Target Heart Rate
You need to first determine what your target rate is before using a heart-rate monitor. Target heart rates help you measure your fitness level and help monitor your progress.
Monitor Your Workouts
The main purpose of a heart-rate monitor is to help you maintain your target heart rate during a workout. Staying within your target zone ensures that you are getting the most effective workout.
Tracking Your Progress
Runner's World Magazine suggests using a heart-rate monitor to track your fitness. Run a mile at a comfortable pace, and then run a mile at the same pace a month later and your heart rate should be lower.
Prevent Undertraining and Overtraining
Using a heart-rate monitor will tell you if you are overexerting yourself on easy training days or if you need to exert more effort to reach a particular heart-rate zone.
Pacing During a Race
A heart-rate monitor is a great tool for monitoring your effort during a race. A heart rate monitor can help prevent you from pushing to hard early in a race.
Article Written By Wren Mcilroy
Based out of Salt Lake City, Wren Mcilroy has been writing outdoor recreation and travel-related articles for 3 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology and biology from Winona State University in Minnesota.
