Yes. You should warm up before every cardio session, especially before intervals, threshold work, or high-intensity training. A good warm-up gradually increases your heart rate, improves blood flow to working muscles, prepares your joints, and reduces the risk of starting too hard too soon. For most sessions, start with 5–15 minutes of easy movement before progressing into your target training zone.

Yes. A fitness watch can be useful for tracking your heart rate zones during training, especially for steady-state cardio. However, wrist-based heart rate sensors can sometimes be less accurate during high-intensity intervals, rapid pace changes, cold weather, or activities with lots of arm movement. For better accuracy, especially during structured training, a chest strap heart rate monitor is usually more reliable.

No. Maximum heart rate varies between individuals and is influenced by age, genetics, training background, and physiology. Age-based formulas can provide a useful estimate, but they are not perfect. Two people of the same age can have very different true maximum heart rates. For the most accurate result, use a professionally supervised max heart rate test or a reliable field test if you are experienced and medically cleared for intense exercise.