What Is A Good Heart Rate Monitor?

Whether you are an athlete in training or a casual exerciser, heart rate monitors can be useful tools. If you are in the market to purchase one, you will be faced with many choices. There is a model for just about everyone and every budget. Depending on the type of exercise or activity you pursue, some models are preferable to others.

Considerations

The American College of Sports Medicine provides some important things for you to consider before purchasing your heart rate monitor. First, the type of exercise program or your personal fitness goals play a large part in deciding which options or features will be useful to you. The first step in deciding which monitor is best for you is to determine your maximum heart rate. To do this, subtract your age from 220. There are some devices available that can predict your maximum heart rate based on additional information.

Options and Features

Heart rate monitors were developed in the 1980s; there have been many improvements since. Monitors are now available that look like watches, can calculate a target training zone for you and have a stopwatch built in. Others can time laps or splits, have an alarm and memory function, and can calculate your recovery rate after exercising. Some models can display the number of calories burned during your workout, have back lights, can link to your computer at home and can predict both your maximal aerobic capacity and maximal heart rate.

Function

Heart rate monitors for exercise consist of a watch-type device worn on your wrist and a transmitter worn around your chest against your skin. The transmitter contains electrodes that detect your heart rate and continuously transmit them to the device on your wrist. Other monitors rely on transmitters worn on your arm. Some use GPS sensors to track your running or cycling speed or distance and relay this information to your computer.

Types

Heart rate monitors can be complicated and expensive or fairly simple and less costly. You need to decide your monitoring goal -- this will help you determine which type is best for you and your budget. Be sure the transmitter you wear against your skin is comfortable. It should allow your skin to breathe. Optimally, it should be washable. The size and weight of the watch device is also important. If your wrist is narrow, try the device to be sure it is comfortable. Some heart rate monitors are not gender-specific, so if you are a small woman, the device could look and feel quite large. If you want data transmitted to your computer, you will need to purchase extra components. Some monitors are built for a specific market segment such as recreational athletes vs. elite athletes in training. Buy the features you need for your type of use.

Brands

An article from "The New York Times" titled Marathon Tech Review: Watches reviews some specific brands. The types reviewed include the Polar FT60, which is appropriate for recreational athletes and those looking to track their progress. An alternative is the Polar RS300XSD. Garmin makes the 405CX, which uses GPS to track your time and distance. The article also reviews the Timex Ironman Race Trainer, which is gender-specific. Add-ons are available, including foot pods, which are an alternative to a GPS sensor. They clip to your shoe and measure your speed and distance and have wireless flash drives to upload workout data,

This is not a complete list of available heart rate monitors. A good heart rate monitor is one that performs all the functions that are important to you and fits within your budget. Visit your favorite running or sports store and try on each monitor. In addition to function and fit, comfort is an important variable that will help you decide which monitor is right for you.