One of the secrets to optimal fitness isn't just the amount of
exercise you get. It's the intensity level of that exercise—not too
high, not too low. A heart rate monitor (HRM) is a useful tool to find
this "sweet spot" of heartbeats per minute.
You can use a heart rate monitor to follow your cardiovascular
ups and downs during recreational or competitive activity. All but the
most basic models are designed to help you stay in your optimal heart rate target zone (described in more detail below) through your entire workout. Many models let you further analyze data via your computer.
Caution: Before initiating any exercise
program, consult a physician to design a program that is well suited for
your goals and current conditioning.
Who Can Benefit from a Heart Rate Monitor?
Casual joggers and walkers: Recreational
exercisers can benefit from heart rate monitors in the same way as elite
athletes do. By aiming for fat burning and aerobic target zones on your
HRM, you can ensure that you get more out of your exercise time than
you would get from a typical stroll around the block.
Runners: A heart rate monitor helps you
run in your peak target zone on intense training days and keeps you at
your aerobic base during easier sessions. Some HRMs can also alert you
when you're dehydrating or are reaching a nutritional deficit.
Cyclists: Strap on a heart rate monitor
to track your training performance during endurance, tempo and interval
rides, whether you bike a road, trail or stationary trainer. Some models
deliver more feedback via a cadence sensor or foot pod.
Hikers, climbers and skiers: On the way
up, use a heart rate monitor to condition more effectively for a peak
ascent. On the ride down, skiers can track their thrills while carving
through powder.
Weight-loss participants: Heart rate
monitors help with regular exercise and a sustainable dietary regimen,
the cornerstones of any successful weight-loss program. Most models
display calories burned during a workout; many can help you target your
exercise for maximum fat-burning efficiency.
Injury-rehabilitation patients: Real-time
feedback makes HRMs valuable for physicians and their patients
recovering from an injury or an illness, including a cardiac incident.
Such data can help ensure that your gradual return to full strength and
endurance proceeds safely and steadily. Its lightweight, unobtrusive
design makes a heart rate monitor easy to wear during normal activities
as well as during exercise.
Types of Heart Rate Monitors
All heart rate monitors work by measuring electrical signals from
the heart and displaying them on the unit's data center. This data is
intended to help ensure that your training regimen is not too easy or
too intense, but just right for maximum effectiveness.
There are 2 main types of heart rate monitors:
Chest Strap Models
By far the most common style, these consist of 2 components: a chest strap that fastens around the chest and wirelessly transmits continuous heart rate data to a wristwatch-style receiver.
Models range from basic to advanced.
- Basic models: These time your workout and give you continuous, average, high and low heart rate data.
- Advanced models: Many of these submit a coded signal to prevent other HRMs from interfering with your data. They can be partnered with a foot pod (described in the Speed and Distance features below) that attaches to the laces of your shoe to track your speed, distance and cadence. It could have GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver capabilities to help you mark and find locations, give elevation and use previous courses to compete against your prior workouts.
Pros: Chest-strap models offer continuous
heart rate information without needing to stop during exercise to
measure or view it. Accuracy tends to be better than with finger sensor
models, and they offer more options, such as speed and distance
monitoring via GPS receivers.
Cons: These are usually more expensive
than finger sensor models. Low-end chest-strap models don't prevent
crosstalk (interference) with other wireless heart rate monitors. Some
chest straps are less comfortable than others.
Finger Sensor Models
These consist only of a wristwatch-style monitor. Simply touch a
finger to the unit's touch-pad sensor to activate the heart rate
monitor. Finger sensor data is estimated to be 95% accurate.
Pros: No chest strap means greater simplicity and comfort. Finger sensor models are more affordable than most chest-strap models.
Cons: You must pause during exercise in
order to take a measurement. They tend not to be as accurate as
chest-strap models. There is no option for integrated speed and distance
monitoring.
Read the REI Expert Advice article about Speed and Distance Monitors.
Shop REI's selection of heart rate monitors.
Understanding Heart Rate Target Zones
A tremendous benefit to using a heart rate monitor is that it
helps you maintain the optimal heart rate target zone for your specific
goal. In effect, the HRM is your pacer, telling you when to speed up or
slow down. Higher-end models inform you via a digital display and/or an
audible tone when you are above or below your desired zone.
Exercising in the right heart rate zone will help you optimize
your performance. A fat-burning goal may require 40 to 80 minutes in one
zone, for example, while an aerobic conditioning workout might mean 10
to 40 minutes in another.
The target zone is a percentage range based on your maximum heart
rate (HRmax). Various algorithms have been developed to calculate an
HRmax estimate, but the simplest of these is:
HRmax = 220 – your age.
The American
Heart Association offers the chart below as a general guideline. (Note
that some medications can affect your target rate zone.) However, it is
always best to have a stress test under a physician's supervision to
determine your actual HRmax.
| Heart Rate Target Zone 50-85% | Avg. Maximum Heart Rate 100% | |
| Age | Beats/minute | Beats/minute |
| 20 | 100–170 | 200 |
| 25 | 98–166 | 195 |
| 30 | 95–162 | 190 |
| 35 | 93–157 | 185 |
| 40 | 90–153 | 180 |
| 45 | 88–149 | 175 |
| 50 | 85–145 | 170 |
| 55 | 83–140 | 165 |
| 60 | 80–136 | 160 |
| 65 | 78–132 | 155 |
| 70 | 75–128 | 150 |
Bringing your maximum heart rate to different aerobic zones provides specific results:
- Endurance (60%–70%): Considered ideal for endurance and weight-loss programs. Develops cardiovascular and muscular efficiency. The body learns to use stored fat as fuel.
- Aerobic (70%–80%): Ideal for overall cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and weight management. The body burns mostly fat and carbohydrates in this zone.
- Anaerobic (80%–90%): Used for interval workouts or consistent speed. At this zone, your breathing will be heavy and your muscles tired. Enhances lung capacity and increases lactate tolerance.
- VO2 Max (90%–100%): Helps enhance speed in athletes (who exercise at this level only for short periods as muscles quickly go into oxygen debt). Exercising in this zone can strengthen your fast-twitch muscles and increase your speed.
Compare Heart Rate Monitor Features
The heart rate monitor's wristwatch-style receiver gives you
instant, real-time data on the efficiency of your workout. Most models
will give you your average heart rate, as well as the high, low and target heart rate reached during your workout.
Basic heart rate monitors offer up to 3 target zones; more advanced models feature from 3 to 6 target zones. With
the capacity for multiple target zones, you can preprogram your heart
rate monitor for a series of different workouts (e.g., endurance,
aerobic and anaerobic variations described above). If your heart rate
monitor offers only a single aerobic target zone, you'll need to
reprogram it every time you want to change the exercise parameters.
Other features to consider when shopping:
Sport watch features: Include basic features such as a countdown timer, calendar and clock.
Stopwatch and lap/split times: Models
with a stopwatch feature may also have a lap/split option. After each
lap at a track or every mile on a marked-distance race course, hit the
"Lap" button to see how your pace has changed throughout your workout or
race (a.k.a. your "split").
Recovery heart rate mode: Tracks the time
it takes your heart to return to its normal, resting rate. It's a good
indicator of cardiovascular fitness and especially important if your
workouts include sprints or interval training.
Time in target zone: Tracks the time you spend exercising within your target zone. Some zones and goals require more time than others.
Calorie counter: Estimates the calories burned during exercise. This can be especially handy if your workouts are part of a weight-loss program.
Speed and distance monitor: Calculates
the speed and measures the distance covered in a particular workout.
This is typically done via a GPS receiver for outdoor use or a foot pod
for indoor use or use in an outdoor area with limited satellite
reception. A foot pod attached to your shoe uses an accelerometer to
determine the length of each stride. <#comment>For more
information, read the REI Expert Advice article about Speed and Distance
Monitors.
PC interface: Connects your heart rate
monitor to your home computer so you can download training statistics
for analysis and storage. This may require a separate computer
connection accessory. A wireless interface is available on some models.
Fitness trainer: This feature provides alerts for intensity levels that fall above or below your chosen training zones.
Coded transmitter: Encrypts transmissions
from the chest strap to the wristwatch-style receiver to prevent
crosstalk, which are signals from the wireless heart rate monitors of
others exercising around you.
Bicycle-mounting options: Many heart rate
monitors can dock to a bicycle's handlebar, though doing so may require
a mounting accessory. Add a speed and cadence sensor to your bike to
help maintain your cycling rhythm. The combination of a heart rate
monitor, mounting bracket and cadence sensor can be a great asset for
cyclists or triathletes.
Battery replacement: Many, but not all, HRM wrist receivers use consumer-replaceable batteries to simplify maintenance.
