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Polar heart monitors can be of benefit to anyone with health and fitness goals.  Polar provides a wide variety of tools to help you attain those goals whether you are just starting a fitness regimen or you are training for a marathon.   There are three main product categories:

Within these categories you will find monitors geared toward three main groups; those with an active lifestyle who want to gauge and track their progress, those who routinely work out and have improvement goals such as lowering body fat or running a 5k, and lastly athletes who want to push themselves to the limit and reach their full potential.


Since heart monitors can be of use for beginners, this article will start with the basics, so if you are already familiar with using them feel free to skip around or just go straight to the products and browse.

What exactly is a heart rate monitor and how does it work?

A heart rate monitor is a device containing a sensor, usually found in a chest strap that reads each heart beat and transmits it to a receiving device, typically a wristwatch style monitor.  The data is displayed as a number, which represents the number of heart beats per minute.

How does knowing my heart rate while exercising help me?

Knowing your heart rate is a true measurement of the intensity of your workout, rather than just basing it on how you feel.   Being able to measure that intensity is important, as you want to make the most of your workout, and you want to gauge how you are improving.  Once you get a workout regimen going, you will likely have days that you need to push it, and days that you need to take it a little easier.  Using a heart monitor will help you stay within the necessary zones required for each day’s workout.

Where should my heart rate be when I am working out?

Using your heart rate as a gauge means that you will be crafting a fitness regimen based on personal intensity specifically designed to track and improve your level of health and fitness.  That tailored approach will provide you with highly effective workouts and gains in cardiovascular endurance.  In order to do this, you have to perform a couple of calculations to find your target heart rate zones.

Finding your Maximum Heart Rate

First, you need to calculate your maximum heart rate (MHR).  There are actually a variety of formulas for finding your MHR.

  • The most popular method is to subtract your age from 220(Men) or 226(Women).

o        For example, a 33 year old woman would have an MHR of 226 – 33 = 193.

 

  • Another method, used by runnersworld.com suggests that the best formula to use is 205 – (.5 x your age).

o        For example, a 28 year old man would have an MHR of 205 – (.5 x 28) = 191.

These formulas are predictions but are accurate enough for those getting started to have a starting place to work from.  The way to get the most accurate MHR is by performing a field test wearing a heart monitor.   Check out MarathonGuide.com for a detailed field test if you are interested.

Finding your Resting Heart Rate

Next you need to determine your resting heart rate (RHR). Some resources will show calculating the target zones directly as percentages of MHR.  This is not wrong, but calculating in your RHR makes your zones much more accurate to your level of fitness.  To figure your RHR, perform the following test:

  • For best results, perform this test in the morning right after you wake up.  Using a timer or watching the second hand of a clock, check your pulse for ten seconds.  Multiply that number by 6, and this gives you how many beats per minute.  Do this for three mornings and calculate the average.

Calculating your Target Zones

Now that you know your MHR and RHR, you just need to do a little more math and we will have your zones.  Then we will go over how to use those zones.  For those of you who hate math, head over to the Karvonen Heart Rate Calculator, enter your age and your RHR and it will compute the rest for you.  For those that like to know where the numbers come from, here is the formula:

  • ((MHR-RHR) x Percent level) + RHR
  • Examples:

o   To find 50% level

((188-60) x .50) + 60 = 124

o   To find 60% level:

((188-60) x .60) + 60 = 137

You would repeat these calculations in 5% increments from 50 to 95.  100% would equal your MHR.

Using the Target Heart Rate Zones

If you search around, you are likely to get some variation the percentages each zone represents, however most experts document the following zones and the benefits of each.

1.       60% - 70% - In this range, you are in the Light Intensity zone.  For beginners, the bulk of your workout time will likely be spent in this zone, with quick bursts into higher zones to improve pace and aerobic fitness.

 

2.       70% - 80% - Here, you are exercising at a Moderate Intensity.  For those who exercise regularly, most of your workout time is likely spent here, with pushes into higher zones to increase intensity and overall fitness progression.

 

3.       80% - 90% - This is the Hard Intensity Zone.  Exercising in this zone is usually done in shorter spurts, most likely in intervals from the Moderate Intensity zone.  Reaching this level for short periods helps your body build a tolerance to lactic acid, a byproduct of anaerobic exercise.  It also said that pushing intervals into this zone helps push the anaerobic threshold.  This zone, as you can probable tell, is used mostly by trained athletes.

 

More resources on Heart Rate Monitors and Target Heart Rate Zones

This article serves as a brief overview on heart rate monitoring during exercise in an effort to educate consumers on the benefits of using a heart rate monitor.  Being more of a summary on something that requires much more depth and detail, especially for beginners, I have provided some resources that may further explain some of the concepts and terms discussed so far.

Please check out any of the following resources for more information:

How to Use a Heart Rate Monitor - RunnersWorld.com

Heart Doc: Stay on Pulse - Prevention.com

Selectively and Effectively Using Heart Rate Monitors - American College of Sports Medicine

Target Heart Rates - American Heart Association

 

There are so many options and bells and whistles, which heart rate monitor is right for me?

Polar heart monitors can range anywhere from $49.99 to $500, and possibly higher for ones specific to cyclists with advanced tracking, recording and GPS mapping capabilities.  So, it is well understood that choosing one can be difficult.  You want to select a heart rate monitor that will provide you the most benefit, without overspending for features that you will never use.  Then again, you don’t want to spend $50 on one that you will start using and then as you advance in your training, wish that you had a few more features.

This decision will all depend on you, your health and fitness goals and how serious you are about achieving them.   Take the time to review the features available, you will learn more about what these tools can do, it will open your eyes to the possibilities of all things that you can measure, and you may even set new goals based on things you didn’t know existed.

Keep a few things in mind:

  • Most will involve wearing a chest strap; however there are strapless versions, which are typically like a wrist watch.  These generally do not strapless versions continuously monitor heart readings, and usually require you to stop exercising momentarily to place two fingers on the sensors so that the monitor can take a pulse reading.  You will have to weigh your need for accuracy against your need for comfort here.  Personally, I use a chest strap, and it doesn’t bother me at all.

 

  • Calorie Calculator – some come with a calorie calculator.  If this is important to you make sure that it is based on information that you will input and not generic height and weight info.

 

  • Pedometer – some monitors feature the ability to count your steps.  Again, like the calorie counters, make sure that this feature is based on your personal information and not just a general stride length.

 

  • Water resistant – most should opt for this, even if you know for sure you will not swim, or even bike, run, or walk in rainy conditions.  You are going to be sweating!  And this feature allows for a sealed product and you can feel confident it will last through all of your intense workouts!

 

  • Target zone alarms – this is a great feature, allowing you to set your target rates and you will hear a beep if you go under of over your rates.   This allows you to work out without constantly having to look at your wrist and it feels almost like you have a coach with you.

 

  • Computer interface – the adapter to link your heart monitor to your computer will most likely be sold separately.   Polar makes data transfer accessories called Flowlink, and Polar IrDa USB Adapter Interface.  Check that the Polar heart monitor you select can be enabled, or comes with software that will allow connection to these products, or comes with its own adapter.

 

The list could go on, but that wraps up the things that most beginners would benefit from knowing.  Anyone who already has a general idea of what they want most likely has a list of features that they require and are already browsing.