The best thing any person exercising can do is monitor their
pulse. Your pulse is a great source of information, often
warning you when your body needs to take things easy. It is
also a valuable source when training. As this is the beginners
section, we shall not go too deeply into the training methods
involved by utilising the pulse/heart rate. We shall provide
you with a routine to keep check on your heart rate, with
a morning routine as well as providing you with the knowledge
to monitor your training effort in the future.
The accepted best time to take your pulse is in the morning,
preferably not after the cat or dog has jumped on your chest.
When you wake up the most common spot to reach for to measure
your pulse is the artery on the thumb-side of the wrist. Touch
this area lightly until you feel your pulse/heart beat. Count
the amount of heart beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four
- this will give you your daily pulse rate.
This pulse differs from person to person and is only an indicator
of your resting pulse rate. The "normal"
for men is 72 bpm (beats per minute) and for women it is 80
bpm, but rates 10 beats either side of those rates fall into
the normal range.
Keep a record of your morning pulse rates in a log book which
also details your training and how you felt during the sessions.
As you achieve a higher fitness your morning pulse rate is
sure to drop.
See the articles for more on training using pulse monitors
and pulse levels. The various highs and lows.
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