What good is a heart rate monitor?

Heart rate monitors are devices that display pulse rates during exercise. They consist of a transmitter, which detects the action of the beating heart, and a receiver, which shows the transmitted heart rate through a display. The heart rate monitor transmitter is usually mounted on a chest strap, and the receiver is normally worn like a wristwatch.

The reason for wearing a heart rate monitor is to keep the exerciser's heart rate at a certain intensity level, in order to make the exercise effective. If the exerciser's level of intensity goes too high, they can enter the anaerobic zone, which causes the body to burn less fat. It also produces lactic acid, which causes a burning sensation, and will most likely cause the exerciser to cut their session short. This anaerobic zone normally starts at around 85-90% of the exerciser's maximum heart rate.

On the other hand, if the exerciser fails to raise their heart rate high enough, they will not be burning fat or getting the optimal weight reduction and fitness benefits from their workout. 60-70% of maximum is a good zone for weight loss, and 70-80% is usually recommended for improving aerobic fitness. Most heart rate monitors have an adjustable alarm function which allows the user to set a minimum and maximum heart rate, and then go about their workout without glancing at their wrist every five seconds. The monitor will beep if their heart rate goes too low or too high.

There are heart rate monitors for every workout

There are many different models of heart rate monitors, from the most basic, which only show your heart rate with no programmable upper and lower limits, to the latest high tech wonders which will, among other things, download a record of your workout to your computer. Most people will be best served by looking at those models a notch or two up from the very cheapest, but certainly can stay away from the upper end of the price spectrum, which is usually reserved for serious athletes.