Measuring your heart rate is one of the most important elements of professional training. Even amateurs who want only to increase muscle mass or lose weight, and not prepare for a competition, should regularly check their pulse during sports. The fact is that heart rate affects the effectiveness of training, reducing or increasing it.
Determine the heart rate that is optimal for your body. As a rule, in a calm state, the heart muscle in an ordinary person contracts 70-100 times per minute, in a physically strong person who regularly goes in for sports - 55-60 times, and in a professional athlete - 40-50 times. A simple formula can be used to calculate the optimal heart rate to be set during exercise. Subtract your age from 220, and then find out what 75% of that number is. You will get the maximum value allowed. It is strongly discouraged to exceed this norm. Excessively intense and long workouts, during which the heart muscle works to its limit, can seriously undermine health. At the same time, exercise that puts the optimal stress on the heart can significantly improve the effectiveness of training.
During each workout, you should measure your heart rate at least 2-3 times to track its changes. This must be done during the "recovery phases", i. E. periods of short breaks between strenuous exercises. For example, when you step into a walk after a run, it's time to measure and memorize your heart rate. If it turns out to be too high, reduce your physical activity.
The easiest way to measure your heart rate is to use a special device. It will not interfere with you during training and will not be distracted by calculations. However, you can calculate your heart rate yourself. Beginners and experienced athletes alike often prefer to measure their heart rate by placing their fingertips on the inside of the wrist at the base of the thumb. Timed 30 seconds, count the number of "hits", and then multiply it by two. You can also count 15 seconds and multiply the result by 4. You can also measure your heart rate by placing your fingertips on the carotid artery, the temple, or even the femoral artery in the groin area.
