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Why I Don't Really Believe in Heart Rate Monitors
Fitness | September 03, 2016
How do you know if you’re working hard enough?
In the fitness world, this question can often become all-consuming. One obvious way to tell if your exercise routine is strenuous enough is by the results you get from it. But results, be they in the form of gained lean muscle mass, fat loss, and/or a higher level of fitness, happen over time. Results can’t be measured during your workout today. And that’s why people often rely on heart rate measurements, heart rate monitors, or the little computerized read-outs on cardio machines you find in the gym.
The machine read-outs are notoriously misleading. You know how they always ask you to enter in your age and weight? Those numbers and the pace at which you exercise are how the machines usually calculate your calorie burn. That kind of math can come up with wrong totals for so many reasons, including “your gender, height, body fat percentage, and fitness level,” according to a great article on the subject in Women’s Health Magazine.
Heart rate monitors and measurements have their own problems. I often see people sporting the telltale brightly-colored plastic watches that spit out the results of the actual wireless monitor, which is usually worn around the chest and held snugly against the body by an elastic band. I have no doubt that the monitors are getting really accurate readings. And you can also get an accurate heart rate reading by putting your first two fingers on the inside of your wrist on the thumb side or on your neck over your carotid artery and calculating the numbers. But what, exactly, do these reading mean?
Your heart rate rises when you exercise because your body is working overtime to rush oxygen rich blood to your working muscles. Therefore, the thought process is that the higher your exercise intensity is, the harder your heart will pump, and the higher your heart rate measurements will be.
But those numbers can be deceptive. In a 1992 study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers discovered that heart rates can be higher due to “various medications, psychological states, and environmental factors such as temperature and altitude”.
That’s why my personal preference for measuring exercise intensity (the way I know for sure if I’m working hard enough) is the Ratings of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE). RPE has an actual numeric scale (a basic 1-10) but it boils down to saying how hard you think something feels. Here’s the RPE chart for your reference.
I kind of use the RPE method when I list my own workouts in the ZGYM. When I put an “X” after the workout I’m letting you know that it was really high up on my own personal RPE scale. Machines monitors and heart rates are just numbers that can be representative of all sorts of factors. But how hard a workout feels is always a true rating. And indeed, in the study I cited above, the researchers discovered that at the conclusion of the study exercisers using the RPE method had achieved higher levels of fitness than those using heart rate measurements only.
You don’t need fancy equipment or to stare at a clock while taking your pulse to know if a workout is effective. Close your eyes. Listen to your body. Feel your breath. Feel every fiber of your body working. You already know the answer. It’s right inside of you.
Private Member |
carpinteria, ca, usa
Heart rate monitors are ubiquitous in the professional peloton. Endurance athletes like cyclists really utilize them for zone monitoring and dosing their efforts over the long haul….ie: 100 mile rides and 4 plus hrs in the saddle. There is a place for them depending on the athletic endeavor. Women’s magazines often sell women short, and over simplify.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
absolutely, thanks for bringing this ( I forgot to mention in my comment). HRM are mostly used for endurance based sports.
I don’t how Z thinks people are using theirs, but I could not picture myself in the middle of a burpee and reading my watch at the same time to check on my numbers…it is non-sense.
It is however a good/interesting thing to know what is your heart rate at rest and how fast does your heart recover. It is a sign of your heart health.
What you make out of the data is another story.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I have an Ironman (timex) rarely use the heart rate monitor. It’s a pretty good watch! 😀
Private Member |
boise, id, united states
All comes down to the last beautiful paragraph.
Private Member |
I really loved my Polar FT40, but then the sensor broke (just normal wear; I had it for years), and I just haven’t replaced it. I think that after years of having it, I know approximately how high my HR is at any given time during my workout. Now I just wear the wristband to keep track of how much I exercise for the whole week. I aim for 3.5 hours. I see how they’re not necessary – especially because they are expensive, but they can be motivating. Now my Fitbit Charge is COMPLETELY inaccurate, but I won it in a contest, so why not wear it. I like free! 😛
Private Member |
usa
I never check my heart rate like I used to and I’ve never had a heart rate monitor. The only time I do is if I’m exercising out in the heat and it feels like my heart is going to come out of my chest. But I don’t count, I just know by the HR pace that I should slow down and take a water break. I know I definitely don’t want to have a heat stroke.
Private Member |
“why I believe in HRM.”
First, i agree with you 100%, but isn’t forgiving that we have individual needs. I use an HRM for making sure I don’t push myself beyond aerobic, into anaerobic states. I have suffered injury from over-training before. An HRM is much better at finding your max rate than PRE is. It aslo shows your recovery and sustainable rates.(whe you get to know “your” normal.) Just as your heart-rate is subject to psychology, so is your PRE. I know when I am at my sustainable rate, and it is harder to push through on that day, and seeing that number can help you go a little more, just because you know you should.
HRM is also great for people who have heart conditions, they probably also use pulse ox and bp readings. As a stressed guy (both good and bad) I also use my HRM to see my anxiety levels. If I am at rest, and my heart rate jumps to 105, i know i need to get up, and go relax…. it helps because it ques a person who could be overwhelmed, they visually see it, and can react before the anxiety emotionally sets in. visual ques are healthier for emotional distress… we don’t all believe the same things, and that is good, but that doesn’t mean if I don’t believe it, that you shouldn’t do it.