Anybody using a Heart Rate Moniter

Does it work?

It has been recommended that I work to keep my heart rate in the  40-60% of MHR to burn fat instead of other energy stores.

BD

Does it work? Well I cant say either way, just yet

Do I use a HR monitor? Yes, I use it off and on in hopes of keeping my HR in check, and keep myself out of the Anaerobic zone.

I need to do some more reading on the topic before I can say either way.

 I use one every time I go out, do I necessarily know what I'm doing with it -- well that's another question, lol.  I find it helpful to know where I am in terms of exertion level.  If I want to build endurance I try to stay in the 50-65% area.  As I'm working for speed I tend to be trying to get around 85% or so.  When I'm doing a race and I see it at 95% I know I'm about to crash and burn, lol.  My goal this season is to try to use it beyond what I've already learned by 'feel'.  I will say that it's helped me keep better track of my training sessions.
--Sax

The only thing I can tell you is to be sure you're heart rate is high enough to get a good cardiovascular workout.  You won't burn as many calories overall if you don't, which won't help you in the long run.

Exercise is primarily a cardiovascular activity for overall heart/body health.  Burning calories for weight loss is good too, but the primary benefit of exercise is overall health.  Try to look at it that way because the weight will eventually come off, but you won't get really healthy or fit keeping the heart rate too low.

My 2 cents.

Linn

I use mine to know where my line is at.  Anything in the 140's I can maintain for a long period of time, once I get in the 150's it is only a matter of time before I have to slow down, (10-12 minutes)  If I get in the 160's I am only good for a couple of mintues.  So I use it to try to go faster but stay in my comfort zone of the 140's.

Birddog,

Beware of the fat burning myth.  Here's an explanation from Running for Fitness:

What is the fat burning zone? Should I run more slowly to lose fat?

You may have heard the claim that you should run more slowly to burn more fat. My local gym has signs suggesting that if you want to burn fat, you should exercise in a "fat burning" heart rate zone.

This idea is based on a misunderstanding of the science. It is true that when you exercise at a lower intensity, your body is able to draw more of the energy directly from fat. But it is not correct to conclude that exercising at this lower intensity will result in your having lower overall body fat.

There are two reasons why the claim about a "fat burning zone" is wrong.

• First, it does not matter where the fuel comes from while you are exercising; in the end (ie later in the day) your body will replenish and rebalance your energy stores. So a calorie surplus will always end up increasing your body fat; and a calorie deficit will always end up reducing your body fat. The source of fuel while you are exercising is irrelevant.
• Second, what matters is the total amount of calories you burn; not the proportion that come fat. If you exercise at lower intensity, a higher proportion may come from body fat, but this may be a smaller absolute number of calories.

In other words, the fat burning zone is a myth caused by misunderstanding the science.

With that said, I do use a heart rate monitor to help ensure that I'm training at my intended intensity for the workout that I have planned. 

For example, today was supposed to be an "easy" recovery run, so I needed to keep my heart rate under 131-138 beats per minute.  Tomorrow, I'm looking at running 4 miles at 80% effort, so my target is 157 beats per minute.  The pace needed to hit that target will vary somewhat depending on things like how much sleep I got the night before, whether I'm well hydrated and adequately fueled, or how much I ran the day before.

Running for Fitness has a calculator to determine your own heart rate targets for specific running objectives.

Cassie