Treadmill Trekking With a Heart Rate Monitor

Posted 14 January 2008

by Dr. Alinda Perrine

Treadmills are the inside “quick fix” answer to the popular form of outside exercise — walking or running. Some treadmills are simple units with no fancy technology, some are programmed for specific workouts using the latest technology, and some are elite machines that include force plates and wattage. Regardless of the treadmill, you can use a heart rate monitor to direct and evaluate your workout.

What do you need to know about heart rate monitors and treadmills before you begin your trek?

Heart rate monitors and treadmills may “cross talk.” Cross talk is electrical interference created when two signals are close to each other. For example, the console of the treadmill and your heart rate monitor may interfere with each other creating an erroneous large heart rate number. Try backing away from the console a few inches. You can still see the console, but the signals won’t cross.
Wear your heart sensing shirt or chest strap and observe your continuous beats per minute on your heart rate monitor watch. Some treadmills have a “contact” heart rate monitor that detects your heart rate when you grasp the handles, which works nicely for walkers. Most runners find it hard to run and maintain contact. So, if running, it is best to your own heart rate monitor system. This will offer a continuous display of your heart rate as you perform your workout. In addition, many heart rate monitor watches recall your workout time in zones and average heart rate, which is important data for your training plan.
Treadmill workouts based on time and/or pace are not always synonymous with outdoor workouts, which often yield higher heart rates. Why? Environmental factors such as wind, temperature, humidity, ground surface and topography create a greater demand on your body; which is reflected in your heart rate. Try to mix your workouts and go outside when convenient. Record and compare your indoor and outdoor workout heart rates. Try the following workouts on your treadmill and then, try them outside.

The following treadmill workout is designed with heart rate as your guide. Prior to performing the workout, wear your heart rate monitor and complete the activity:

SETTING YOUR ANCHOR POINTS
Setting anchor points for heart rate is the first step in using your heart rate monitor and setting zones. Zones describe your work effort or exertion level according to heart rate. Zones are heart rate ranges. Good training programs incorporate multiple zones. For the following workouts, you will establish three anchor points and three zones.

Step 1:
Warm up by walking or easy jogging for 5-7 minutes. Warm-ups “prime” the pump — your heart. So, start slow and increase your effort gradually. Observe your heart rate monitor; your heart rate will increase according to your effort.

Step 2:
Observe and record your heart rate as you perform the following assessment. The assessment is divided into three stages: easy, moderate, hard. If you are a walker or do not feel comfortable with the hard stage, perform only the easy and moderate stages. Each stage lasts for 3 minutes and you should sustain the heart rate during the 3 minutes. (If you cannot sustain the heart rate at a particular effort, then you have overestimated your “rate of effort” and should back off at least 5 beats per minute.) Identify each stage based on your breathing effort, using a rating scale of 1 to 10. A rating of 8, 9, or 10 is an extreme effort. You do not need to experience 8, 9 or 10. Use the Breathing Effort Chart to assist you in evaluating your effort.

Helpful hint: For most fit people, the moderate effort is the most accurate assessment and anchor point. For “new to fitness” exercisers, use the easy and moderate assessment. For elite athletes, the moderate and hard effort data is more helpful in calculating the appropriate zones.

Step 3:
Set your anchor points and your zones. Your anchor points are the heart rate numbers you sustained for 3 minutes. Remember, if you cannot sustain the heart rate at the designated effort, then you may have overestimated your effort and need to decrease the heart rate by approximately 5 beats per minute.

A zone is a range of 20 beats. For this assessment, subtract 10 beats below the anchor point (sustained heart rate). This is the base of each zone. Add 10 beats above the anchor point (sustained heart rate). This is the ceiling of the zone.

TREADMILL TREKKING WORKOUT
Try this heart rate focused workout useful for progressive steady-state training. Approximate Time: 45 minutes.

Dr. Alinda Perrine is a nationally-recognized fitness authority, author, presenter and master trainer. Since completing her 2001 cross-country bike tour, Alinda has made heart rate training an integral part of her own fitness endeavors as well as her work as a professional coach and personal trainer. She has completed numerous marathons and endurance cycling races, and shares her expertise in coaching others with her ZoneX™ method of sensible heart rate training. In 2005, she coached a Mt. Kiliminjaro Climbing Team using heart rate training to prepare for the high-altitude climb. She co-authored the Timex Heart Rate Monitor Book and has trained other personal trainers at more than 400 fitness facilities and resorts nationwide. She and husband Bobby operate Free Spirit Adventures, a cycling shop and bike tour business based in Greenbriar County, West Virginia.

Click here to check out the NuMetrex line of heart rate monitoring fitness apparel.

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