Heart rate monitors are a great way to monitor the intensity of an exercise session. Generally the higher your heart rate is, the harder you are working. This makes sense. If you are exercising hard, your muscles are producing a lot of energy and have a high energy demand. In order to get oxygen to the working muscles to help in the production of energy, the heart must pump harder and faster. More blood circulates, transporting more oxygen to cells.

Heart rate is a good indicator of intensity.
Calculating Max Heart Rate

The general guideline given for calculating your max heart rate is 220-your age. So if you are 20 years old, (220-20), your max heart rate should be around 200 beats per minute. This is a general guideline and this is some variation in this, so don’t be concerned if you are exercising with a heart rate monitor and notice your max heart rate varies slightly to the calculation. The calculation is a guideline and not a hard and fast rule.
Heart Rate Zones

Now that you know your max heart rate you can calculate at what intensity you would like to work at. Using the 20 year old example again, with a max heart rate of 200bpm. You may want to exercise at 50-70 of 200, and 70 of your max heart rate may be the way to go. This zone can be set on your heart rate monitor. This does not burn the most kilojoules, and may not be the most effect method for weight loss, but that is a different debate.

Exercise over 85 cannot be sustained for very long.

So if you want to go for a long steady state run, your best bet is to program your heart rate for a zone lower than 85 is a good aerobic training zone.

By: Amanda Pain

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Amanda is a passionate fitness enthusiast and owns www.heartrateinfo.info. Check it out where you can find Cheap Heart Rate Monitors

Facts On Heart Rate

A wireless heart rate monitor comes with a chest strap.

How & Why to Use a Heart Rate Monitor

I wear my wrist-watch heart rate monitor 24/7 (as addictions go, I think this one is safe), and I add the chest strap only when I work out. It’s my motivator!

What Strapless Heart Rate Monitor to Buy

Complimenting workout routines, many people are turning to the amazingly sophisticated, strapless heart rate monitors.

Top 7 heart-rate monitors.

Using a heart-rate monitor while you exercise will help you watch your maximum heart rate and, more importantly, track your recovery.

When it comes to exercise diet

So what are the perks and pros of owning a heart rate monitor? The best heart rate monitor shows you numeric values that represent the status of your cardiac health.   

Technorati Tags: garmin heart rate monitors, gps heart rate monitor, heart rate monitor review, oregon scientific heart rate monitor, polar monitor, timex heart rate monitors

A heart rate monitor is a device that allows users of exercise machines to check their heart rate whilst training. It usually consists of two elements, a wrist receiver and a chest strap. The chest strap uses electrodes to monitor your heart rate, and if the device is connected to your exercise machine, its console will show your heart rate to you. Wrist receivers usually come in the forms of watches that measure your pulse by calculating the time before blood pumps through your wrist veins. Heart rate monitors are becoming more and more popular and most high-quality exercise machines come with a heart rate monitor of their own.

If you are suffering from heart or blood pressure problems, having a heart rate monitor while training is a must. Not only will you be able to see how your heart handles physical effort, but you will also be able to control your heart rate by adjusting speed settings on the exercise machines. Some treadmills and elliptical trainers come with a built-in heart-rate management system, which automatically slows down the machine if your heart rate is too high. This is useful, as it helps avoid many heart-related problems that used to occur in the past with people training harder than their heart could handle.

Even if you do not have heart-related problems, it is still a good idea to use a heart rate monitor from time to time. This way, you will be able to track how your body handles intense effort. To make sure you are healthy and there will be no problems in the future, you should make a daily pulse-rate table for one or two weeks, while training at the same intensity. You will notice if there are extreme pitfalls or ascendings in your pulse, but the best thing to do would be to show this report to your doctor, who will immediately notice any forthcoming troubles.

If you are planning to buy a quality heart rate monitor, one of the more popular manufacturers around is Polar. Polar technology has been around for two decades now and the company has achieved the status of being the industry leader in the heart rate monitors field. They have different series for heart rate monitors, ranging from beginners and intermediates to professional athletes. You can also choose your heart rate monitor from different categories, depending on what your needs are: Cardiac Rehab, Jogging, Cycling, Swimming (this includes a waterproof monitor-watch), Fitness, Weight Management and so forth.

Heart rate monitors mean a big step forward in home exercising, as they may help to prevent and avoid many cardiac problems. Always pay attention to your heart rate monitor and try not to push your heart over the limits. Consult a doctor about what the normal pulse rate should be for your body type, in an effort regime. Combine this data with an exercise machine that supports heart rate measuring systems and displays them on their console, or even better, one that adjusts its speed to your pulse rate.

About The Author

Sophie Goldman is a writer for The Exercise Equipment Blog at http://www.exercise-equipment-today.com, where she also likes to muse about treadmills at http://www.exercise-equipment-today.com/press/category/treadmills/ and elliptical trainers visit at http://www.exercise-equipment-today.com/press/category/ellipticals/.

sophie@exercise-equipment-today.com

This article was posted on January 28, 2006

Finding the Ideal Me: Heart Rate Monitor

After seeing the results, I checked the reviews online, and it is a fairly high rated heart rate monitor.

MioPINK Motiva Heart Rate Monitor Watch

While working with a trainer, Liz realized the key to getting in shape.

Polar FT40F heart rate monitor

The Polar FT40 helps you to achieve your goals by giving you a better understanding of your body.

Reebok Precision Trainer XT Heart Rate Monitor with Chest Strap

I got the Reebok Precision Trainer XT Heart Rate Monitor w/Chest Strap Belt!

The Longest Run: Way Cool – My Polar Heart Rate Monitor

Today’s class was the first I attended with a heart rate monitor.

Technorati Tags: acumen heart rate monitor, ekho heart rate monitor, garmin heart rate monitors, polar f6 heart rate monitor watch, polar m61, pulse heart rate monitor