Precision Heart Rate Training

Edmund R. Burke, PhD, began working with HRMs in 1983, when he used these small electronic devices to prepare the U.S. cycling team for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Over the years he wrote numerous articles on HRMs and served as a national spokesperson for the Polar Precision Fitness Institute.

Dr. Burke wrote or edited 11 books on health, fitness, and cycling, including Serious Cycling and Complete Home Fitness Handbook. The executive editor of Cycling Science and managing editor of Performance Conditioning for Cycling, he also wrote extensively on cycling physiology, training, nutrition, health, and fitness for Winning Magazine, MTB Magazine, NORBA News, and Bicycling. He consulted with several companies in the areas of cycling, fitness equipment design, nutritional products, and fitness programs.

Dr. Burke held a doctorate in exercise physiology. He was a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, and he served as vice president of research for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, with whom he was certified as a strength and conditioning specialist. Dr. Burke was also a professor in and director of the exercise science program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where he lived with his wife, Kathleen. Dr. Burke passed away in 2002.