted formula). Then you can use this chart or our live tracking to make sure you are in the correct zones.
This efficiency will help you to smash your goals a lot quicker and help you gain physical fitness a lot faster. Your heart is just like any other muscle in your body. If you train it well then you will see improvements. So why not use the best equipment to train your heart?
Another way to track your progress
We track so many things in the studio: inches around our waist, body fat percentage, weight, why not track the thing that pumps blood to our entire body and makes it so we have the ability to move. As you start to workout in the proper zones during your workout you will start to see improvements in your heart rate as you workout. Your resting heart rate can decrease as you become more conditioned. Watch your progress and view past history.
Safety
Determining your max heart rate is vital for anyone starting a workout regiment or training program or if you are looking to hit specific goals.
Knowing your maximum heart rate will help keep your body safe from injury while allowing you to personalize your workout to successfully reach your fitness goals.
Back in 2015 when we brought LIVE heart rate monitoring to Studio ME we held a special class to introduce the system. At this time we found that my husband had a condition where is brain was not communicating properly with his heart. His heart rate would get over 200 bpm during exercise and he had no idea. His rate of perceived exertion was much less than how hard his heart was actually working. After meeting with a cardiologist he has to be careful about monitoring his heart rate while exercising so now he wears it every time he is doing something active. We’ve had other clients who have found that their resting heart rate is higher than normal or that they are constantly training in the “red” zone which could also be a sign that something is wrong.
So, if you are new to exercise wear a heart rate monitor. If you want to make sure your workouts are efficient and you are working out in the zones you should be - wear a heart rate monitor. If you are training for an event - wear a heart rate monitor.
What to know where to get one? Contact us and we can help get you all set up. Email us at contact@studiomefitness.com or call at 612.656.9306
Looking for more on training in specific zones check out some of our past blog posts:
HIIT Training for Heart Disease
Are you getting the most out of your workout
Additional Resources: