HEALTH

Why heart rate training is the newest fitness craze — and why it actually works.

Exercising to your pulse is the latest trend in our data-obsessed world. But is it right for you?

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES HAVE BEEN PRACTICING heart rate training for years. In order to condition their bodies for fast-paced shifts on-ice or sprints down the field, their workouts focus on maintaining a constant heart rate, which allows them to be keenly attuned to their fitness goals — to make sure they’re not over- or under-doing it.

This kind of training used to be a fairly laborious process, often involving a personal trainer and at least enough rudimentary first-aid knowledge to accurately take a pulse. But now that everyone you know wears a Fitbit or tracks steps and vital metrics on an Apple Watch, heart rate training has become something of a fad.

If you’re going to try it yourself, here are a few things to keep in mind: