How to use a heart rate monitor indoors? How do you know if you’ve had a good workout? Your endorphins are racing, your muscles are sore, and you’ve been sweating profusely. But maybe you would like to compare your sessions, looking at how well you recovered last night, in order to know what you are capable of doing today. This is where using a heart rate monitor at the gym can help.
If you are unsure whether you need a chest strap or a sports watch. If you want to know how to connect your heart rate monitor to your sports equipment. Or if you want to understand how your watch can guide you during your workout. Here’s the guide you need to get the most out of your Polar device.
WHAT TYPE OF HEART RATE MONITOR SHOULD I USE IN THE GYM?
When it comes to heart rate monitors, you have two options: chest or wrist. It’s a simple choice, as there’s a surprising amount of difference between these two options.
USING A CHEST STRAP IN THE GYM
The chest strap is the original way to monitor your heart rate in the gym. As a pioneer, Polar launched the world’s first wireless heart rate monitor in 1982, and 2017. A study published in the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise found the Polar chest strap to be the most accurate (with 99.6% accuracy).
A chest strap measures your heart rate through electrical activity (an electrocardiograph or ECG). This is why you should moisten your belt before using it so that it can follow the electrical signals. When the belt is placed on your chest, it directly measures your heart rate.
Polar H10 features ANT+, GymLink and dual-band Bluetooth® Low Energy. This means you can use it to connect to sports equipment and multiple devices. It also has up to 30 hours of internal memory. This allows you to use it for long sessions without the need for an additional sports watch. You can perform orthostatic tests in order to avoid overtraining.
The chest strap is therefore the ideal solution for indoor training requiring high precision in monitoring your heart rate.
USE A SPORTS WATCH IN A GYM
is the most popular way to measure your heart rate at the gym. It’s not uncommon to see someone checking their heart rate zone while they’re halfway through.
A sports watch uses optical heart rate tracking. This PPG signal can calculate your heart rate. This less direct form of measurement, coupled with the bad habit of not wearing your sports watch snugly, is why optical heart rate tracking is more error-prone than chest strap-based heart rate. .
Unless you need extreme precision in your tracking. A sports watch will always provide you with exceptional tracking. It also has the advantage of making your data instantly searchable, allowing you to adapt your training in real time. You can see how many calories you’ve burned so far and control your music , all from your wrist.
So if you train indoors where easy tracking and access to data is useful, the sports watch is the way to go.
GUIDE TO TRAINING IN THE GYM
If you find yourself stuck in the same routine and quickly tire of your repetitive workouts. When it comes to exercise, variety is the spice of life – but how do you mix things up?
You can create a training program with a diverse range of exercises to suit your needs. Create a weekly plan that covers the different areas you want to focus on. If you’ve ever heard someone say it’s their “leg day” at the gym, that’s what it’s all about. You can also take this plan and create a variation based on it for the next two weeks, so you have a training program that covers an entire month.
Another way to personalize your workout guide is to use data from your heart rate monitor at the gym. Polar FitSpark™ reviews how you recovered the night before. It analyzes your fitness level and the workouts you’ve recently done to suggest a workout for you.
With FitSpark , variation is already built into your training program. It focuses its recommendations on three categories – strength, cardio and mobility – and offers up to four workouts so you can always choose what you feel like every day. It also offers step-by-step guidance throughout each session, so you can focus on what you’re doing in the moment rather than thinking about what’s next.
Another important benefit of FitSpark is that it helps you avoid physical exhaustion. By tracking your rest and recovery periods, your watch can recommend daily workouts. So that you never go beyond what your body can handle.
CONNECT YOUR HEART RATE MONITOR IN THE GYM
One of the best things about having a heart rate monitor in a gym is its connectivity. Most gyms these days have a range of equipment – from treadmills to rowing machines – that can connect to your device, allowing you to combine heart rate tracking and training with your equipment. Check with your gym to find out which equipment is compatible with your heart rate monitor.
With Polar devices, you can also connect Polar Flow to a range of sports, training and fitness apps. So you can focus on your workout while your apps communicate with each other. Check out the range of compatible apps, from Nike Training Club to Strava Live Segments to MyFitnessPal.
USING A HEART RATE MONITOR AT THE GYM
You can use your heart rate monitor for every gym workout. Just select the corresponding Polar sport profile to be able to follow the exercises you do at the gym.
Several sport profiles for indoor training are set up to automatically “broadcast” your heart rate via Bluetooth so you can easily connect to other devices such as gym equipment. Check the full list of Polar sport profiles to see which ones are enabled for streaming.
RUN IN THE GYM
When using a treadmill in a gym, select the treadmill running sport profile on your watch. This differs from running, jogging, etc. profiles, which use GPS to track your workout.
Polar watches can measure speed and distance from your wrist movements using a built-in accelerometer. To ensure maximum accuracy, check that you have set your hand and size correctly within your physical parameters. Also, instead of running at your own pace, you can choose to focus on your heart rate zones .
Pro tip: To improve the accuracy of speed and distance measured from the wrist, the watch uses GPS offset calibration. Follow these simple instructions to calibrate the GPS and ensure maximum accuracy.
CYCLING IN THE GYM
Like running, indoor cycling cannot use GPS to track your workout. Therefore, if you use an exercise bike or take a spinning class at a gym, select the indoor cycling or spinning specific profiles (rather than cycling/e-bike/etc.)
You can still connect your sports watch to your bike if it has the capability, as it will keep pace with you. You can also use your heart rate zones to track your effort.
STRENGTH TRAINING AT THE GYM
Strength training is a popular reason to hit the gym because all those heavy weights and machines are ready to go. Depending on the type of training you do, select one of the following Polar sport profiles:
- Kettlebell
- strength training
- circuit training
SOLO AND GROUP EXERCISE AT THE GYM
Whether you’re doing HIIT on your own or doing yoga in the gym, there’s a Polar sport profile. For workouts such as indoor rowing and pool swimming : Be sure to select these profiles and not similar profiles based on GPS location. (i.e. outdoor rowing and open water swimming).
Circuit training; cross trainer; high intensity interval training; fitness dance; aerobics; water aerobics ; group exercise; step training; kick boxing ; rower; swimming ; body&MindCore; mobility (dynamic); mobility (static); pilates; stretching; yoga …
