Whatever your sport\u2014hiking, cycling, running, skiing\u2014if you\u2019re training, you\u2019re trying to do your sport most efficiently, which should also help you be faster. Use a heart rate monitor to train. It measures the electrical signal from your heart to help you track your body\u2019s rhythms, monitor your output and chart your efficiency. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n
Find a circuit\u2014a running or biking loop, for example\u2014and a timeframe for completing it; let\u2019s say a mile-long loop you\u2019ll run in ten minutes. \u201cThe time you pick doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d advises Andrew Gardiner, former Middlebury College Nordic coach and competitive cyclist. Your heart rate monitor will record your average heart rate over the time you\u2019re running or biking. \u201cOnce you have a baseline,\u201d says Gardiner, \u201ctweak what you eat and drink and when, and how much you sleep. See what raises your heart rate\u2014less efficient; and what lowers it\u2014more efficient. Tweak stride length if you run or hike, or cadence if you\u2019re a cyclist. Ask yourself how you can run\/bike\/hike the same ten-minute mile with five beats less exertion per minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each morning when you wake, check your heart rate and chart it. If it\u2019s usually 38, then one morning it\u2019s 47, your body is working harder than usual. You might be getting sick. Women might be at a certain point in their menstrual cycle. A heart rate monitor gives you the data to be your own coach so you know when to take a rest day so your body can use its resources in other ways.<\/p>\n
According to Gardiner, lactate threshold (LT) is the most important number your heart rate monitor can reveal. Up your lactate threshold with training and you\u2019ve increased your fitness, efficiency and likely speed. Find it by exercising with a friend and carrying on a conversation. When your conversation breaks up because you\u2019re breathing hard\u2014you\u2019ve hit your lactate threshold\u2014usually about 75% of your max heart rate.<\/p>\n
Doing intervals? A heart rate monitor can help you understand how much recovery you need. Use it to track your BPM. \u201cIt acts like a governor at the beginning of a set,\u201d explains Gardiner. For maximum benefit from intervals, heart rate needs to drop to 40%\u201350% of max before you start another round.<\/p>\n
\u201cSubtracting your age from 220 is not an accurate way to find your maximum heart rate,\u201d says Gardiner. Use a negative ladder workout. Warm up slowly to what you believe to be 40%\u201350% of your max. Then, go hard for 10, 5, 2.5 and 1 minute with half as much rest between sets. Your highest heart rate from the workout is your max. \u201cBut,\u201d Gardiner warns,\u201d if you\u2019re not in shape, it\u2019s hard to reach your maximum heart rate. So as your fitness improves, retest yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Whatever your sport\u2014hiking, cycling, running, skiing\u2014if you\u2019re training, you\u2019re trying to do your sport most efficiently, which should also help you be faster. Use a heart rate monitor to train. It measures the electrical signal from your heart to help you track your body\u2019s rhythms, monitor your output and chart your efficiency. Here\u2019s how: Tweak […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[301,32,66],"internal-tag":[513],"class_list":["post-2990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","tag-electronics","tag-fitness","tag-tips","internal-tag-berne-broudy"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/fitness\/use-heart-rate-monitor-maximize-spring-training","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Use a Heart Rate Monitor to Maximize Your Spring Training","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/fitness\/use-heart-rate-monitor-maximize-spring-training","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/fitness\/use-heart-rate-monitor-maximize-spring-training"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/SU-130426-CSTOLTZ-MB-45041-e1447951053322.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/SU-130426-CSTOLTZ-MB-45041-e1447951053322.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Fitness","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["electronics","fitness","tips"],"dateCreated":"2015-01-22T15:00:25Z","datePublished":"2015-01-22T15:00:25Z","dateModified":"2016-01-27T17:31:36Z"},"rendered":"