The 1 Thing That Will Make Every Workout More Effective

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Even though you might feel like going balls to the wall during every workout, it’s not just about training harder—it’s about training smarter. Enter the heart-rate monitor, which offers a really easy way to keep tabs on your intensity level. “You can see in real time how hard you’re actually working, because it measures how fast your heart is beating,” says Pete McCall, M.S., C.S.C.S. Many also give you a good estimate of how many calories you actually burned (which is way more accurate than a count on a cardio machine). These details will give you a whole new look at your fitness habits—and help you get the results you want faster.

This information can help you see when you’re crushing it in your workout class, as well as when you’re not actually working as hard as you think you are. It can also give you a clear picture of how effective your workouts are, and maybe even help you find one you actually love. Plus, it can be motivating as hell to see your sweat in the numbers. 

Where heart-rate monitors really shine, though, is that they allow you to see the percentage of your maximum heart rate you’re working out at, or how close you’re getting to the hardest work you can possibly do. And harder isn’t always better.

“With high-intensity training, you only need two or three sessions a week to boost your caloric output, but your body needs time to recover,” explains McCall. It’s important to include a few days of lower-intensity exercise too, like steady-state cardio or weight training. A heart-rate monitor can help keep you on track so you don’t overdo it with the intensity every single day. Overtraining increases your chance for injury and can hinder your day-to-day performance, and it puts a ton of stress on the body, says McCall.

By wearing a heart-rate monitor, you can make sure you’re pushing hard enough when you need to (like during high-intensity intervals, when you want to be giving it your all), and recovering enough when you need to (like during the recovery section of an interval workout or a lower-intensity day).

To make the most of the information a heart-rate monitor gives you, start by figuring out your maximum heart rate. Many devices will estimate your maximum heart rate for you when you set up your profile, but if you want to check it out yourself, McCall recommends the Tanaka method to give you a good estimate:

Maximum heart rate (MHR) = 208 – (0.7 x your age)

So, if you’re 25 years old, you would multiply 25 by 0.7, which equals 17.5. Then, subtract that from 208. In this case, your max heart rate would be about 190 BPM, or beats per minute. Now, to get a picture of your how hard you’re working, you can look at your heart rate in comparison to that maximum number. Now that you have that number, you can use it to find your intensity zones.

Low-intensity cardio = between (.6 x MHR) and (.7 x MHR)

This would be about 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate, explains McCall. If your MHR was 190 and you worked between 114 BPM and 133 BPM, that would be a low-intensity day.

Moderate-intensity cardio = between (.7 x MHR) and (.85 x MHR)

If you wanted to do a moderate cardio day, you’d want to work at about 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. That’d be between about 133 BPM and 162 BPM if your MHR is 190. This range is ideal for a steady-state day, says McCall, which you should do two to three of every week (rather than doing all high-intensity training). This is also the range you should try to go back to during rest sections of high-intensity intervals, says McCall, so you can push hard again when it’s time to kick it into high gear.

High-intensity cardio = (.85 x MHR) and above

High-intensity cardio is anything above about 85 percent of your max heart rate, so that’s about 162 BPM or higher for a 190 MHR. This heart-rate zone torches serious calories, but pushing into this range isn’t ideal all the time, since your body needs recovery. Of course, it’s important not to get too stressed out about the numbers—do you best to stay within your target range, and you’ll see results.

Heart-rate monitors can also be useful if you’re training for a long-distance race or event, so you can learn how to pace yourself without burning out. No matter what your goals are, though, wearing a heart-rate monitor can take your fitness to the next level—whether you want to watch your calories burned, check out the intensity of your favorite workouts, create an efficient training plan, or just motivate yourself.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to shopping for a heart-rate monitor here are a few things to know:

1. Chest-strap models that connect to a watch or phone app are generally considered the most accurate, because they sit close to your heart at your sternum, but some wrist monitors (which use your radial artery or light sensors to measure heartbeat, according to McCall) can be effective, too. It’s all about what you feel comfortable wearing.

2. Consider your goals. “The more specific the training goal, the bigger role a monitor can play in helping you achieve it,” says McCall. If you’re more casual about your workouts, you can probably opt for a cheaper model with fewer features. But “if you have a specific goal, like a PR in a running event, then a monitor can be an important training tool and you won’t want to skimp on the investment.”

3. Figure out what stats you need. “Less expensive monitors might just show the heart rate, which is all a general fitness enthusiast needs,” he adds. “More expensive monitors can track calories spent during a workout, and some include a GPS to track distance and speed. The more expensive ones will include a way to download the information to a computer so you can track your progress or results from one workout or competition to the next.” You can expect to pay anywhere from $50 for a basic model to upwards of $500 for a super high-tech device.

Here are six models to consider investing in, all under $250:

Related: The Best Workout Tanks Under $40 For Your Summer Workout

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