Five Most Important Features of Your Heart Rate MonitorWhen you are new to running then, at some point in time, you will become interested in getting a heart rate monitor. I have to say, I do not use my heart rate monitor that much anymore nowadays. But in the beginning months and years my heart rate monitor helped me a lot in finding the right pace. So that an easy run did not end up being a tempo run. And vice versa !
But what do you look for in a heart rate monitor ? Which features are essential ? And which are nice-to-have ? Well, of course, this is somewhat personal. If you wish to get a top-of-the-range heart rate monitor like the Timex Bodylink System (watch, heart rate monitor, speed monitor and distance monitor all in one) or the Polar S625X (same thing but then from Polar) I am not going to stop you. They are both excellent top-of-the-notch models. So no wrong choice, definitely not. I am not that much of a "gadgets-man" I guess, I am happy with a cheaper model with a little less functionality. You just need to consider whether you wish to spend that amount of money.
Mind you : If you want to head into this direction and you want to have the complete system "talk to eachother" then you will have to choose one integrated system. I consider this all not essential, but hey, I am not you ! When you are new to running, it is difficult to determine what is important in a heart rate monitor. That's why I decided to make this page to help you out. So, what do I consider essential features of a heart rate monitor ? OK... drumroll please... my selection of five most important features is : Breast StrapYou have got two choices here. There are heart rate monitors which are only on the wrist. The disadvantage of this is that you can easily get interference with other heart rate monitors around. So then, your heart rate monitors reads some other runner's heart rate. Very annoying when you are running in a group or in a race!
If you are going to measure heart rate, you might as well measure your own ! Special note to ladies: there are good sports bras available with integrated heart rate monitor breast strap ! Very convenient... Adjustable heart rate target zones with alarm
What to consider here: Considering you usually run in mainly one zone per workout this is normally not strictly necessary. Some heart rate monitors have a beep to warn you when you "leave" your zone, some vibrate, some do both. LITTLE TIP: Want to avoid scolding ? Don't use the beeping alarms on your heart rate monitor during a race ... :) LightWhether you run in the mornings or at night, chances are that you run in the dark at least sometimes. I do most of my runs in the dark. Not much to do about that when you have a full-time job. Having a light on your heart rate monitor certainly comes in useful then... Mind you, not only for reading your heart rate ! I told you I don't use my heart rate monitor that much anymore nowadays. But my heart rate monitor (like most) has got watch functions as well, and I always wear it to keep track of how late it is and how long I have run. Stopwatch with lap/splitsEspecially when you mainly run shorter distances a good deal of your time is spent doing intervals on or off the track. Being able to time your splits is important then. And you will want to do that without much hassle like pushing many buttons and in the meanwhile doing the maths in your head. Keep an eye out for heart rate monitors with a memory function for your splits if you spend much of your time on the track. Again, this makes life just that little bit easier. Countdown TimerI use my heart rate monitor often for the countdown timer-functionality. I have a love/hate relationship with 5-minute intervals. I love how they help you get faster. But I hate doing them... :) When I do a 5-minute interval with 2 minutes recovery in between I set my timer at 7 minutes and let it count down. At 5 minutes my interval starts. At 0 the alarm goes off and it immediately starts counting down from 7 minutes to 0 again. And when my 2 minute recovery period is over the fun starts again... :) The other way around does not work as well. The last thing you want to do when doing a strenuous workout is checking your watch all the time to see if your interval is finished already. When you start your count down with the recovery period it is much easier. During recovery you go slow and you have the time, the breath and the energy to keep an eye on your watch. PriceLast, but not least, price. Know what you want from a heart rate monitor and what you want to spend, then make your choice. Good Heart Rate Monitor SourcesA couple of very good places to look for heart rate monitors are : HealthCheckSystems are a leader in delivering high tech health products like heart rate monitors and GPS systems. Highly recommended ! Road Runner Sports is the authority for running shopping online. Best BuysTo conclude this guide to the most important features of your heart rate monitor I'll show you a few heart rate monitors which have most of the basic features, but are still within a reasonable budget (US $60 - $90).
Heart Rate Monitor ReviewsSome heart rate monitor reviews are available on this site. Check them out for more detailed information about the best heart rate monitors around : Garmin Heart Rate Monitors Garmin heart rate monitors are well known for their sleek design, light weight and complete functionality. They are GPS devices measuring distance, speed, time and heart rate. Some of their models offer integration with training software as well. Polar Heart Rate Monitors Nike Heart Rate Monitors CardioSport Heart Rate Monitors Mio Heart Rate Monitors Timex Heart Rate Monitors Reebok Heart Rate Monitors
Then subscribe to my newsletter or to my site blog ! Go from Most Important Heart Rate Monitor Features to Best Running Tips Homepage It's important to be aware of heart health. Today's Women and Health will keep you up to date on heart health. Other interesting heart rate monitor pages for you :
Finding Cheap Heart Rate Monitors | Zoladz Heart Rate Target Zones Like Your Heart Rate Monitor? Tell Me About It!
Heart Rate Monitor GPS Running Watch | Polar Heart Rate Monitors | Garmin Heart Rate Monitors | Nike Heart Rate Monitors | CardioSport Heart Rate Monitors | Mio Heart Rate Monitors | Timex Heart Rate Monitors | Reebok Heart Rate Monitors | Cheap Heart Rate Monitors | Heart Rate Monitor Training | Heart Rate Monitor Training (Karvonen Method) | Heart Rate Monitor Training (Zoladz Method) | Maximum Heart Rate | Rest Heart Rate | Heart Rate Monitor Training Pitfalls |
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