subject: Heart Rate Monitors Come In A Variety Of Styles [print this page] You can get heart rate monitors in a variety of styles, but essentially most of them are used for monitoring your heart during sports and workouts nowadays. Some exercise equipment comes with them built-in, such as stationery exercise bikes that have a monitor built into the handlebars.
There are new heart monitor sports bras for women that have the monitor built-into the bra. Through sensors in the fabric, the heart rate can be monitored while you are walking, jogging or doing aerobics. It is probably just a matter of time until this is available in a variety of applications.
Of course, traditional monitors had sensors that you had to hook up. Through advanced technology, there are heart monitor watches, wireless monitors and strapless monitors. These are helpful instruments for measuring your heart rate to get you in the optimal range for cardio workout routines. The technological features vary, but some are quite advanced.
While the original purpose of monitors were for heart patients that were designed as portable ECG or electrocardiogram monitors, they are today primarily sold in the exercise and workout market. Keeping in safe heart rate limits is as important as reaching optimal rate for cardio workouts.
The way that these monitors work is that they pick up the electrical signals that the heart produces when it beats. Usually a second unit measures the pulse and the monitoring devices can determine the heart rate. Almost all of them work on this principle, but might use different ways to get these measurements.
Strapless monitors require that you put two fingers on the touch pad and the heart rate is determined. Sensors in fabric pick up the signals and they are interpreted by a wireless monitor watch in much the same way. Wireless ones are portable devices you can wear while exercising.
Some of the older exercise equipment have straps that contained sensors which are attached around the chest and hooked up to monitors built into the machines. These also can come with treadmills, elliptical trainers and stationery bikes, primarily.
No matter what method you use, there are a variety of choices when it comes to styles and prices. Polar was one of the first manufacturers to make heart monitors for the medical field and apply them to usage for the athletic and sports fields. Many other brands have joined in the manufacturing of heart rate monitors, including Timex, Garmin, Acumen and others.
Personal electronics made heart monitors popular since the 1990's when they first became used by athletes that were training for Olympics. Now, they are used by many athletes during exercise and workouts for sports, and those that do cardio workouts for recreational fitness purposes. Like any other kinds of electronics, they can range greatly in price.
