What does the heart rate on a bracelet, watch, or heart rate monitor during exercise really mean? Do you measure your heart rate during exercise?

Nowadays, there are more and more people using sports bracelets, sports watches. The cost of products that accurately measure heart rate, such as sports bracelets, watches. As a result, measuring heart rate during exercise has become a common practice for many individuals before starting their workouts.

But because of the cost, the detection capability of these products available for purchase varies. Armband and chest strap heart rate monitors actually measure and are more accurate than most bracelets and watches.

But what is the purpose of heart rate, besides indicating the intensity of your exercise?

In fact, heart rate serves multiple purposes. It not only reflects exercise intensity but also has various other purposes. These include evaluating your cardiorespiratory fitness, tracking your training progress, and even signaling when it's time to begin your next training set.

In fact, heart rate is an indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness. Generally, a lower heart rate within a healthy range shows better cardiorespiratory fitness.

The essence of heart rate is simply the number of times your heart beats within a specific timeframe, typically within one minute.

For athletes, a strong heart also enables better circulation of blood, leading to improved recovery and blood supply.

However, knowing only the value of heart rate is not sufficient for effectively monitoring our own exercise, evaluating our exercise ability, and adjusting our training program.

Exercise intensity and heart rate are generally positively correlated. When exercise intensity is high, heart rate naturally increases. Therefore, it is important to analyze heart rate in different situations.

Before analyzing the heart rate, it is important to understand a few key indicators:

1. Resting Heart Rate: This is your heart rate when you are in a completely resting state, with no movement or external factors affecting it.
2. Maximum Heart Rate: This represents the fastest rate at which your heart can beat per minute.
3. Heart Rate Reserve: This is calculated by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the article mentioned below:

https://www.coospo.com/blogs/knowledge/what-are-the-five-heart-rate-zones

You can use heart rate measurements to track, assess, and analyze your training. Understanding these measurements, along with your heart rate while working out, is important.

Monitoring and Improving Endurance with Heart Rate

Heart rate is the most commonly monitored parameter in endurance sports, including distance running, cycling, and swimming. These activities are highly oxygen-intensive, placing continuous demands on the heart to supply nourishment to the working muscles.

As a result, the heart experiences increased stress during endurance sports, which is reflected directly in the heart rate.

To monitor and improve endurance using heart rate, there are two main methods:

Monitor the progress of cardiorespiratory function by measuring heart rate and adjust the training direction accordingly.

Several studies have shown that having a lower heart rate while doing the same amount of exercise means you have better cardiorespiratory fitness. This can help guide your training.

Let's look at the example of running 1000 meters:

To improve your performance in a 1000m run, you need to work on your cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, running efficiency, and other factors. However, it's difficult to know exactly what needs improvement. This is where your heart rate can be a helpful reference.

Let's imagine you did a 1000-meter run test at the start of the month, then trained for one month doing long-distance running. At the end of the month, you did another 1000-meter run test and finished both in 4 minutes. However, there was a difference in your average heart rate. For the first test, your average heart rate was 182, while for the test at the end of the month, it was 175 (assuming everything else stayed the same).

Your cardiovascular fitness has improved. Even though you ran the same 1000 meters in 4 minutes, your heart rate has gone down. This means that your body is putting less strain on your heart and cardiorespiratory system while running 1000 meters in 4 minutes.

On the other hand, if your workout time is shorter and your heart rate is higher, it means you may need to do some cardio training to improve your fitness.

This is a commonly used exercise analysis method. It is also a way to overcome performance limitations.

What Heart Rate Monitor Should You Choose?

Chest Strap Heart Rate Monitor: the most accurate option.

Chest strap heart rate monitor technology captures the direct activity of the heart using an electrocardiograph (ECG), making it the most accurate option. Many chest strap heart rate monitors, like the Coospo chest strap heart rate monitors, are now compatible with ANT+ and Bluetooth transmission protocols, improving signal stability and compatibility.

Bracelet/Watch/Armband Heart Rate Monitors: These monitors are slightly less accurate and stable compared to chest strap heart rate monitors.

Watch, bracelet, and armband heart rate monitors use a different technology than chest straps. They use a method called Photo plethysmography (PPG), which calculates arterial pulses by detecting the changes in blood volume through LED lights and optical sensors whenever a heartbeat occurs. This technology is slightly less accurate than chest strap heart rate monitors, but it is well-suited for daily monitoring.

You have the freedom to select the option that best suits your personal requirements. It is important to note that using an accurate and reliable heart rate monitor will significantly enhance the overall effectiveness of your training sessions, allowing you to achieve better results and progress towards your fitness goals more efficiently.

Conclusion

Monitoring heart rate during workouts can provide valuable insights into your cardiorespiratory fitness and training progress. It serves as an indicator of exercise intensity and can help guide your training regimen.

By understanding key indicators such as resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and heart rate reserve, you can effectively analyze and evaluate your exercise performance.

Whether you choose a chest strap heart rate monitor for accuracy or a bracelet/watch/armband heart rate monitor for daily monitoring, tracking your heart rate can contribute to improved endurance and overall fitness. So, start monitoring your heart rate during workouts and optimize your training for better results!