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Finding The Best Heart Rate Monitor?
Some of you may be wondering why even bother to buy a heart rate monitor watch. We have been exercising over the years without it. Well, the thing is, if exercise/working out is not done properly, you’re not just wasting your time and energy but it may even backfire. Over exercising can be really bad for your health and not exercising enough is totally just a waste of time. A heart rate monitor helps you work within your zones so you can make sure that you are progressing as you workout.
There are different types of HRM (Heart rate monitor). Depending on what you need; there are types that are made especially for running, some you can use for cycling, swimming, skiing, etc. In this article, we’re going to take a look at how different types of HRM can be useful for you and how to choose the right one.
Choosing the right heart rate monitor is really simple but it can be tricky. We have a lot of options these days from a lot of different manufacturers that offer so many different features. Of course, this is a benefit that we all can enjoy thanks to technology. But the truth is some of these features can sometimes be a disadvantage depending on the effectiveness of the concept and how it affects the real purpose of certain functionality.
So before you go and buy one and later realize that it has a ton of features you don’t really need or understand, or may not even have what you are looking for which is definitely a pain, it is best to really look at it carefully before making your decision. There are customer feedbacks you can read online. Reading product reviews is also very helpful because you get to see the real pros and cons of a certain brand or version.
Okay so what do you really need? First of all, check the accuracy. This is the most important thing that you need to look closely at. If you want real time readings or ECG accurate, you need one that comes with a chest strap – what they call as the transmitter. Other than that, here are other features that you need to look at and what they’re best for.
Basic Heart Rate Monitor Features:
- Speed and distance – this is a basic feature and if you want to use a Heart Rate Monitor for running to measure your speed and distance, usually it comes with a foot pod, which you need to calibrate with your HRM.
- Target zone alarm – this is very important. This will let you know when you are outside your target zone. Some watches have both visual and audible alarm.
- Calorie computation – not all HRM watches have this. It uses your heart rate to calculate the calories you burn during workout. No matter what you’re using it for, it is best to get one that has this feature so you can track your weight loss also.
- Coded transmitter – the chest strap/transmitter may sometimes pick up other devices’ info. A coded transmitter makes sure that it only gets yours and won’t allow other gadgets to interfere with your readings.
Advanced Heart Rate Monitor Features:
- Altitude – for serious bikers, this is a really great feature. This is also great for hikers and mountaineers.
- GPS – some advanced technology HRM watches are GPS enabled. This means you can get accurate readings outdoors without a foot pod. If you want this feature, check what kind of satellite transmission is being used. Usually, with this feature, you can record your running routes and later review which paths you ran fastest and create routes of your own.
- Bike sensor – this usually comes as an optional accessory. For bikers, you can use this feature to measure your cadence.
- Laps/ auto-laps/ interval – this is again great for serious runners. If you plan to use this for swimming, check for water resistance. This won’t be too much of a problem; most HRM’s are water resistant.
- Instant pace – only a few HRM watches have this. This is very important for runners. This way you get to track your pace as you are running. If your HRM doesn’t have this, you can still view your stats but that is after your run. Or at least get one that has a “pause” feature.
Additional Nice To-Have Heart Rate Monitor Features:
- USB ANT stick – with this, you can connect your training computer – the wrist unit to your pc/ laptop. This way, you can upload and save your data to your PC. But make sure that the program it is using is compatible with your OS (operating system). Some are compatible with both PC and Mac.
- Wireless transfer – others have wireless technology features which allow you to sync your device to you PC when in range.
- Online community – if you’re serious about training and tracking your progress, check if the online community is good. Some have websites where you can upload your stats for analysis, view charts and summaries, and share/interact with other users.
- Countdown calendar – allows you to motivate yourself for your big events.
- Shock and water resistant – this is great for heavy activities and swimming.
So basically, the trick here is only get a model/ version that has the features you can really use. Here’s a tip, if you’re only going to use it for running and basic aerobic workouts and don’t want to spend much on one, you can get a heart rate monitor watch that comes with a foot pod so you can measure your speed and distance. This will be less expensive than GPS watches.
A heart rate monitor watch is not only great for tracking your progress, it is also a great way to motivate yourself and get you more prepared for you marathons and other big events. So hopefully, this helps in choosing one that really suits your needs.
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