When exercising I typically work out at between 70% to 85% of my theoretical maximum heart rate. If pushing very hard then I will peak at the low 90% level. To determine your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) then use the following calculation: MHR = 220 - Age. So if you are 20 years old your MHR is 200bpm, if you are 30 it is 190 bpm etc.
About 4 years ago when I was last very fit my actual maximum heart rate was higher than this calculation however it gives a good guide to begin with. As ever, if you're very unfit, have health issues etc then do consult a professional and your doctor before exercising or pushing yourself hard.
Heart Rate Monitors (HRM) come in different shapes and sizes, to suit pretty much any budget from $30 to $500. They can include additional items such as GPS trackers etc for the keen runner or cyclist. I highly recommend using a HRM, they can help provide clear guidance to your workout and depending on the additional features included can track calories, distance, routes, include multiple HR zones for interval training. At the very least having a summary of your maximum and average heart rate at the end of a workout can help you understand how your body is adapting and how close to your maximum potential you are.
When looking for a HRM determine your budget and the features that are important to you. I personally prefer the Polar brand as their heart rate straps work with almost all gym equipment for those times when you are using gym cardio machines. I also like the features they provide at the price point and in my experience their calorie counting formula is fairly accurate. I do recommend however that you take the time to research and ensure that the user feedback is positive. One of the latest top of the range Polar HRMs (FT80) for example has a fair amount of negative feedback regarding the clarity of the display and not being able to read it in many normal conditions.
So why are HRMs so beneficial, well the difference in gaining fitness and losing weight between exercising at 60%, 70% and 80% of your maximum heart rate is pretty significant.
Stats displayed in this blog
Where the cardio machines have kcal counters then these numbers will be included in the blog and also used for the basis of the kcal figures being summed. I may switch in August to solely use HRM kcal (although these seem to read higher).
When I am wearing the HRM I will also include the following in italics (kcal, avg bpm/max bpm, time in zone 1, time in zone 2, time in zone 3)
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