Why Monitor Your Workouts?

Ever ask yourself “why” when you train? For example, why should you exercise with a heart rate monitor? Why would you want to incorporate this training tool into your workouts?

For the past 20 years, I have been training with this powerful tool and getting more fit and achieving more each year because of it. It’s a weapon. It gives me an advantage. I guarantee you will perform better with a heart rate monitor than without one. And isn’t the goal better performance?

Before the introduction of heart rate training (circa 1983), the most prevalent method of assessing exercise intensity was “perceived exertion.” This is a way of determining how hard you are training based on your perceived feeling of effort. In a weird way, it works. However, it’s not very efficient, which means time lost for you. But today, you can strap on a heart rate monitor and start reaping the tremendous benefits of training with one.

Here’s why you’ll want to use a heart rate monitor and train in zones.

1. It saves you time.
2. It makes your training more efficient.
3. It is a smarter way to train because you have information to use for managing it.
4. It is a link between the mind and the heart.
5. It allows you to train in your fat-burning zones.
6. It serves as a break to hold you back from training too hard.
7. It serves as a kick to motivate you to train harder.
8. It is a biofeedback monitor that helps you manage your emotions.
9. It is a fat-burning monitor that helps you to manage your weight-management program.
10. It is a personal monitor that helps you train in the right zones to get the most from your workouts.
11. It is a stress monitor and provides you with info on your current stress levels.
12. It is accurate and reliable.
13. It is your own personal coach.
14. It tells you when you are within your training zones.
15. It tells you when you are outside of your training zones.
16. It is a way to assess how fit you are.
17. It is a way to determine if you are getting fitter.
18. It is a valuable tool to use when you’re competing.
19. It is an easy way to measure your resting heart rate.
20. It is an easy way to measure your threshold heart rates.
21. It is an easy way to measure your ambient heart rate.
22. It is an easy way to gauge whether you are overtraining.
23. It can help you measure your maximum heart rate (although it’s not easy).
24. It can help you determine what emotional heart zone you are in.
25. It makes training easier—and most important—more
fun!