Introduction to heart rate based training People often wonder
how much and in which intensities they should train. The
simplest means of determining this is to listen to your own
body. Heart rate based training gives clear guidance on how to
train to reach your individual goals, based on your personal
heart rate and heart rate variability. Although there are many
subjective clues as to how your body is doing during exercise –
such as perceived exertion, breathing rate, and physical
sensations – none is as reliable as measuring heart rate. Being
an accurate measure for workout intensity, recovery level and
long-term progress, heart rate is a window to your own fitness.
Each person reacts to physical strain individually, depending on
the size of the heart, fitness level, skills, and daily changes
of stress level. This can be seen in heart rate variability,
which measures the variations in the time between successive
heart beats. Unlike common misconception, heart does not beat as
regular as clockwork. On the co