Blog

Heart rate monitor training provides a significant competitive edge to runners and cyclists by providing the feedback that allows them to craft training regimens that work effectively to increase stamina and speed. Monitors were once the exclusive province of only the highest echelon of professional athletes, but are now readily available offering many important features at a rate to suit any athlete’s budget.

 

No matter what level of runner or cyclist you are, monitoring your heart rate will help you improve your performance and provides a safety cushion so you do not over-train. There is a fine line between training at peak efficiency and training too much and monitoring helps you make the distinction. This may be especially important for beginners.

To make effective use of the device, it is first necessary for an athlete to determine his or her maximum heart rate. This is a constant figure that will only change with age. It cannot be increased through training and may vary greatly among individuals. Once you have determined your maximum rate, if you ever see a higher rate on your monitor, then you have incorrectly diagnosed your maximum heart rate and should supply the new figure into your equations.

How to Determine Maximum Heart Rate

You can determine your rate by personal testing, lab testing or by using a formula. The best method is to calculate your maximum heart rate (MHR) yourself. Try interval training on a hill by racing uphill and jogging back down for your resting interval. Repeat several times and you will probably be approaching your own maximum rate of heartbeats per minute. The figure may vary anywhere from 160 to well over 200 for some athletes. Professional lab testing will cost about $150 or more but may be advisable if you have been sedentary for a long period of time or have a heart condition because medical personnel will be available. You can also calculate your MHR using a formula where you subtracting your age from the number 220 for men or 226 for women. This formula only provides an approximation and updated information should be used when it becomes available.

The next step is to determine your resting heart rate (RHR). Strap on your heart monitor in the morning while in bed and lie calmly for several minutes and you will probably get an accurate number. Unlike MHR, your RHR should change as you train and become lower. This is because your circulatory system has become more efficient and the heart pumps more blood with each stroke.

Calculate Your Training Zones

If you do not calculate your training zones accurately, you won’t get the full benefits of heart monitoring. The numbers are easy to calculate or you can go to MarathonGuide.com Simple Heart Zones Calculator. Create a chart in 5% increments according to this formula: ((MHR-RHR) x Percent level) + RHR). This will give you heart rate numbers for different percentages of effort. For example, if your maximum heart rate is 200 and your rest rate is 70, your chart might look like this:

95% — 194
90% — 187
85% — 181
50% — 135

When your heart rate is 135, you are putting out a 50% effort. If you require an 85% effort, you must increase your heart rate to 181. Make a chart for all 5% intervals between 50% and 100%. Your MHR is 100% effort, at the top of the list. You should never train long at this level because it can be dangerous to your health, but can be used for short bursts of speed to win races.

Improve Your Cycling or Running with Monitoring

You should divide your training sessions into easy days and intense effort days to get the best results. Muscles need time to relax, rebuild and restore glycogen. Proper nutrition is also a key element of your training regimen. On easy days you should maintain a heart rate that is in the 60-70% range of maximum potential effort.

You will reach the aerobic zone when you train at the 70-80% level. Training at this level of capacity will improve your cardiovascular system and develop muscles and aerobic endurance. When you train in the 80-90% zone, you reach the anaerobic zone. At this level of training, your body ceases to burn fat and relies on glycogen from muscles. As the body metabolizes glycogen, lactic acid is produced.

Eventually you build up more lactic acid than your body can effectively handle and must drop back to an easier pace. The goal of training is to increase the amount of time your body can operate in the anaerobic zone. The red zone is 90-100% and should only be attempted by the most conditioned athletes. This is the zone that wins races with that final burst of speed for cyclists or runners. Your zones may vary from sport to sport.

Your monitor can record your rates and the time you spend in each zone and help you effectively develop a training regimen that takes all of the important factors into account. If training for an important race, you should make your plans to reach peak efficiency right at the time of the race. Early in the season you should train at a slower pace. As race day approaches, start to increase your level of lactic acid tolerance by training in the anaerobic zone.

Heart monitors should be used as a guide, but should not replace your instinct. It is necessary to challenge your system to achieve the best performance, but if maintaining a training level is too difficult, drop back and take longer to strengthen your capacity until you feel you are ready to meet the challenge. In each training zone there are subtle physiological changes that training in them provides, and it may be necessary to achieve results at a lower level before you can make a breakthrough.

When you are actually in a race, your monitor can be an important tool that allows you to attain breakthroughs in speed. You may reach a point where you feel you should drop back, but a quick look at the monitor may show you are safe, so you can continue. You may also find that you are capable of adding a burst of speed that will elevate your standing in the results.

Heart monitors are the only way you can chart your progress throughout an entire workout or race and get all the data to study from start to finish. Cardiovascular fitness is the most important factor in determining how fast you run or cycle, and developing your aerobic endurance is the key to strengthening your capability. Accurate monitoring lets you know when you must pull back for health and safety.

Choosing a Brand of Monitor

There are many brands and models from which to choose and they have an array of features that you may find beneficial for your training efforts. Most attach to the chest and send signals to a wristwatch. There are also some models that you wear on your finger like a ring. You can check out the best heart rate monitor in a variety of categories here on my site.

There are many features to look for when shopping for a monitor, but the essential function is the accuracy of the heartbeat monitoring. The size of the display is also significant since you must be able to read your results easily while cycling or running. You can find models with computer connectivity to download results for study or you can choose models that have greater memory capacity. Some models may estimate the calories you are burning and there are many other features from which to choose.

The Five Worst Heart Rate Recording Devices – Models You Should Avoid

If you don’t want to waste your money you should read this article on the worst heart rate monitors on the market. I tell you what devices can cause you major headaches.

As I go out and review cardiac beat watches I come across many fantastic models, but I also run into some real duds. So I thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of the worst devices on the market. These are models that I recommend you stay away from. They have really low ratings and reviews from a host of different owners and expert reviewers. Also many have been shown to be wildly inaccurate with owners reporting numerous problems operating them.

If you are in the market for a cardiovascular velocity checker, you need to know both sides of the story; the good monitors and the bad monitors. There are very few websites on the internet that will tell you both sides of the story. Here at HeartRateMonitorAdvisor.com we’re not afraid to tell you the truth. So read on and find out which models are the worst ones on the market. And be sure to check out my article that shows the other side of the coin – #5 Most Awful Pulse Beat Measuring Device – Sportline 1010 Unisex Duo

The first model to make my list is a standard chest strap heart rate monitor, the Sportline 1010. The problem with this monitor is that in addition to having a chest strap, it also has a manual touch function like the strapless Bowflex model.

 

You touch the wrist monitor to record your heart rate, if you don’t want to use the chest strap, which seems like a good idea. However, according to users, when they start sweating, the manual function overrides the chest strap and screws up the recording of pulse rate. Users have tried various techniques to get an accurate reading but don’t seem to have much luck. It seems that wherever you touch the wrist unit, even if it’s just to change a setting or stop the stopwatch, it will pick up your cardio rate and bypass the chest strap.

Maybe in the future, Sportline will design their monitor so that you can manually push a button to go from the chest strap function to the manual touch function. Until that time I can’t recommend this monitor, even though it does have a few positive reviews – unlike any of the other models on this list. Overall though it still only gets 2.3 out of 5 stars with 42% 1 star reviews. That’s pretty poor. If you want to learn more about the Sportline 1010 Unisex Duo, click here.

#4 Lowest Rated Pulse Rhythm Watch – Carepeutic KH249 Ring

The Carepeutic is another ring monitor that sounds good but fails to deliver. It has a number of cool features built into it; unfortunately the one that I really want to work, the heart rate monitor function, fails miserably. The Carepeutic can function as a pedometer and show the distance you’ve run. It also counts calories, and has a stopwatch function.

 

According to users the pedometer function seems to work very well, accurately recording the number of steps taken in the day or during a workout, as well as the distance traveled. However, since it’s worn on your finger it tracks the distance traveled according to arm movements. So, if you just move your hand but don’t walk anywhere the Carepeutic will still record that as movement. That’s a problem in my book.

Other problems show up with the pulse rate measuring functionality. There are numerous reports of inaccuracy, problems getting the monitor to fit snugly on your finger, and serious issues with wild fluctuations as you work out. With an average rating of 2.2 out of 5 stars, most people consider the Carepeutic a waste of money. You can read more about the Carepeutic Kh249 Ring by clicking here.

#3 Most Horrible Cardiovascular Beat Gauge – Dr. Leonard’s Heart Rate Ring

Another ring monitor makes my worst list, the Dr. Leonard’s Pulse Rate Ring. Dr. Leonard’s is a huge online healthcare catalog selling everything from Genie Bras to African Mango Lean supplements. They also apparently have their own pulse rate watch brand.

As usual, the marketing materials make it sound great. It has a comfortable gel finger pad that is designed to fit most fingers comfortably. It also has a stopwatch and regular clock to time your workouts as well as a nice storage case to protect it. You can set the alarm to beep when you stray outside of your target heart rate. Sounds great, but looking closer though reveals the common problems I’ve seen with ring cardiovascular speed calculators.

Owners talk about their Dr. Leonard’s heart rate monitor not working at all while they work out or recording grossly inaccurate cardio rate readings. Some even couldn’t get it to work while they were sitting down doing nothing. A few people were not even able to get the ring monitor to fit their fingers, saying it was not adjustable. Overall the reviews came in at 2.2 out of 5 stars, which is very poor. You can read more about the Dr. Leonard’s Pulse Rate Ring here.

#2 Worst Pulse Beat Measuring Device – LifeSpan Fitness Ring

Ring monitors are the other type of strapless measuring device; the first type being like the BowFlex above where you place two fingers on the back of the wrist unit to get a heart rate reading.

 

With a ring monitor you don’t need to put your fingers onto the unit because it’s supposed to record your pulse rate directly from your finger while you wear it just like a ring. Sounds pretty neat in theory right? Well, guess again because these types of models almost always get poor reviews and rarely ever work right. And unfortunately the LifeSpan Fitness heart pace recording device is no exception.

On paper the LifeSpan sounds good. Apparently it uses some type of infrared technology to measure your heart rate. It is also very comfortable with a finger insert made of soft silicone gel that will fit any finger size. It also comes with a stopwatch function, and a standard clock. And with just 2 buttons it’s easy to use. It is designed to continuously read your heart rate as you workout. But how does it measure up on accuracy? Well owner reviews quickly show problems.

The LifeSpan Fitness Ring gets an average rating of 2 out of 5 stars with over 76% of reviewers give it a dismal 1 or 2 stars. Most people say you can’t use it while you exercise because it’s so inaccurate and you get grossly skewed readings the faster your heart beats. Users tested it by simply manually checking their cardio rate using two fingers on their wrists and by using very accurate chest strap monitors. One reviewer even talked about how the LifeSpan monitor showed his pulse rate going down as he started to work out. I wish my heart rate would that – I’d be blazing some 4 minute miles if that were the case.

On the good side the LifeSpan does seem to work very well when you are not exercising but just sitting. Great. Oh, and don’t get this model wet either because it’s not water proof or resistant. So if you sweat on it, it will apparently stop working – another real plus for this gem. My advice; save your $30 and look elsewhere for an accurate monitor. You can read more about the LifeSpan Fitness Ring by clicking here.

#1 Worst Heart Rate Monitor – The BowFlex Classic

The model that makes it to the top of my worst list is the BowFlex Classic. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Bowflex. They’re the company that makes all kinds of so-called fitness machines and home gyms. You know the story; work out for 20 minutes 3 times a week doing some cable pulls and stretching with some bands on the BowFlex machine and in 6 weeks you’ll have ripped abs, a tight butt and 7% body fat. Good luck with that.

 

I prefer the old school way that actually works, which is just a lot of hard work and sweat – running, biking, swimming, or weight training with free weights. Of course if you’re 300 pounds and haven’t worked out in years, if ever, then the BowFlex is not a bad start – better than sitting on the couch. Anyway, BowFlex apparently decided to move into the heart tempo gauge market.

In the promotional material on the BowFlex Classic strapless monitor they talk about getting the most out of your workouts. They say how the BowFlex can easily calculate your average and maximum heart rate with just the press of one button. The monitor also features a timer that you can use for counting down your workout and for interval training. The watch will also show your last 20 cardio rate readings along with 42 of your latest laps. There’s even a special light for night workouts and an alarm function that chimes when you stray from your target pulse rate. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, when you look at some of the owner reviews, another story comes out.

The BowFlex monitor got an average of 1.9 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com, with over 73% of the ratings coming in at 2 or below, which is very poor. Most owners had a real problem with getting the heart rate monitor function to work correctly. You have to put your fingers on the back of the watch to get a reading, which can be a real pain if you’re in the middle of your workout. You basically have to stop for a few seconds so that the BowFlex can pick up a reading. And from what most people say, you are lucky if it gets any reading at all. The other functions like the timer and the alarm clock seemed to work OK, but of course you can get all of that with any $20 watch. When you’re paying over $300 for a cardio velocity checker, you want it to work.

There were also reports of the strap breaking. Many owners even received the wrong product and some had mismatched instruction manuals. How’d you like to try to set up a watch with the wrong instructions! To top things off, the people that tried to contact BowFlex customer service had long wait times, if they even got through, and when they were able to talk to someone, the customer service was horrible. So the bottom line is stay away from this one.

You can read more about the Bowflex Classic Strapless pulse tempo gauge here.

So there you have it; the worst heart rate monitors. Save your money and avoid these and invest in something that is worthwhile and will last and provide you with an accurate measure of your cardiovascular rate. Accuracy and reliability are essential for recording and analyzing your heart rate and improving your overall fitness level. There are many excellent, high quality models on the market that can help you get in better shape and run, bike, or swim faster. Just look around the rest of this site, especially my article on the highest rated cardio devices, and find a high quality cardio tempo computer that will work for you.

Before you go out shopping for a heart rate monitor you need to make sure you understand what to look for. We have put together the following list of the most important features for a high performing heart rate monitor. We have researched and gathered information from experts like track and field coaches and professional athletes, as well as a variety of professional testing and review centers.

 

The market for heart rate monitors is made up of some very basic models and some very advanced models. Basic monitors typically only show your heart rate and are inexpensive, usually retailing for less than $50. More sophisticated monitors like the Garmin 405CX heart rate monitor not only record your heart rate, but can provide you with a wealth of information about your exercise and fitness levels. Some will even motivate you to do better and help you achieve your goals. Advanced monitors can run a couple hundred dollars, but it is money well spent. Having an advanced heart rate monitor is like having your own personal training coach on your wrist.

Many of the top track and field athletes in the world, as well as professional triathletes, use advanced heart rate monitors to plan their training. Marcus O’Sullivan, Villanova University’s head track coach, says that “Heart-rate monitors are an essential part of race success.” He finds it very hard to try and coach one of his athletes when they don’t want to wear a monitor.

If you are out racing, no matter what the sport, you can bet your top competitors are using only the best heart rate monitors to improve and advance their training. The last thing you want to do is to fall behind.

So here are twelve important features that you need to look for if you want to get the best heart rate monitor for your game, and take your fitness to the next level.

1. A large and easily readable wrist display.

When your sprinting to the finish at the end of your workout, the last thing you want to do is to have to break stride and slow down to look close at your monitor because the numbers are too small to read. You need a really bold display and if you are exercising at night, you definitely need a backlight display to illuminate the readings. Also if you’re a cyclist you will have the monitor mounted on the handles of your bike. You can’t really move closer to the monitor to read it, which makes display readability even more important.

2. Integration with your computer.

This is an essential feature if you plan on getting serious with your training. As the saying goes, “If you don’t keep score, you don’t know if you are winning.” Keeping score for endurance athletes means tracking time, speed, and distance covered as well as your overall fitness level as recorded through your heart rate monitor. You can simply write down your times and your heart rate from the data in the monitor, but it’s much easier to just sync it up to your computer and download all of the data you need. You can then track it and plan your workout according to the analysis performed by the software.

Most manufacturers that offer this feature have a range of highly detailed statistics that can measure your performance over time. Several manufacturers, like Polar, even have websites where you can register for free and load up your data for analysis. To load your data up to the Polar website you need a FlowLink which is a USB device that connects your watch monitor to your computer. On the Polar website you’ll find strength building exercises and fitness calculators, as well as the ability to design customized training programs and track your progress. There is even a community of users that you can interact with and compare workouts and training tips. I highly recommend it as a very valuable resource. You don’t have to have the FlowLink device to use many of the features on the site, although you get way more out of the site if you can upload your own training data.

3. A good fitting chest strap.

You really need your chest strap to fit tight to your chest to get an accurate heart rate reading. If the electrodes are not touching your chest the whole time you are exercising you’ll get false readings and not get the full benefit of your heart rate monitor. You want the strap snug to your chest, but not so tight that it chafes you. If you are exercising for a long period of time, and have problems with chafing, then we recommend using small amounts of Vaseline or some type of sports lubricant like BodyGlide.

Women often have a hard time getting the strap to fit right so we recommend using special sports bras designed specifically for women. One really good women’s sports bra is the Polar Cardio Sports Bra.

4. An encrypted signal from the chest strap to the wrist monitor.

You won’t see this being an issue in most heart rate monitors, however there are some models that may not have an encrypted signal. If that is the case and someone next to you on the treadmill is using a monitor as well, then your device may start to register some of the other person’s readings. If you are a fit marathoner, it can be quite a shock when you’re running at a moderate pace and you monitor shows your heart rate is at 200 beats per minute, which is really the reading of the 250 pounder huffing away on the treadmill beside you! So if your model is not encrypted you just need to be away of this and keep a moderate distance from others using monitors.

Another issue to be aware of with monitor reception that does not have to do with encryption concerns interference from other devices like cell phone towers and power lines. Most of these sources of interference are temporary and go away as you run past them. Usually you’ll just have a brief pause in the recording or a quick, abnormal spike in your heart rate reading.

5. Big control buttons that are easy to push on the wrist display.

When you’re in the middle of your workout and sweating your tail off you don’t want to have to deal with tiny little buttons to push on your monitor. Bigger buttons that respond easily and quickly are essential in a wrist monitor. If you are doing splits and using the stopwatch a lot or doing a multi-heart rate targeted zone workouts and pushing those buttons a lot, then large buttons become even more crucial.

6. An easily replaceable battery.

Many heart rate monitor manufacturers require you to send the whole thing back to the manufacturer just to get the battery replaced. This can be a real hassle as the entire ordeal can take a couple of weeks, during which time you’ll be without your monitor. However, most manufacturers will do a full service analysis on your monitor while they replace the battery, which is good and will certainly extend the life of the device.

Most batteries will last 1-2 years, depending on use, before they need to be replaced. A service at that time can be a good thing if you can handle being without your monitor for a couple of weeks. It’s your preference, but I like being able to change the battery myself.

7. A good fitting watch.

You don’t want a watch that’s bouncing around when you are moving or that’s too tight. Also in terms of appearance, you don’t want something that’s too bulky or appears too small on your wrist. Make sure you look at the dimensions of the watch head and the strap before you buy. All of our reviews on this site list the dimensions of the watches so you can get a pretty good idea of size.

8. A multifunction alarm.

There are several types of alarms you can get with your monitor that are very useful. A countdown alarm works in conjunction with a stopwatch and lets you know when to start and stop your interval training. Also having the monitor beep when you stray from your target heart rate is very helpful. That way you know when to slow down or speed up and you don’t have to keep looking at your watch to see if you’re in the right target zone, which can be a real pain.

9. Programmable target heart rate zones.

It’s not enough just to know your heart rate, you need to know what your target heart rate zones are in order to accurately and efficiently plan your training sessions. The best heart rate monitors can be programmed to beep when you are moving outside your target heart rate. If your heart rate goes too high you get a beep to back off a little bit. The same goes if you’re slacking off and going too slow and your heart rate drops down below the target zone.

Some monitors will only beep if your heart rate goes too high or too low but not both. Try to find one that has both functions. It’s also helpful to be able to program multiple target zones for one work out, although this can get complicated in terms of programming. Just make sure everything is laid out simply and clearly in the product manual.

Also included with programmable target heart zones is a feature called summary memory. This tells you how long you were in your target heart rate zone during your last workout. It should also record the amount of time that you spent below or above your target zone and your maximum and average heart rate during your workout.

The Polar FT60 heart rate monitor offers a complete training program based around programmable heart rate zones. It’s basically like having your own personal electronic coach monitor your fitness level and recommend ways for you to improve.

10. A heart rate recovery feature.

With this feature you can find out how quickly your body recovers after a hard workout. This tells you about your overall fitness level. The monitor determines this by measuring how many beats your heart rate drops after one or two minutes immediately following the conclusion of your workout.

This feature can also be used during speed or sprint sessions to measure your rest periods. For example, you’ll get a beep or some type of indication on the watch telling you that your heart rate has dropped to an acceptable level and you can start your next speed interval.

11. Easy to work and program.

We’ve all had those incredibly complex watches where you need an aerospace engineering degree just set the date and time. Push this button, hold that button x number of seconds, and so on. These can be a real headache. So you want a monitor that is going to have a manual that is really easy to follow.

Many of our detailed heart rate monitor reviews include the actual product manual for you to download and take a look at before you purchase the monitor. We also have information on what other users say about the difficulty level of programming the monitor. That way you know for sure whether it’s going to be too complicated for you to program or not.

12. A Stopwatch

I consider a stopwatch a very helpful item to have when training. But who wants to have to wear a stopwatch and a heart rate monitor at the same time? Your heart rate monitor should have a stopwatch function built into it and most of the best models that we list on this site do.

A nice bonus to have with a stopwatch is the ability to time splits or laps. This is where you can hit the stopwatch after interval one or lap one then start it again for interval two and so on. The stopwatch will record each of your split times.

Heart rate monitors are amazing tools to add to your training. You can accurately track and plan your workouts to maximize your performance. Many monitors are like having an electronic coach that will coax you and reward you when you hit your target goals. Here are five reasons that many of the top athletes in the world use heart rate monitors in their workouts.

1. A heart rate monitor can help keep you from over or under training.

One of the best ways to improve your performance in any sport is to train at the right intensity at the right time in your training cycle. A lot of runners and other athletes don’t do enough easy runs or workouts. Hitting it hard every time lengthens your recovery time and hurts overall fitness in the long run.

According to Runner’s World magazine, 2004 Olympic runner Carrie Tollefson wore a heart rate monitor to make sure she was running in her recovery zone during her easy days. By forcing herself to follow the heart rate zone recommendations and go slower on recovery days, Carrie was able to increase her weekly mileage from 60 to 90 miles. This eventually led to her dropping 47 seconds off her 5K time, hitting a new personal best of 15:04.

Many athletes, from beginners to elite levels, think that harder is better. This is definitely not the case as recovery runs or workouts play an essential role in improving your performance and boosting your overall fitness level. Monitors can also help you stay injury free by ensuring that your recovery runs are not too hard.

The same situation applies with under training. It you don’t work hard enough you’ll never see the improvement you’d like, especially with hard workouts that are meant to boost your lactate threshold. The key is to listen to your heart, not your head.

2. A heart rate monitor gives you immediate feedback on your performance.

A heart rate monitor is like having your own personal training coach. It’s often difficult to accurately judge how hard you are exercising. Our mental guesses about how hard we are working can be very unreliable. As a result it’s easy to end up biking or running too slow or too fast to truly advance our overall performance and physical ability.

With a monitor all you have to do is look down at your wrist and it instantly tells you how hard your body’s working and whether you are training at the level you need to be training at. Most of today’s best heart rate monitors are very precise and can give you instantaneous, objective readings of how much effort you are putting forth during your workout.

Monitors can also be used in actual races, especially longer races. They can prevent you from starting out too fast early on and getting caught in the rush and excitement at the beginning of the race, and then burning out in the later stages. If you check your heart rate and keep it within your target zone, you can run a nice steady, fast, but not too fast, pace.

3. You can track changes in your fitness level and performance over time and adjust your training accordingly.

Whether you’re a runner, biker, swimmer, or triathlete, your overall goal is improved performance measured by faster times and more distance. A heart rate monitor lets you record your heart rate and fitness level so that you can do the right type of workout at the right time. There is no guesswork. You look at the data about what your body is telling you and plan accordingly to maximize your fitness level. You can stay more focused and get better results.

Most of the best monitors like the Garmin Forerunner 305 heart rate monitor let you download information to your computer so that you can track your progress over time. Many have detailed statistics that you can analyze, include the distance you traveled, your pace, and the amount of time you spent working out, in addition to your heart rate. Some even track calories burned. Analyzing this data over time you can start to see trends and you can concentrate more on areas that need improving.

4. A heart rate monitor can motivate you to do better.

Many distance athletes need a measure of their progress if they are going to stick with it. This holds true especially for beginners. If you can see your distance and speed increasing each week while your heart rate remains in the same zone, you are more motivated to keep at it. Also if your pants are fitting you better or you lose a couple of dress sizes then you are even more motivated to continue with your workout program.

Some monitors will provide you with motivational messages telling you that you did a good job and to keep it up. They also tell you to take it easy and give yourself more time to recover. You can even earn “trophies” (the digital kind of course) for reaching certain goals.

Many companies have on-line communities built around their monitors. You can log onto the site, upload your data and get feedback from other runners or bikers online. You can compete against them based on different criteria. This is a great way to get additional motivation, as well as training tips from your fellow competitors. Think of it as a mix of a video game and a real life track meet.

The Garmin Connect website lets you download your data wirelessly whenever you’re in range of your Mac or PC. On the site you can set goals, analyze your training data and even share your activities with friends and family through email, Facebook, and Twitter.

5. You can set specific goals based on your needs and desire.

Whether your goal is weight loss, completing a marathon, or winning an Ironman a heart rate monitor can help you. Each time you go out for a workout with your monitor on, you will have a very detailed record of how far and how fast you went, and how your heart reacted. The more you know about your performance, the better you can make an actionable plan to reach your goals. A heart rate monitor can provide you with all the information you need to set specific goals.

If increasing distance is your goal, many monitors, like the Garmin FR60, come with built in GPS systems so that you can see how far you’ve gone, what your split time is per mile and what you heart rate was.

You can easily follow a heart rate training program based on target zones as well. Many monitors have built in computers that will even recommend workouts for you. The Polar FT60 will analyze your data and suggest workouts in light, moderate, and hard training zones. It will also suggest an amount of time to work out each week and tell you how much to train in each zone.

You can also look at including a foot pod with your monitor so that you can you track your pace and you can hit your speed goals faster. An advanced runner can go more than 90 strides per minute, whereas a beginner is looking at around 70. So setting a goal for a faster pace is a good way to improve your race times.

Overall heart rate monitors are really amazing pieces of technology that can truly advance your training and take your performance to the next level.

Heart rate monitors are amazing tools to add to your training. You can accurately track and plan your workouts to maximize your performance. Many monitors are like having an electronic coach that will coax you and reward you when you hit your target goals. Here are five reasons that many of the top athletes in the world use heart rate monitors in their workouts.

 

A heart rate monitor, abbreviated as HRM, is a device that electronically check’s the heart rate of a person and displays results digitally via numbers. Heart rate monitors are used as a guide, mostly by runners, if their pace is manageable and can be tolerated by their heart. HRMs are also used to check a runner’s progress more accurately so that they will know if they are under or over training, instead of just relying on mere gut feel.

There are so many options to choose from when it comes to heart rate monitors and it is important to choose one which will serve its purpose. In order to find the best heart rate monitor, here are the top 7 tips for choosing a heart rate monitor.

Tip # 1: Know what your goal is

Heart rate monitors differ in features and it is best that you know what you want for your HRM. There’s always a

• General Fitness: Choose a heart rate monitor that provides fitness information and training intensity.
• Sports: Look for a heart rate monitor that provides multi-sport support, feedback, and other advanced features like having a GPS. Running heart rate monitors have always been popular heart monitor choices.
• Weight Loss: There are heart rate monitors that give information on your heart rate as well as the calories you burned.

Tip # 2: Check the features

There are heart rate monitors that is a combination of a wrist watch and a pulse heart rate monitor. You’d also want to consider if you want a simple heart rate monitor or you want the more complex types.

Some other features of heart rate monitors include:

• Have ECG accuracy readings
• Target zone recorder
• Multiple User option
• Fitness test
• Calorie Counter and Calculator
• Pedometer
• Stop watch
• Water resistant

You’d also want to consider a heart rate monitor that’s easy to use and that you can read the screen easily.

Tip # 3: Look for a trusted brand

It is no surprise that a lot of companies who specialize in manufacturing healthcare equipment come out with their own version of heart rate monitors. But there are the trusted brands that athletes and experts recommend. Here are some of them:

• Polar – Polar is one of the leading brands in heart rate monitors. They sell high quality heart monitors which are mostly inclined with sports performance,   rehabilitation, and weight management. Some of the notable Polar heart rate monitors include Polar FT 4, Polar G3 GPS sensor, and the Polar F6 fitness heart rate monitor.

• Timex – Timex, one of the best watch manufacturers, also come out with their own version of heart rate monitors. The Timex Ironman heart rate monitor series boasts of performance and functionality.

• Omron – Omron is another trusted brand in fitness and health care products. One of its heart rate monitors is the Omron HR-100C which has an easy program monitor, alarm option for heart rates, time display and is water resistant.

• Garmin – Garmin is another manufacturer of heart rate monitors that came out with the Forerunner 305. This heart rate monitor particularly does a lot of tracking and it can also compare previous workouts with the current one so you can check improvement and follow up on progress.

Tip # 4: Check your budget

Heart rate monitors differ in prices which depend on their functionality and features. Cost for heart rate monitors that have simple heart rate tracking features, calorie counter and stop watch range from $50 to $100. Heart monitors which can track your progress and customize workouts cost about $100 to $200. And the more complex ones like those with GPS or comparison functions is priced at $200 and up.

Tip # 5: Consider the look, comfort and style

Each manufacturer of heart rate monitors come out with its own unique functions that each individual may be looking for. But it is also one consideration if the particular heart monitor model reflects your personality. After knowing what type of heart rate monitor you need, check out the styles for each manufacturer and choose which fits you best.

Tip # 6: Strap it up

Be sure to get the heart rate monitors with secured and snug straps. If the straps don’t fit properly, the heart monitor reading won’t be as accurate. Also check on the comfort of the chest strap and the watch strap. And be wary of the material used for the straps as low grade materials may chafe easily or may cause allergic reactions.

Tip # 7: Read reviews

It’s always best to check out the merchandise you are about to buy. Especially with heart rate monitors, you will need to make sure that whatever brand and model you are eyeing has good feedback. It’s not enough that you depend on your judgment because of what it looks like. Read heart rate monitor reviews online for your own peace of mind before hitting the store.

A heart rate monitor can be a great tool to boost your fitness level whether you are an elite marathoner or just want to lose a few pounds. This article talks about how to best use a monitor to get the most out of your training.

After you purchase your heart rate monitor the first thing you need to do before you start using it is to read your owner’s manual. Now, I know what you’re thinking, because I’m the same way, “I don’t need to read any darn owner’s manual, I’ll just strap this baby on and head out the door for a run and figure it out as I go.”

That may well work for some things, but for a heart rate monitor, even a basic model, you need to read the manual. Trust me, it will make things a lot easier for you and you’ll probably learn about some really cool features that your monitor has that you would never have discovered trying to figure it out on your own.

Your owner’s manual should cover the basics. Here are a few additional helpful tips to get you started with your monitor and ensure you get the most out of it.

1. Make sure your chest strap fits properly and is tight to your skin.

If your chest strap is not touching your body then you will not get an accurate reading. Most straps will fit you snugly, but not be too tight that they are uncomfortable. The main thing though is to make sure the leads touch your skin in the center of the chest. For men this is just below the chest muscles. Women should shoot for just below the bra. There are several sports bras that are designed specifically for heart rate monitors and these are worth looking into. One of our favorites is the Polar Cardio Sports Bra

To ensure that the leads on the measuring device are properly recording your heart rate you will need to moisten the contact area where the leads touch your skin. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One is to just use saliva if you’re not sharing you strap with anyone else. Another option is to use water from your water bottle or run the strap under the sink before you head out to exercise. Or if you really want to be professional you can use electrode gel.

There are strapless heart rate monitors as well. You can read our article on What Type of Heart Rate Monitor Should You Choose to learn more about these. If you have one of those models, you can just skip over step one because you won’t have a chest strap to worry about.

2. Test your fitness level and determine your maximum heart rate.

Many heart rate monitors have their own fitness test so that you can determine your baseline level. These tests are very close approximations of VO2 Max, which is a commonly used measure of overall fitness. There are several different formulas for estimating VO2 Max, with some taking into account maximum and resting heart rate, and others based on how far you can run in a certain amount of time.

Depending on the heart rate monitor model, some of VO2Max tests require a measure of resting heart rate over a couple of days at different times. Others require you to do a vigorous workout to determine your maximum heart rate and VO2 Max. Then there are some monitors that just calculate your maximum heart rate and training zones based on your age. This is not the most accurate measure and can vary greatly based on your physical condition. Most monitors though, like the Omron HR-100C heart rate monitor, will let you input your own max heart rate measure.

One really cool test for your VO2 max is called the Cooper test which was developed for the United States Air Force in the 1960’s. To get your VO2 Max (in ml/min/kg) take the distance that you can run in meters over 12 minutes. Say you’re fast (and to make the math easier for this example) and you can run 6 minute miles. That means you’ll cover about 2 miles in 12 minutes. One mile is 1,609 meters, so that’s 3,218 meters covered in 12 minutes. Then take 3,218 subtract 505 which is 2,713 and divide that by 45 which equals 60.29, your VO2 Max.

Elite endurance athletes like professional cyclists will have VO2 Max levels over 75 ml/kg/min. The average untrained male will have a VO2 Max of about 45 and females about 38.

If you want to be really accurate on your VO2 Max and your maximum heart rate, you can make an appointment for a stress test with your doctor. You can read more about how to test for your maximum heart rate on our site.

3. Program your basic monitor settings and set up a training schedule based on heart rate zones.

Once you have a good connection on the chest device and established your baseline level of fitness, you can start programming your watch settings. First simply set the date and time. Then, depending on your monitor, you should be able to input some basic data about yourself, including your age, weight, height, sex, and body fat percentage if you know it.

Next, you can move onto programming your workout schedule. Many monitors will automatically design a training program using your fitness and activity level, weight, height, age, and sex, and your training goals. The monitor will then analyze your training results over time, usually a week, and provide guidance and recommendations on how you should train the following week. Most programs are highly intelligent and will adapt to your training habits and your improving fitness level.

Most of the training goals that your monitor will set for you will be based on target heart rate zones. It will tell you how long you should be training in each intensity zone. Most heart rate zone training programs are based around three different zones. The easiest zone is typically 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. This zone provides a good warm up and can improve basic endurance and help recovery. The middle or moderate zone is 70-80% of max heart rate and is good for losing weight and building aerobic fitness. The high intensity zone is 80-90% of max heart rate. At this level you burn the most calories and boost your VO2 Max while increasing your anaerobic threshold.

You can read more about heart rate zone training on our website.

If one of your goals is weight loss, many monitors will even tell you how many calories you should burn each week based on your training schedule and desired amount of weight to lose.

The important thing to remember after you set up your training schedule is to stick to it. Your monitor will definitely help motivate you as it records all of your workouts and can show you where you need to concentrate your efforts.

4. Download software to integrate your monitor with your computer and join the online community offered by the manufacturer.

Integration with your computer and an active online community are great bonuses that not all monitors offer. If you are lucky enough to have one that does, then you definitely need to take advantage of it. Typically you’ll be able to download the software you need from the manufacturer’s website, although some may come with a disc.

Once you have the software on your computer you can transfer the data from your monitor to the computer. Some monitors require a separate device for this, others will wirelessly download data. You can then see charts and graphs of your training data and analyze it in a variety of ways. Over time you can track your fitness level and look for ways to train more intelligently.

Many manufactures will also offer online communities where you can register and get training tips and advice from experts and other members of the community. You can also find new ideas for workouts and even compete against others based on different criteria.

Timex is one company that offers a fantastic online community through its Timex Trainer online program. The Timex site is powered by Training Peaks which offers a complete program for enhancing your fitness level, and has detailed workouts from expert trainers as well as nutrition advice. It lets you track data on your pace, speed, distance and even elevation. The result is you can plan and measure your progress over time and really look in detail at ways you can become faster, stronger, and healthier.

So, in conclusion you can see that there are a ton of really cool things that you can get out of your heart rate monitor if you learn to use it properly and take advantage of all the features. If you you’d like to learn some more you can check out our article on the Features To Consider Before You Buy A Heart Rate Monitor.