What are the benefits of using a heart rate monitor? Do I need to use one?

Cardio should be more meaningful than just putting in the recommended 30 minutes three to four times a week. In order to truly derive lasting health benefits, lose weight, increase your stamina or train for a specific event, you need to be training in a prescribed heart rate zone.

There are two ways to set up your training program. One is by using target heart rate zones as prescribed by your Personal Trainer and the other is to use ratings of perceived exertion (RPE).

Let's talk about the second method first. Ratings of perceived exertion is a scale (usually from 1 to 10) of how much effort you are putting into the workout, with 1 being the least, and 10 being maximum exertion. For example, your trainer may tell you to warm up at a 5 then increase your intensity to a 7 or 8 for 20 minutes. The pros of using RPE is that no equipment is required and it is relatively easy to use. The cons? We humans aren't very accurate at pegging our exertion levels and tend to over-estimate or under-estimate how we are feeling. This means that it's very possible for someone may think that they are working hard enough but are actually not getting what they should be out of their workout. Alternatively, they could push themselves too far and risk injury or worse.

The major advantage of training using heart rate training zones is much more acurate and is personalized for every individual. Using heart rate zones does require using a heart rate monitor, although the initial investment is usually under $100 (depending on the features you are interested in). Your Personal Trainer will use your resting heart rate and current age to prescribe different target heart rates depending on your goals. Because these zones are very specific and objective it is much easier to ensure you are training exactly where you need to be.

Book a session with a Core Essentials Personal Fitness Trainer today to find out your heart rate training zones.