Monitoring your heart rate during exercise can help you achieve top physical performance while minimizing the risk of over-training -- and it's as simple as checking your watch. Heart rate monitors range from basic watches that only track time and heart rate, to full-featured models complete with GPS, calorie trackers and even USB uploading.
Considerations
Consider what features are important for your preferred method of exercise. If you typically do low-intensity activities like walking, a heart rate monitor without a chest strap may fit your needs. These can be cheaper than monitors with a strap, but you'll have to stop moving to take your pulse, and owners frequently report the accuracy of the pulse sensors vary. On the other hand, monitors with a chest strap are more accurate and will constantly update your watch with heart rate information, but the strap may be uncomfortable for some people.
Strapless
The Mio Drive Heart Rate Monitor Watch ranked high for strapless monitors; 25 reviewers at Amazon.com gave it an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Many enjoyed the calorie-counting feature but, like other strapless monitors, some reviewers said it didn't always give them an accurate reading. In comparison, the ePulse2 Strapless Heart Rate Monitor is one of the few strapless heart rate monitors that can read your pulse without you having to place your fingers on a sensor. It also received good reviews on Amazon.com, with eight out of 11 people giving it 4 or more stars. Overall, reviewers were happy with the accuracy of the ePulse2, but weren't thrilled about the short battery life.
Basic Monitors
The inexpensive Omron HR-100C is a standout when it comes to basic heart rate monitors. According to Consumer Search, people liked that it had an alarm that could be set for certain heart rates and that they could replace the batteries themselves. On the downside, there's no unique code transmitted between the chest strap and the watch, causing it to occasionally pick up interference from nearby exercise equipment.
Full-featured Monitors
If you want a watch that does more than just tell you the time and track your heart rate, the Garmin Forerunner 405CX can track your speed, distance, time and how many calories you burned. Karen Barrow gave the 405CX a test run for an article in "The New York Times," and liked the watch's ability to track an interval workout, but noted that the plastic chest strap became uncomfortable during a long run. You can also purchase a foot pod to track your distance when running indoors, and a USB device to upload training data directly to your computer.
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