Are Heart Rate Monitors Worth The Money? Is It Really Money Well Spent?

Lately at the gym it seems more and more people are starting to use

. At first I, like most people thought what is the point? If I'm sweating I'm training hard enough but then I decided to take a look at this recent craze. Prices can range from anything between 20 and 200 if your mad enough to spend it. To understand the concept of a heart rate monitor you have to look at how it actually works and as a result how can it benefit you.

Putting it simply, determine how hard your body is actually working during any workout that you do. This is gauged by what is called training zones and there are four of them. Each training zone will help you achieve different goals. There are two things that need to be worked out before you start wandering what the four training zones are. You will need to calculate both your and your maximum heart rate.

To calculate your , you should rest somewhere for around fifteen minutes and then count the number of pulse beats for one minute. Your maximum heart rate is even easier to calculate as you subtract your age from 220.

Your is then calculated by subtracting your from your maximum heart rate. It is this working heart rate that will determine which of the four training zones you are currently in and how hard your body is working. It is important to remember that your should be checked regularly as it will become lower as you become fitter.

The Red Line Zone - You are in the red line zone when you are working at 90 - 100% of your . This zone will help you develop speed and is reserved for interval training.

The Anaerobic Zone - You will need to be at 80 - 90% of your to get to this zone. Here your body will use glycogen stored in muscles rather than fat for its energy source and therefore produces lactic acid. The point at which your body can no longer remove lactic acid is the anaerobic threshold. Training will allow you to improve your anaerobic threshold.

Aerobic Zone - In this zone you should be working at 70 - 80% of your . This zone will develop cardiovascular fitness.

The Fat Burning Zone - In this zone you should be working at 60 - 70% of . This zone will be the most effective at burning fat but is also the zone you should work for basic endurance.

are a very accurate way of determining how hard you are actually training and whether you are in the correct zone for achieving the goals you have set. For this reason I believe heart rate monitors are a very beneficial accessory but not a neccessity. A moderately priced heart rate monitor would be every bit as efficient as a 200 one.

by: Wilbur Lambertson

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