Using a Heart rate monitor is a good indicator to your response to exercise but not great for monitoring training intensity while paddling Distance or Interval training.
The better method to maintain Training intensities is using PACE on your GPS/HR Watch.
You can observe your HR after completing paddling Distance or high intensity training and see how long it takes to lower as you improve your Aerobic fitness.
The HR Monitors don’t react quick enough to high intensity exercise eg. if you paddled in TZ 4 (High intensity) for 30 seconds it would not read the correct HR until the 30 seconds was up and not decrease in time for the next effort.
While doing Distance paddling there are many factors that would cause your HR to slowly continue to increase if you were to hold paddling intensity (wind and ocean conditions, heat, cold, hydration, untrained to hold PACE).
If you had some predetermined HR zones you wanted to paddle in as you covered distance you would have to paddle slower to maintain those HR Zones.
When we paddle, we have an Innate ability to feel intensity, not what our HR is or what PACE we a moving at, so paddling/training using PACE and RPE (rate of perceived exertion) will give the most accurate and precise indication to your speed over water. You can visualize your PACE on your Watch and feel the intensity you are putting out (RPE).
If I was to use HR only I would always being trying to decrease my intensity to stay in the predetermined HR zones after just a few minutes of paddling therefore slowing my paddling, the end result not increasing my Threshold to paddling intensity.
For instant feedback to paddling intensity and monitor progression to increasing Paddling Fitness to how you feel at SPEED/PACE over water I find it best to try using PACE and RPE.
