Heart Rate Monitors

So youre jogging down the street when you lock a stare withthis tall, dark-skinned brunette with crystal blue eyes. As youpass her you get a hear her say in a faint whisper Hellothere. You smirk to yourself (you know she wants you), andtake a look down at your heart rate monitor. 210!!! HOLY S#@%!!I guess I better slow down when I see a hottie from now on.You think to yourself.So you see, having a heart rate monitor can keep you in yourtarget heart rate zone in regular and special circumstances.Seriously though, if you are doing any kind of exercise.I meanANY kind, youve got to get yourself a heart rate monitor. Ourheart rate is like the RPM gauge on a race car engine. Thedriver can look at the RPMs and precisely determine how muchmore power the car has. Can he pass on the corner? Can heconserve gas by lowering the RPMs and keeping the speed up? Thesame thing goes for our heart rates. Your heart rate is the yourpersonal RPM gauge....only it doesnt come in a chrome case, soyouve got to get one for it. By monitoring your heart rate, weare able to exercise precisely in our Target Heart Rate Zone.This is like the optimal heart rate for our particular bodywhile exercising. While in our Target Heart Rate Zone, our bodyis working hard, but not too hard. Its burning calories, butnot too many calories. By watching your heart rate whileexercising you can determine if you need to pick up the pace,or slow it down.If you are feeling weak, and your heart rate is LOWER than yourTarget Heart Rate Zone, you know that you can kick it up a notchSAFELY. However, if you are feeling weak through the workout andyou see that your heart rate is HIGHER than your Target HeartRate Zone, then you know that you are putting yourself at riskfor harm, and that you need to back off. So, being safe, is onereason to keep an eye on your heart rate while exercising.Another great reason to watch your heart rate with a heart ratemonitor while exercising is for performance. If you are lookingto really push the envelope, to get the most out of everysingle workout and maximize the potential of your body, you canprecisely adjust your workout minute to minute by watching yourheart rate like a race car driver watches the engine RPMs. Ifyou feel like you are going to puke from the last set ofcrunches, and you look down to see your heart rate below yourtarget zonego ahead and puke, so you can do anotherset.turns out you are just a whimp and you need to workoutmore. However, if youre going to puke, and you see your heartrate is too high.you better back off, or youre going to pukeand then something important might quit on you!Either way, having a heart rate monitor is essential tomaximizing you workouts. Getting ripped, strong, big or fastall require serious commitment and training. So why would youput in all that work, and not know if you are actually doingany good??? Makes sense to get a heart rate monitor, doesntit?About The Author: Dr. Parker is a surgical resident who has aninterest in preventative health, weight-loss and fitness. Dr.Parker uses the principles of human physiology coupled with ahttp://www.super-fit.com/heramo.html to have the body work for,not against you.