How to Use Heart Rate Monitor for Your Walking Workout Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Walking Shoes, Apparel, and Gear How to Use a Heart Rate Monitor By Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events. Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 15, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and nutrition and exercise healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI, FACC, FACP Medically reviewed by Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI, FACC, FACP Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI, FACC, FACP, is a board-certified preventive cardiologist and lipidologist. Dr. Ali is also an award-winning writer. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Hero Images / Getty Images Walking is pretty much a gadget-less sport. But one gadget can really help walkers get the most out of their walking workout — a heart rate monitor. By knowing your heart rate during your walk, you can keep your workout at a fat-burning level, not exhaust yourself on long-distance walks, or pump it up for a threshold workout to build your aerobic capacity. Many models also display calories burned and help you time your workout. Using a Heart Rate Monitor To use a heart rate monitor, you must first know at what heart rate you wish to workout. Find your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and target heart rates using the heart rate calculator. Now you can work out in different heart rate zones. Healthy Heart Zone: 50-60% of your MHR. This zone is good for daily exercise. Healthy Heart Walking Workout Fat-Burning/Fitness Zone: 60-70% of your MHR. This heart rate burns the highest percentage of fat. Fat-Burning Walking Workout Aerobic Zone: 70-80% of your MHR. Increases your functional capacity, used when training for an endurance event. Aerobic Walking Workout Anaerobic Threshold Zone: 80-90% of your MHR. Improves your cardiovascular capacity and VO2 Max. Threshold Walking Workout Distance Workout Zone: 65-80% of your MHR. Distance Walking Workout Put on the Heart Rate Monitor When using a chest strap transmitter, the contacts need to be in moist contact with your skin. You can use water, spit, or products such as Buh-Bump Cream, which is an electrolyte gel just like they use in hospitals, to ensure good contact. Adjust the elastic strap so it is snug but doesn't interfere with taking a good deep breath. For women, it should go snugly under the breasts and bra. Now put on your shirt. If your model has a watch display, put it on your wrist. Start Your Heart Rate Monitor Different models turn on in different ways, some just by waving the watch display in front of the chest transmitter. Others are activated by a button. Note the readings — if they are erratic or show you must be either dead or running a sprint, readjust the chest strap for good contact. Monitors may also pick up other people's transmitters if they are also wearing a heart rate monitor — so space yourself around others. Care and Feeding of Your Heart Rate Monitor The transmitter and wrist display are probably both water-resistant, but should be stored in a dry place and not kept in some non-breathable place — don't store it in a plastic bag or keep it in your gym bag with your sweaty clothes.Clean the transmitter with warm soapy water and a soft towel after each use. Never use alcohol or a scratchy scrubber.Batteries wear out after a couple of years and depending on the model you can send it in for a replacement or replace them yourself.Replacements for the transmitter or watch display are available from the manufacturers for less than the whole unit price. Buying a Heart Rate Monitor You can buy a typical chest strap heart rate monitor with a wrist display. If you have a smartphone, you can buy just a Bluetooth chest strap to transmit the data to an app or to an activity monitor you are already wearing. Some activity monitors and smartwatches have LED-based pulse monitors built-in. Features to Look for in a Heart Rate Monitor I have used several different heart rate monitors. What I find essential is the heart rate, percentage of maximum heart rate, and the elapsed time. I also like models that alert me when I am over or under my target heart rate zone. Ease of use is also very important. I don't want to have to bring the instruction manual along on my workout. 6 Best Heart Rate Monitors of 2020 By Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles How to Use Target Heart Rate Zones for Exercise Use Target Heart Rate to Maximize Your Workouts How a Heart Rate Monitor Works The Right Walking Speed to Burn Fat and Build Aerobic Fitness The 8 Best Heart Rate Monitors to Buy Under $100 in 2022 Understanding Your Maximum Heart Rate The Truth About Your Fat-Burning Zone for Weight Loss What's the Ideal Pace for Brisk Walking? The Best Heart Rate Monitors, According to a Running Coach How Can I Burn More Fat When Exercising? Is The Polar FT40 Heart Rate Monitor Right For You? The Pros and Cons What Is Moderate-Intensity Exercise and How Much Do You Need? Do You Need a Heart Rate Monitor to Get a Better Workout? How to Increase Running Stamina Measure Your Heart Rate for Getting in the Aerobic Zone in Exercise Why You Should Add Cardio to Your Workout Routine When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All