7 Steps to Using a Heart Rate Monitor
Heart Zones Training with your mind-body link – the heart rate monitor – may seem confusing at first. You’ll be learning and discovering new ways of looking at the effort you put out, new ways of understanding fitness that you were never taught in your physical education classes at school. A lot has happened in the world of fitness in just the last ten years, and with your heart rate monitor and heart zones training, you are ready to reap the benefits.
STEP 5. SET YOUR TRAINING HEART ZONES
Now that you have an idea of your maximum heart rate, you need to calculate your five heart zones using your maximum heart rate as the anchor point for them. To help you with these calculations, the Heart Zones Training chart below provides you with these numbers easily.
THE 5 STEPS TO BETTER FITNESS AND PERFORMANCE
1. Choose a heart zone: Select one of the five different training zones based on the exercise goals for your workout.
2. Set your Maximum Heart Rate: Find your maximum heart rate along the top horizontal row of numbers.
3. Determine your Training Zone: The box where your selected training zone and maximum heart rate column intersect is your heart rate training zone.
4. Set the Zone: The lower heart rate number in this box is the floor of your training zone and the upper number is the ceiling.
5. Stay in Zone: During each workout, maintain your heart rate between your zone floor and ceiling (excluding warm up and cool down).
HOW TO USE THE MAXIMUM HEART RATE CHART
1. Find your maximum heart rate across the top, horizontal row of the
chart on the previous page.
2. Follow the column down from you maximum heart rate to the point
that it intersects with the zone of your choice.
3. Read the column that corresponds with this range under Training Zone.
Now that you have toured through your Heart Zones Training Chart,
take charge of these five sets of zone numbers. They are yours. You
should note the ceiling and floor of each of these zones, as those are
the numbers that you are going to be using when you program your
monitor. Your maximum doesn’t change with age if you continue to be
fit so you won’t ever have to readjust your zones – they are yours for a
near-lifetime.
More to come ..
Keep your eyes peeled as we continue to release excerpts throughout upcoming weeks. If you want to learn more about zoning, make sure to swing by our online store and grab a copy of ZONING, Fitness in a Blink.