In the last post we showed you a few top notch heart rate monitors. In this post we are going to discuss some reasons for using a HRM anyway.

  • Measurement of intensity

The main function of a HRM is of course to measure the heart rate. It is well known, that with higher intensities the heart rate also goes high. That means that by measuring the heart rate it could be possible to estimate the intensity used. Now it’s not quite that easy. The heart rate is influenced by several different factors as e.g. temperature, stress, illness and working load. That means, that one heart rate doesn’t really correspond to one intensity. Therefore it is important to use the heart rate monitor with a little bit of care. Nonetheless it’s the simplest and exactest way of measuring intensity there is today.

  • Running speed

The top HRMs today have the possibility to measure running speed. This can be very useful. We now know that the intensity is not direct proportional to the heart rate and therefore the heart rate is not always the best method to measure the intensity. When we are able to measure running speed, we have one more indicator of how intense our workout is. The next good thing about measuring speed and heart rate is that it is very easy to see if we are getting fitter or not. If we at one defined speed have a certain heart rate today and in the future see that with the same speed we need a lower heart rate, then we also know that we are becoming fitter.

  • Don’t push too hard

We find it useful to use the HRM when we are training with other people (or in competitions). The HRM gives us the possibility to control our intensity. When training with other people it is very easy forget about the speed and suddenly you end up training at a much higher speed as you originally wanted. If you control your heart rate, this doesn’t have to happen.

  • Motivation

For some people these high tech gadgets are a real motivation to train. If you are one of them, as we are, then go for it and start using it. The more expensive models also have the opportunity to transmit the training data to a pc. There you can see all training data, make a training log and look at all kind of statistics of your training session.

Suggested reading:
heart rate monitor watch

/Gunnar

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