Are you an absolute novice thinking about buying your first Heart Rate Monitor? Or an experienced athlete looking for the most suitable Pulse Watch out there? Are you not sure which model to go for? Does all the “Heart Rate Lingo” such as bpm and MHR drive you bananas?
Or are you already the proud owner of a Heart Rate Monitor but feel you are not making the most out of it?
Well, you have come to the right place… 10bestreviewed.com will help you to find the right Heart Rate Monitor for your needs and gives you all the tips and tricks you need to make the most out of your device.
What is a Heart Rate Monitor?
A heart rate monitor measures your heart rate during both periods of rest and exercise. The measurement is calculated in beats per minute, allowing you to determine trends over time. When you understand more about the function of your heart, you can better design your workout to positively impact your health and physical fitness.
Who uses heart rate monitors? Why do you need a heart rate monitor?
Heart rate monitors are used by athletes and health enthusiasts to track the number of beats per minute of their heart while engaged in cardio or other workout activities. These activities can include running, aerobics, biking, or using an elliptical machine. If your heart rate monitor indicates that your heart rate during exercise exceeds the expected level even when you are not at full exertion, discuss this with your medical practitioner. Heart rate monitors may also be used by individuals experiencing issues related to their heart, at the advice of their physician.
Why is choosing the best heart rate monitor important?
Finding and using the right heart rate monitor can help you to understand more about your own health and level of fitness while you engage in workout routines. It is important to understand two different heart rates when exercising. First, you must determine your resting heart rate – how many beats per minute does your heart produce when you are doing nothing more than sitting or standing. Then, factoring in your age, gender and physical fitness goals, you can determine what your maximum heart rate should be during cardio exercise. Your fitness goals will dictate what percentage of your maximum heart rate you should attain while working out – if you do not work out hard enough, you will not achieve your goals. If you work out too hard, you could damage your heart.
Best Heart Rate Monitors
1. Apple Watch Heart Rate Monitor Review
The Apple Watch comes equipped with a built-in heart rate monitor. It is programmed to automatically check and record your heart rate every ten minutes. This data is recorded on your Health app on your iPhone for your perusal.
During a workout, however, as your heart rate rises, the watch will check and record your heart rate more frequently. If you wish to check your heart rate on-demand, you can also do that, even outside the preprogrammed increments. To do this, you simply launch the heart rate app from the watch home screen and wait for it to measure your beats per minute. The benefit of the
Apple heart rate monitor is that it measures incrementally (and accurately) automatically throughout the day. The drawback, however, is that you have to prompt it to measure your heart rate outside the designated increments, and the information is not always immediately accessible if you don’t have your phone on you, or are not in a position to check your Health app.
2. FitBit Charge 2 Review
The FitBit is the most ubiquitous, common fitness tracker watch on the market today. With its interchangeable colored accessory bands, it is not only utile but fashionable as well!
The Charge 2 boasts its patented PurePulse heart rate monitoring, a connected GPS, multi-sport tracking, call, and text alerts, customizable fitness goal setting and monitoring, real-time updates on your current cardio fitness level, and guided breathing sessions designed to help you regulate your heart rate during times of stress or anxiety. The Fitbit Charge 2 helps you monitor not only your physical health but your psychological and emotional health as well!
3. Nike+ SportWatch GPS Review
The Nike+ SportWatch is comparable in form and function to Strava for Apple Watch. The SportWatch is a malleable, comfortable watch that records your time, distance, pace, heart rate, and calories burned during a workout. The Nike+ watch syncs with your online Nike+ account so that you can view your progress over a course of multiple workouts.
Through the Nike+ site, you can also join groups with friends to make your workouts competitive and interactive; you can give or receive recommendations for running routes; find popular or busy running areas, and share your workouts or runs on social media. The Nike+ Sport Watch is compatible with Nike shoe sensors.
4. Garmin Forerunner 35 Review
The Garmin Forerunner 35 is another GPS-enabled watch device that works without the need to connect it to a smartphone. Its self-contained fitness tracking capabilities include continuous 24/7 heart rate monitoring, vibration alert to keep you on track during a run, virtual pacing calculations, and the option to connect your watch to your other media devices.
The Garmin’s GPS capabilities are clear and high-functioning, providing you real-time progress monitoring even under heavy tree cover. Its sleek design and high user review rating have earned the Garmin Forerunner 35 an Amazon.com recommendation.
5. TomTom Spark 3 Review
The TomTom Spark 3 is an ideal choice for the exercising music lover! This GPS fitness tracker has an optional music bundle, which includes 3 GB of music storage and Bluetooth earbuds to make listening to music more convenient. With the Spark 3, you can monitor all your fitness activities, including running (outside or indoors on a treadmill), cycling (indoor and out), and swimming (since this fitness watch has the added bonus of being waterproof).
The activity tracker measures time, distance, speed, pace, and calories burned, and provides live statistics. An additional unique feature is the audio feedback the Spark 3 offers to motivate your and give you feedback that you can hear, not requiring you to stop your workout to read about your progress.
6. Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor Review
Polar FT7 is truly sophisticated and advanced in its features to help you monitor and keep track of your heart rate and fitness level over time. Polar FT7 goes way beyond just being a heart rate monitor. This is actually a training computer. It consists of a transmitter which is attached to the chest and receiver which is generally put on wrist like any other heart rate monitor machine. But Polar FT7 has a coded transmission that prevents any crosslink with other HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) gadget transmission.
It consists of large digital display, and also has a backlight feature. Polar FT7 model can count your days of exercise, your length of workouts, your calories, and can measure your HR zone. This gadget has a unique data recall feature where you can access data from your last 99 workout sessions, and hence can monitor and compare the amount of fat burnt, calories burnt.
7. Garmin Forerunner 620 Review
The 620 has been released to replace the popular 610. It has come out at the same time as it’s lighter weight (both functionally and physical) little sibling, the new Garmin Forerunner 220. These new models share some common features, including the high-resolution color display. If you ever used a 610, you may have struggled operating the touch screen with gloves on, the 620 works more like an iPhone style display, even works fine with gloves on; the 620 is a touch-screen than works even if you’re wearing gloves. The 620, when used in conjunction with the new HRM-RUN chest strap, will give indoor speed and distance, as well as leg cadence (strides per minute) and stride length.
One of the new motivational features that we really like is your PERSONAL RECORDS. At the end of a run, the 620 will display a congratulatory, WELL DONE – PB message if you’ve just your best 1 Mile time, 5K time, 10K or similar. It’s these little touches that prove that Garmin work closely with runners of all abilities to give features that EVERYDAY runners will appreciate and take motivation from.
8. Garmin Forerunner 735xt Review
The Garmin Forerunner 735xt GPS Personal Trainer with optional pulse rate is a must-have for any triathlete. As a GPS-enabled training device, the Garmin Forerunner 735xt offers such a lot over the competition. Its rugged style makes it an essential training tool for triathletes, providing superior data following also as water-resistance up to 164 foot (50m). Finally a heart rate monitor that can work with you while you are within the water.
9. Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor Review
The Polar FT4 heart rate monitor is that the ideal coaching companion for anyone who wants a basic heart rate monitor that keeps things easy. With an easy-to-use style and easy options, the Polar FT4 is a excellent choice for recreational exercisers or people who wish to get started with heart rate training.
How can you choose the right heart rate monitor?
You can find the best heart rate monitor by evaluating different designs and functions.
- Simple models strap directly to your body and provides a constant read out of your heart rate.
- Multifunction models also provide information on the length of your workout or the range of your heart rate over the duration of your workout.
- Digital watches with built-in heart rate monitors track your heart rate consistently and not just when you are exercising.
- Built-in heart rate monitors on stationary bicycles, treadmills and elliptical machines gather information including your normal resting heart rate, age and gender and tests your heart rate at specific times over the course of your work out.
Top 6 Tips for Choosing a Heart Rate Monitor
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: 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 # 5: 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 # 6: 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.
Conclusion
It is important to give careful consideration to how you will use your monitor before selecting a specific device. Regardless of which option is best for your own needs, using it frequently and consistently can have a positive impact on your overall physical fitness. By considering whether you want constant read outs, simple or complex data, or just want occasionally readings when using a specific piece of exercise equipment, you can find the best heart rate monitor for your own health and fitness goals.
