Getty ImagesThe conundrum: push yourself too hard and run yourself into the ground. Don’t push yourself hard enough and never improve. The answer: start listening to your heart, not your head, by using a heart rate monitor (HRM). What does a HRM do

When Runner's World readers were asked to list their essential kit last year, heart-rate monitors came out on top. Unfortunately for the female runner, using a heart-rate monitor is usually an uncomfortable experience, requiring 10 minutes before

is actually necessary to improve your performance. And unfortunately, elite and amateur competitors alike often believe that to get better, they have to train more and harder.The answer? The correct use of a heart rate monitor (or HRM for short) in your

By using a heart rate monitor while you train, you'll know exactly what impact your workout is having.Unlike trying to judge your own efforts, your heart rate is a completely objective measure of how hard you're working, so you'll be able to fine

people and feeling totally in control. I loved it."What was her secret? Oliner was wearing a heart rate monitor."I was breathing heavily as I went up the hills, but the monitor told me that I was okay, so I sped up," she says. "If it hadn't been

Heart-rate monitors vary hugely in price and functionality. For less than £20 you can pick up an HRM that simply measures your pulse, while parting with £150+ will give you a monitor that will set training zones for you, tell you how many calories

How To Find Your Maximum Heart RateA heart rate monitor can help to ensure that you don’t work too hard – or take it too easy! – in training sessions. Depending on the session, your target heart rate will be anywhere between 60 and 95% of your

. During your second run you should get a higher maximum reading than with any other method – although you or a helper should use a heart rate monitor to take readings throughout the interval, because your pulse may peak before the finish.

and on the run. As long as you expect this, you shouldn't have a problem. Armed with your heart rate monitor and a little know-how, you'll be able to avoid overstressing your body in the heat or at altitude. It will help you stay within your limits, and you

Q Following your advice, I did a treadmill test using a heart rate monitor to work out my maximum heart rate. The result was 177bpm. However, during 40-minute steady runs my pulse easily reaches 165bpm, about 94 per cent of max! Am I training too