Measuring Resting and Exercise Heart Rate via Monitor Watch

Maya | May 14, 2010 |

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A simple heart rate check via heart rate monitor watch helps in checking the condition as well as wellness of the heart. This simple yet effective device serves as a test instrument that can give an idea of just how strong your heart muscles are.

In order to better understand heart rate monitors, first we have to answer two questions:

1. What does this instrument actually measure?

2. What do the results actually mean?

This monitor measures the number of beats of your heart within a specific time-span. So, the harder the heart is working - higher the heart rate will be. It is as simple as that. The second question is a bit more complicated. In order to answer it we will have to perform perform a test on the heart rate variances first. Basically, this test monitors cardiovascular endurance.

First of all, measure the heart rate in the resting position by lying very still with the monitor (such as one that comes on a watch) attached to the wrist. Luckily, thanks to the shrinking size requirements of chip-based memory, sophisticated monitors record heart-rate workout data and allow you to transfer information to software so to track performance and compare it to previous results. Keep in mind that the most appropriate time to measure the resting heart rate is early morning or late at night before bed.

Next, measure the heart rate while working out with maximum intensity by recording the data from the monitor while you're exercising. Ensure you're NEAR (and not AT) your maximum possible athletic effort. Keep in mind that trying to increase or train AT the maximum heart rate could lead to over training as well as serious injury. Compare the resting heart rate data with the exercise heart rate data. Comparing exercise heart rate with the resting will give you insight into your cardiac health.

With exercise the resting heart rate will be reduced since the heart is more efficient at pumping blood and doesn't need to work as hard. Most men and women resting heart rate is somewhere between 60 and 80 bpm (bpm stands for beats per minute). Professional athletes can have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute.