Why A Heart Rate Monitor Will Make You A Better Athlete

Thursday, September 6, 2012 | Unknown at 11:37 AM |

One of the training tools that you should definitely be considering as you go about your workout program is a heart rate monitor.

Many athletes overlook these thinking they know their body enough and how hard they're working that they just don't need one. Many think that they're for beginner athletes or recreational exercisers.

But, that simply is not the case. There are a number of reasons why a heart rate monitor can assist you with your progress.

Let's have a quick look at what these are so that you can see the potential of this device.

Ensuring Adequate Active Recovery

The very first reason a monitor is beneficial is because it can help you make sure that you get an adequate recovery between intense training sessions. Many athletes will do a 'light cardio workout' on their days off, so as to not stress the body and promote faster recovery, but due to their competitive drive, that 'light cardio workout' turns into interval training. It's just in their nature.

A monitor can help you track how hard you're working and making sure you're not taking your heart rate too high. Sometimes you just have to see the numbers to be aware of it.

Monitoring Progress

The second good reason why a monitor can be beneficial is because it'll help you monitor your progress.

While you can go by feel and your own rated perceived exertion level, at times these feelings can be off.

Adding the monitor makes things more scientific. Then you can see exactly what percentage of your max heart rate you're working at and make sure that you are hitting the right range with each workout that you do.

On days when you're slightly fatigued, you may feel like you're working out more intense than you really are, so the monitor can clear up this discrepancy.

Spotting Overtraining

Finally, the last good thing a heart rate monitor does is helps you spot overtraining. If you're doing intense sessions all the time and start noticing your heart rate is higher than normal - despite the fact that the intensity has not increased, this is a sign that you're verging overtraining.

Back of now for a few days to rest and you can prevent full blown overtraining from taking place. Heart rate is a good indication of how hard the body is working and when it is overly stressed out.

So don't overlook a heart rate monitor any longer. Consider adding one to your training program and you will become a better athlete because of it.