![]() That range is massive, and because our bodies respond differently to different intensities, better data makes for better workouts. The Apple Watch is the best on the market and 95% of differences fall within -27 and +29 BPM of the electrocardiogram. “Using a wearable to track heart rate is like using a random number generator. For context, one of my mentors, Brandon Marcello, the world’s leading expert on recovery, said: Wrist-based wearables are useful for measuring steps or general physical activity through a day, but when we’re holding ourselves to the #SeriousFitness standard, they don’t cut it. I’ll take a wrist-based measurement over no measurement, but if you really want to make the most of your fitness adventures, using a chest strap is the way to do it. Chest-strap based heart rate monitors that measure the electrical signal from your heart will measure intervals with far more accuracy than a wrist-based tracker that uses optical sensors to measure blood flow through the skin. ![]() Measuring your heart rate is important if you’re tracking interval training, and a chest strap is your best option. You might have picked up that I’m stressing the phrase “chest-strap heart rate monitor” rather than referring to wrist-based wearable devices, and the reason for that is simple: A wrist-based wearable such as the Apple Watch, FitBit, or Garmin product is not accurate enough to use for real-time exercise monitoring. In the same way when you’re not quite sure you take an umbrella anyway, using a chest-strap heart rate monitor is great verification that you’re working at the intensity that you want to. Most of the time we’re pretty successful going by feel and can guesstimate what intensity we’re at- just like when you look out the window to check the weather before you leave the house. Our bodies change in different ways when we’re consistently participating in cardiovascular activities at low intensities, at high intensities, and when doing intervals. In a nutshell, using a chest-strap heart rate monitor gives you cold hard data about what’s happening when you get hot and sweaty. Hey friends! In the next 5 minutes, we’re going to take a deep dive into the benefits of using a chest-strap heart to monitor workouts, and why I think you should be using one to track your progress.
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