Sunday
Aug302009
Training with a heart rate monitor
August 30, 2009 | 5 Comments
When you're trying to lose weight and getting regular exercise a lot of people get disheartened by their lack of progress. I'll admit I've suffered from this as well. You work out, work out, work out, you're eating healthily, drinking loads of water, you should be losing weight!
So where's it all going wrong?
When you're working out your heart rate increases, and the harder you work out, the higher the heart rate. However there's a point where you stop burning fat and start increasing your aerobic capacity. Now that's not normally a problem, unless you've only just started trying to lose weight.
If you're working out 3-4 times a week and you've actually gone above your fat burning zone then you're going to start getting disheartened with your workout regime as you're not losing any weight, so what do you do....you work out 5-6 days a week and end up either burning yourself out or getting the shits to the point where you quit the whole thing.
Before you actually buy, or at least start using, a heart rate monitor you need to work out your fat burning heart rate zone. So how do you do that? Well it's actually quite simple, here's how you do it;
This formula is some times referred to as the Karvoven formula, or at least a derivative of it.
Now that you know you're fat burning heart rate zone you need to get a heart rate monitor
. Looking at the various heart rate monitors on Amazon, there's a huge variety with a multitude of features. My preference is to stick with Polar, they've been around for a long time and are probably the best known brand of heart rate monitor on the market.
I ended up choosing the Polar FS3. It has some nice features like automatic and manual heart rate zones, average and total number of heart beats, audible alarms for target heart rates, big numbers on the lcd, and water resistant to 50m.
Hopefully my new Polar FS3 heart rate monitor should arrive some time in the next week. I'll keep you posted on how it performs.
So where's it all going wrong?
Ever heard of 'heart rate zones' ?
When you're working out your heart rate increases, and the harder you work out, the higher the heart rate. However there's a point where you stop burning fat and start increasing your aerobic capacity. Now that's not normally a problem, unless you've only just started trying to lose weight.
If you're working out 3-4 times a week and you've actually gone above your fat burning zone then you're going to start getting disheartened with your workout regime as you're not losing any weight, so what do you do....you work out 5-6 days a week and end up either burning yourself out or getting the shits to the point where you quit the whole thing.
And that's why you need a heart rate monitor.
Before you actually buy, or at least start using, a heart rate monitor you need to work out your fat burning heart rate zone. So how do you do that? Well it's actually quite simple, here's how you do it;
220 (max hr*) - 33 (age) = 187
187 - 70 (resting hr) = 117
117 x 65% = 76 bpm (low end of fat burning heart rate zone) and 85% = 100 bpm (high end of fat burning heart rate zone)
So my fat burning heart rate zone is between 76 bpm and 100 bpm.
*hr is heart rate
This formula is some times referred to as the Karvoven formula, or at least a derivative of it.
Now you need a heart rate monitor!
Now that you know you're fat burning heart rate zone you need to get a heart rate monitor
. Looking at the various heart rate monitors on Amazon, there's a huge variety with a multitude of features. My preference is to stick with Polar, they've been around for a long time and are probably the best known brand of heart rate monitor on the market.I ended up choosing the Polar FS3. It has some nice features like automatic and manual heart rate zones, average and total number of heart beats, audible alarms for target heart rates, big numbers on the lcd, and water resistant to 50m.
Hopefully my new Polar FS3 heart rate monitor should arrive some time in the next week. I'll keep you posted on how it performs.
Reader Comments (5)
[...] Training with a heart rate monitor (mathewpacker.com) [...]
Good post and good luck.
I have a Polar watch and the customer service has been the horrible.
I use a Sports Instruments monitor with chest band transmitter. Got it from ebay for less than $40. It provides a range based on maximum target heart rate (220-age). It also provides for a calorie count.
Staying between 75% and 85% of my maximum heart rate seemed to be the best workout. The monitor will beep when when you fall below or exceed your range. Keeping within the range is the trick. It takes a couple of workouts to do. My monitor shows the total number of minutes of exercise and it indicates how many minutes you were within the range, which builds intensity.
After I could stay within the range (no high or low-range warning beeps), I started setting caloric goals for myself (700, 800, 1000). This will really make the benefits of having a monitor clear. You will see yourself burning more calories in less time.
Basically, a heart rate monitor provides a means for good discipline. The best part though, especially as you get older is that a heart rate monitor will prevent you from injury. Just think about it. You will probably exceed your maximum target heart rate (which should cause the monitor to beep at you) way before you strain a joint or muscle. This means if you discipline yourself to stay within a safe range (65-85% of MTHR), you will condition safely and gradually without no time lost from unnecessary injuries.
Bottom line -- they work.
Have fun :-)
[...] Training with a heart rate monitor (mathewpacker.com) [...]
[...] Training with a heart rate monitor (mathewpacker.com) [...]