Stress and Heart Rate - Training with a Heart Rate Monitor
Training with Heart Rate – A Lesson Learned From Coach and Trainer Dr. Alinda Perrine
One of the personal trainers that I recently trained in the use of heart rate came to me and told me this story… “My client Joe, works out a couple times a week and is a fairly fit guy. A typical workout includes a strength machine alternated with a cardiovascular machine, such as a treadmill. Following each machine, we always check recovery heart rate values. Typically, Joe recovers 20 beats in approximately one minute. The other day, after Joe finished the treadmill workout and was ready to start the leg machine we were looking for the usual one minute- 20 beat heart rate recovery. However, on this particular day, Joe got off of the treadmill his heart rate would not come down. A couple of minutes passed by and Joe still had not recovered 10 beats. I asked Joe questions to try to identify a cause – did he feel ill, lack rest, or have extra stress? Aha! Joe said with concern in his voice “I lost $200,000 in the stock market today due to the financial crisis. I’m pretty upset.” It was apparent Joe’s stress level was affecting his ability to recover. Because of the heart rate monitor, I was able to modify Joe’s workout and help Joe recognize the emotional impact of stress on his heart rate.”
The lesson is that emotional stress can affect physical performance even in a fit individual. A heart rate monitor is an important tool to help you adapt your workout to what’s going on with your body. Pay attention to your heart rate whenever you work out. What’s normal and what’s abnormal for you? On a day where things look and feel out of whack adjust your workout accordingly. A day when emotional stress is impacting you physically – as seen in Joe’s abnormal recovery rate – consider backing off on your workout, or go outside for a slow jog, leisure bicycle ride, or just walk the dog.
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Recent Questions
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Evaluating Marathon Perfomance with Heart Rate and Pace
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Dr. Alinda, I am 47 and my heart rate is usually higher than charts after exercising for about 30 min. My comfort HR is about 153-155. After about 45 minutes it shoots to 160 and continues a gradual upward topping at about 168 when I run 5 or more miles
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I am 50 and when I exercise on treadmill or eliptical, I usually cross my target heart rate which is 168 and sometimes for a very long period of time.
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As a heart rate monitor beginner, is it true your pace is slow in the beginning and then gets faster as you train with a consistent HR (145 bpm)?
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How do I use a Heart Rate Monitor for the Long Runs in my training plan?
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