How Do Polar Heart Rate Monitors Measure Heart Rate

from Polar Electro Finland - originators of first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor

Components of a Polar heart rate monitor

Polar heart rate monitors consists of a short wave transmitter in the form of a narrow belt worn around the chest and a wrist unit which is both a watch and a short wave receiver, receiving signals directly from the heart. In some Polar heart monitor models, the wrist unit is also a running computer, cycling computer and outdoor sports computer, providing much more information than just heart rate and time of day.

What is the function of the Polar transmitter belt?

The Polar short wave transmitter measures the number of beats per minute at which your heart is operating. The transmitter, which is attached around the chest with an elastic strap, measures the electrocardiogram (ECG), the electric signal originating from the heart. It provides an accurate and reliable timing reference for the occurrence of heart beats. After picking up the electric signal from the heart the transmitter will transmit it to the the wrist unit. Heart rate tells you the exertion level of your body and it will provide you with real-time information during training. The harder you exercise the higher is your oxygen consumption and the higher is your heart rate.

What does your heart rate tell you?

Heart rate tells you the exertion level of your body and it will provide you with real-time information during training. The harder you exercise the higher your oxygen consumption and the higher your heart rate.

What are some of the specific benefits of heart rate training?

When you measure heart rate, you can see improvements in your heart's ability to pump blood through the entire vascular system. The heart is the primary pump that circulates blood through the entire vascular system. Heart has two atria acting as receiving chambers and two ventricles acting as sending units. The right side of the heart (right atrium and ventricle) receives the blood that has circulated throughout the body and sends it into the lungs for reoxygenation. The left side of the heart (left atrium and ventricle) receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs and sends it out to supply all body tissues. To learn more, read the article The Heart's Function

Your heart is the most important muscle in your body and most of us are aware of the importance of getting enough cardiovascular exercise. Using a heart rate monitor can help assure that you are working your heart properly as you exercise. Like any muscle, the heart needs to be exercised, and serves as a barometer for the rest of your body by telling you how hard you are loading it during various functions. It circulates blood, rich in oxygen from breathing, from your lungs to your trunk and lower extremities. Monitoring your heart rate is the easiest way to keep yourself working in the right “zone,” reducing your chance of injury and over training, and increasing the odds that you'll get the results you want. To learn more, read the article How A Heart Rate Monitor Can Assist Your Training

The key to healthy weight loss is the combination of exercising right and eating right. Many people fall short when planning a weight loss program because they just don't know what exercise to do, how to exercise and most importantly, how hard to exercise. You need to develop an effective and healthy weight loss program and learn how to use Polar heart rate monitors for weight loss based on heart rate and being in an effective target heart rate zone for calorie burning. A Polar heart rate monitor is a tool that will help pace you so that you can exercise longer and burn more calories. To learn more, read the article Heart Rate Monitors for Healthy Weight Loss

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