Run-Down Forums

[runfast215]

Everyone says that I should get a heart rate monitor but they don't give me a good reason.

How do they help?

[Dan]

You obviously haven't asked me... Search the forums and you'll see me say time and time again that I'm not keen on HRMs, and I'm more than happy to step up on the soapbox and give reasons...

Dan
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[PeterJ]

Why do I use a HRM:
- it was a birthday present of my wife
- it was too expensive not to use
- it has an excellent stop watch with upload capabilities to the PC
- it has a kcal meter, which makes feel good, even if the numbers are disputable.

You see, most of the time I use the HRM not as HRM. Once or twice in a 10k exercise, I check if my feeling agrees with my HRM.
But I will be fair, it helped me a lot when I started running, and hadn't any feeling for "what is good for me". I used the HRM 18 months as HRM, and then I tried to fledge ... Now it's a simple tool.

Peter

[Adam]

Heart rate monitors can be useful for novice runners who can't yet "feel" how hard to run for a particular kind of workout.

They can also be good for holding back experienced runners who ignore how they feel and run too hard too often.

Target HRs based on the "220-age" formula for max HR can be really far off though. Unless you're high-risk for cardiovascular disease, you should use the HR monitor to find your real max HR before calculating target HRs.

Most people stop using HR monitors once they can train by how they feel.