Heart rate measurement against overload

Today, heart rate measurement is easier than ever, whether in sports or in healthcare. With the help of a heart rate monitor, a sports watch, an outdoor watch or simply a fitness tracker, heart rate can be easily measured. What you need to measure your pulse and what conclusions you can draw from it, you will learn in this article.

Heart rate measurement in sports

Today, pulse and heart rate measurement is indispensable in the field of sports. The reasons are not only the technical achievements, but also the benefits for the athlete. With the help of the pulse watch the pulse can be taken in different ways. The technical requirements are becoming better and better and above all more accurate. But what are the possibilities to measure the pulse easily and quickly??

Heart rate measurement with a chest strap

Just a few years ago, measuring heart rate, especially under stress, was left to a doctor. Today, every athlete can do this himself. A chest strap with two sensors is required, which is strapped around the chest. This chest strap can then transmit the pulse either to a heart rate monitor or directly to the smartphone.

Bike computers are also available here. Depending on the transmission signal. This can be radio, Bluetooth or ANT +. In addition, there are now sensors that are placed on the upper or lower arm. These also measure the pulse reliably and a chest belt is not required.

Heart rate measurement directly on the wrist

If you don’t always want to wear a chest strap or an upper arm strap, you can also buy a pulse watch or a fitness tracker with the function of pulse measurement on the wrist. There are already many models that offer this possibility. Mounted thereby optical systems (LEDs) on the underside of the clock, which measure the pulse.

Advantage is here very often that a permanent measurement can take place. Even modern smart watches have already implemented this pulse measurement on the wrist.

Conclusions about fitness and health

What is the benefit of measuring heart rate for me?? This question can be answered in many ways. Whether from the fitness point of view or also from the area of the health. Anyone who measures their pulse during sport and knows their heart rate zones precisely also knows how far they can still go.

Of course, you need to know values such as the maximum pulse or the resting pulse. From this, the individual zones can then be derived. Each zone represents a certain area of development. Over it an optimal training control can be accomplished.

But also in the matter of health there are fast and simple conclusions with a heart rate measurement in the form of a pulse watch. If you measure your resting pulse at the same time every day, you will know relatively quickly if it changes significantly, that an influenza infection or another illness may be approaching. Pulse measurement also provides information about the state of recovery and exhaustion. The pulse is a good indicator here.

In the various models of fitness trackers, there is even pulse monitoring during sleep. Different evaluation possibilities of the sleep phases are available here.

Finally a word about the analysis of the data. The manufacturers have usually developed special programs and apps to evaluate the most important values. There are also options for long-term measurement and evaluation. In addition, you can also find manufacturer-independent platforms where you can evaluate your heart rate values.