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Get
fit exercises
Monitor
your heart rate for marathon training in USA
Why
monitor your heart rate?
You're huffing and puffing through another aerobic
workout, wondering if you're really doing yourself
any good. Are you working too hard or not hard
enough? You look
around. The person next to you has barely broken
a sweat while the one in front is drenched from
head to toe. Well, sweat may not be the best indicator
of exercise intensity. For that, we need to look
to our hearts.
The science behind
monitoring your heart rate during training
When you exercise, your
heart beats faster to meet the demand for more
blood and oxygen by the muscles of the body. The
more intense the activity, the faster your heart
will beat. Therefore, monitoring your heart rate
during trining and exercise can be an excellent
way to monitor exercise intensity.
For the majority of aerobic
enthusiasts, there is a range of exercise intensities
that is described as safe and effective for promoting
cardiovascular benefits. To determine what range
is best for you, you'll need to be familiar with
a few terms.
Heart Rates
1. Maximal heart rate:
This number is related to your age. As we grow
older, our hearts start to beat a little more
slowly. To estimate your maximal heart rate, simply
subtract your age from the number 220.
2. Target heart-rate zone:
This is the number of beats per minute (bpm) at
which your heart should be beating during aerobic
exercise. For most healthy individuals, this range
is 50 to 80 percent of your maximal heart rate.
So, if your maximal heart rate is 180 bpm, the
low end of the range (50 percent) would be 90
bpm, and the high end of the range (80 percent)
would be 144 bpm.
What does this
recommended heart-rate range mean?
Now that you've determined
your target heart-rate zone, you need to know
how to put that information to good use. These
numbers serve as a guideline - an indicator of
how hard you should be exercising.
Those just beginning an
aerobic program should probably aim for the low
end of the zone and pick up the intensity as they
become more comfortable with their workouts. Those
who are more fit, or are training for competitive
events, may want to aim for the higher end of
the zone.
Keep in mind that the target
heart-rate zone is recommended for individuals
without any health problems. Additionally, individuals
taking mediction that alter the heart rate should
consult their physician for recommended exercise
intensity.
Where to monitor
your heart rate ?
There are a number of ''body
sites'' used to monitor the pulse rate. Two convenient
sites to use are the radial pulse at the base
of the thumb of either hand, or the carotid pulse
at the side of the neck.
Monitoring your heart rate
during training and accurate pulse-count assessment
are crucial when monitoring exercise intensity.
By using the first two fingers of one hand and
locating the artery, a pulse rate can be easily
determined.
Immediately after exercise,
isolate your pulse and count the number of beats
in a 10-second period. To determine the heart
rate in beats per minute, multiply the number
of beats per 10 seconds by six. For instance,
if a 10-second pulse count were 20, then the heart
rate would be 120 bpm.
A final word about
monitoring heart rate during training
Remember, your estimated
target heart-rate zone is just that - an estimate.
If you feel like you are exercising too hard,
you probably are. The best advice is to reduce
your intensity and find a heart-rate range that
works for you.
The
American Council's Advice on monitoring heart
rate during exercise
An
opposing view about monitoring heart rate during
exercise
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