Follow Your Heart
Nowadays, heart rate monitors are part of the sports equipment of a large percentage of athletes from the most diverse disciplines and with the most distinct performance levels. But what are they really for? Which model is best suited for you? What aspects should we take into account when buying our heart rate monitor?
We will try to help you so that you can learn a little about these new-generation training companions.
- How and why did heart rate monitors emerge?
Several decades ago, when training in endurance disciplines began to become generalized and specialized with a view to high performance, heart rate (HR) monitoring became a valuable tool for coaches and athletes. The almost direct relationship between training intensity and heart rate, as well as the need to reproduce and control these parameters during training and competition, gave rise to the growing need to use these devices. This monitoring was done entirely manually until very recently. About 30 years ago, the Polar brand was created, considered a pioneer in heart rate monitors, which in the early 80s launched the first truly “portable” model, allowing it to leave the laboratories and enabling its use in field training situations. Since then, the evolution has been enormous. In just 25 years, the market has come to offer various brands and models with an impressive array of features. At its core, a heart rate monitor still has the same function: “to monitor beats per minute.” Only the additional features have been developed, in addition to issues related to ease of use, weight, or design.
Nowadays, heart rate monitors are no longer reserved for the elite and high performance. The generalization in the market has provided affordable pricing, and the usefulness of such devices has also been recognized for heart rate monitoring for anyone who exercises, elderly people during sports practice, as well as people with heart diseases.
- Why use heart rate monitors?
- Training can be carried out at individual intensities appropriate for each person;
- Progress and evolution can easily be monitored and measured;
- The use of heart rate monitors is extremely motivating and allows for autonomous and immediate control at every moment of the session;
- It allows for the optimization of training time, enabling more objective work focused on the desired intensities;
- Thanks to the additional features available today, it is an excellent training partner and source of information about various aspects related to the session that took place;
Despite the information provided by heart rate monitors, we must be aware of each person's individual nature or even the differences that exist from day to day in the same person, whether they are associated with the conditions surrounding us or our current state. The same information we receive from our monitor does not always mean the same thing, as there are various factors that can influence the data received.
- What factors influence heart rate?
- Age, knowing that generally, the older the age, the lower the heart rate, both during exercise and at rest;
- Training Level: The more trained we are, the lower the heart rate will generally be reached with a given effort. One of the indicators of improved fitness is precisely the heart rate at a given speed.
- Genetic Factors: Assuming that two athletes are the same age, weight, and height, as well as having similar training and performance levels, quite different heart rates can be detected both at rest and during exercise;
- Weight: Although it is not true for every individual because, as we have already seen, there are various factors that influence heart rate, for the same person, a significant increase in weight generally also leads to an increase in resting and exercise heart rate.
- Ambient temperature causes an increase in heart rate. On the one hand, physical activity itself causes an increase in body temperature, but the outside temperature also has a very large influence on heart rate. With the increase in outside temperature, the cardiovascular system is induced to deliver more blood to the skin surface seeking cooling, but limiting the volume of blood available for the ongoing activity, causing an increase in heart rate;
- Hydration, somehow influenced by ambient temperature, will also be a factor to consider. Large water losses lead to a decrease in blood volume, limiting the amount of blood available to meet the muscular needs during exercise, causing an increase in heart rate induced by the overload of the cardiovascular system. Under intense exercise, an athlete can lose approximately 1 liter per hour;
- Diet, considering the state of gastric emptying, influences heart rate, knowing that, during the full digestive process, the volume of blood available for exercise is lower;
- Which heart rate monitor model to choose?
As we have already said, the market offering is currently enormous. The temptation is sometimes to acquire a model that ends up having features never explored for the type of activity we practice, or for the sports level in question. The Polar brand, the current market leader, has included features such as temperature recording, altimetry, estimated calories burned, a pedometer to count the meters traveled and running speeds, a speedometer, and all the features of a bike computer for two-wheeled training, and finally GPS very recently. The Garmin brand, which has been positioning itself interestingly in this market, took the opposite path. Originally exclusively producing GPS systems, it now has heart rate monitors for training and leisure, always associated with GPS and all the information that can be derived from it. Also, practically all bike computer brands now have heart rate monitors associated with their top-of-the-line models, as happens with most sports equipment brands that produce watches.
Knowing this diversity of offer, here are our tips for acquiring your heart rate monitor:
- For high-performance training or for those who train with the goal of competing, we suggest models that allow all information to be downloaded to a computer for subsequent analysis, archiving, and future use as a tool for evaluating progress;
- Also for training with a view to competition, distance and speed measuring devices, whether running or cycling, by GPS or others, are instruments that help in assessing the training volumes actually performed;
- For two-wheeled users, without any competitive goal and whose purpose is leisure practice, we suggest the combination of an entry-level heart rate monitor associated with a bike computer, a solution that will be much more affordable from a financial point of view than a device with all the features together;
- For those who only dedicate themselves to gym activities, running, or leisure team sports, there is also no need to use data transfer or speed control features, just a simple monitor that will indicate the pace of exercise at each moment so that it can also be readjusted during the session itself.
What really matters is that everyone is advised on knowing at what intensity they should train. Acquiring training habits and the use of heart rate monitors to control your effort, and taking pleasure in every moment you are active, is much more important than the watch you use.
Never forget that what remains from the training is really what brought you something positive at a physical and mental level, everything else is accessory.
Coming soon to Sport Life, tips and ways to train at the ideal heart rate for you.
You can choose your model on the websites of some of the brands we mentioned above:
