Using a heart rate monitor

[wagon]

Bloke I go running with (Lunch time in work) has a heart rate monitor.

I'm not sure what he uses it for (or he doesn't really).

I've googled that your heart rate should be about 75% of max for best cardio improvement other than that no idea what the other % are equal too and how these equate to mma, grappling and the best way to use them. Or if they are worth it at all?

Seen them on TUF and just thinking.

[Superhornet]

HR monitors are used to enable you to work to varying intensity and stick to it. They can take out a fair amount of guess work.

At different HR's you metabolise different substrates often in realtion to respiration in the presence or abscence of oxygen.

They are good at realising a target level during training the only down side I have found is that with excessive use (several years in my case ) you can loose feeling of training and beceome a bit of slave to them. However the majority of people aren't a fuckin twat like me.

[Superhornet]

P.S.

They are dirt cheap these days and reliable.

[DetoxGuru.com]

think they are worth invesing in , even if just to keep an eye on your max heart rate.

[Superhornet]

A caveat to a lot of this is an accurate max HR so that other threshold limits can be determined.

[wagon]

and a good place to get them cheapy, cheapy

[Gareth]

and a good place to get them cheapy, cheapy

Tesco's have got the Polar ones for sale for about £25 atm top brand piss cheap!

[Alex Gold]

Tesco do an own brand for 20 quid, more bells and whistles I think...not sure about quality though.

[scotty666]

there very good, even if you just use to for basic logging of your heart rate. i have a suunto one, was £200 but cheaper now, does loads of stuff, works well when grappling (doesent move around), records speed and distance travelled when running, you can get ones with altimeters as well and it records the change in heart rate when going up inclines, has a target heart rate witch u can customise and it will beep once u hit it, also an alarm if your heart rate goes too high. handy for hardcore sessions and circuits, helps you not push too far and take longer to recover. just take a look at them. recommended

[scotty666]

oh and they plug into your pc so you can view it all on there and save your logs. they do a really good one for about £90 or search suunto on ebay.