Heart Rate Workouts That Make Time On The Treadmill Fly By
Are you looking for a new way to spice up your cardio workouts at the gym? Tired of the same old minutes spent on a treadmill, elliptical, bike, stair-stepper, etc? You’ve done the “musical chairs” on equipment to make the time pass.. a minute here, a minute there, throw in some push-ups, right? Ugh.
So, what’s the secret to an easier workout? A good playlist, of course, but even better, learning how to keep yourself so distracted by interval training and heart rate data so that you’ll hardly know the workout happened. Personally, I’ve actually become such a pro at this, that I can spend nearly TWO HOURS on a treadmill. Yes, two hours, and yes, I’m abnormal. However, there is no way I could do that without these tips I will share with you. And, music … lots of music.
First of all, you’ll want to figure out your heart rate zones. You don’t even need a heart rate monitor to do this, though if you do have access to one, definitely use it. We prefer the Polar FT7 for Men ($75), the Polar FT4F for Women, or for those that don’t like watches and would rather track their heart rate from their phone, try a combination of the Garmin Heart Rate Monitor strap ($20) paired with the Wahoo Fitness Key ($76). And, for total workout tracking, download Runkeeper, which seamlessly integrates with all of these devices to display your heart rate as you workout.
Android
iPhone) for an easy way to take your pulse from your phone. All you have to do is press your finger to the camera lens. The camera will detect the rate of blood flow and show your pulse. (It’s kind of magical.)
If you prefer to calculate your heart rate the analog way, just count your pulse for 6 seconds, then add a zero. To find your resting heart rate, try taking your pulse right after you wake up in the morning or from a nap (only when you wake up naturally, not with an alarm clock, which jumps your heart rate immediately). Most resting heart rates vary, but the “norm” is anywhere from 60-100 beats per minute. If you are an extreme athlete, it could be as low as 40 beats per minute.
