If you are new to the sport of biking you are probably saying to yourself that you don't need to get as high tech as a heart rate monitor (HRM), and perhaps you are right. Let me tell you what my Moms experience with them has been, and maybe you will think differently about this topic.
Last year, with the demands school was putting on me my training rides began to suffer. So, to maximize what time I did set aside for training, I decided to invest $80.00 in a heart rate monitor. I saw a nice one advertised on the Performance web site and I ordered it. I used it on my training rides and found it interesting how often I exceeded my max heart rate. I started tuning my riding to keep my heart rate with in my target training zone, and found that I seemed to be getting a better workout than before I had the HRM.
One day my Mom came to visit and we went on a twenty mile training ride. Mom had been riding for about two years and was riding over a thousand miles each year (at 58 years old). She seemed to have reached a plateau in her conditioning though and just couldn't seem to get any stronger, or faster, no matter how much she rode. In fact, she felt weak after a ride instead of full of energy. She was getting frustrated and the more she rode, the worse the problem became.
So, on this day, just to see how her heart was doing I had her wear my HRM. What we discovered was that she was regularly riding 40 beats per minute (BPM) over her Max heart rate. This accounted for why she always felt wiped out after a ride no matter how long it was, because she over stressing her systems and making herself sick.
She realized right away that she needed to get a HRM to start getting benefit from her training. She went to Wal-Mart and bought a cheap twenty dollar HRM and found that it wasn't going to do the job. She finally bought a nice unit like mine for about $80.00.
Over the last year she has kept her heart rate well with in the prescribed limits and has had excellent results. She is a much stronger rider than before and doesn't experience the fatigue she had in the past after riding. Her endurance has increased as well as her speed.
So, should you buy a HRM? I think they are a nice training aid and worth the $80 or so they cost. I don't wear mine when I am on tour because we are riding in hills and dales and I don't want to know how bad I am abusing myself, but I always wear it when I am training here at home or at the gym. It might be something to consider.
How to calculate your Max heart rate:
Subtract your age from 220. In other words, 220 - 45 means I have a max heart rate of 175.
To get maximum benefit from my exercise program I need to keep my heart rate in the target zone of 60% to 85% of max heart rate. So the ideal exercise target zone for me is a round 105 to 148 beats per minute. To calculate this zone (Max heart rate x .75) and (Max heart rate x .60)
Or
Use my handy dandy calculator to find your Max heart rate and target training zone. Simply give it your age and it will do the rest. (If your system does not support Java you can use my Perl calculator)