Know Your Heart Beat

One of the biggest scientific advances in physical fitness is the development of commercial heart rate monitors. You now no longer have to be one of the top athletes in the world to train with a heart monitor. For less than $200, you can buy a device that clips to your bike (or is worn like a wrist watch) that will provide you with accurate data on your pulse.

Why is this important? Because if you are not training hard enough, you will not progress in your fitness. The heart rate monitor will show you if you need to work harder. First, calculate your maximum heart rate. It is usually 220 minus your age. So a forty year old will have a maximum heart rate of 180 beats per minute (BPM). If your heart is not beating at least 80% of the max, (in our example 154 BPM), then you need to work harder.

On the other hand, training at too high a level is also bad for you. As you approach your maximum heart rate, your muscles become unable to process the lactic acid being built up. Muscle fatigue will set in and destroy any improvements you have made in your fitness. Once again, using the heart rate monitor make sure that you are not working out at more than 90% of your maximum (in our example 162).

So the key really is to work out between 80 and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. The only way to monitor this is buy putting on a chest strap with a monitor and checking the readout once per minute. It may sound like a lot, but it will dramatically improve your fitness and get you ready for the next big race. The best thing is that today these monitors are relatively inexpensive.