subject: How to Select a Heart Rate Monitor [print this page] How to Select a Heart Rate Monitor How to Select a Heart Rate Monitor
Heart rate monitors are a great way to keep track of your overall health while you workout. These devices will sense your heart rate and report back the amount of beats per minute so that the individual working out can adjust their workout according to the target heart rate they are trying to obtain. There is a heart rate that everyone needs to be at for optimum workout results, but no person is alike. This is where heart rate monitors can be very beneficial. If you are ready to purchase a monitor, then you will want to keep the following in mind:
Accuracy
There are some heart rate monitors that will strap to an individuals wrist, but these are only as accurate as to what they can actually read. If you are jogging heavily or even power walking, often these devices are not secure enough on a person's wrist to give accurate results. The most accurate type of heart rate monitor is one that straps directly to your chest and uses an ECG technology to monitor the heart. This device can then report back to another device that is worn as a wrist watch or around your neck.
Features
There are a lot of features that come with a monitor, but there are some that are essential over others. Some of those features would be ones that display your heart rate, exercise time, etc. Other features that can be helpful are ones that allow you to set alarms for a target heart rate. That way your device will beep when you have reached your target heart rate. Other features that can be helpful are countdown timers, interval timers, a calorie burner calculator, clock, time zones, time splits, and even a stopwatch.
Ease of Use
The last thing you want is a monitor that is difficult to use while you are struggling to work out. Ensure that the heart monitor you are using is easy to read, easy to program and still reads accurately. If you have to consult a guide or user manual every time you need to program the heart rate monitors, then you may want to avoid it.
Price
Heart rate monitors will certainly vary in cost. Though you may have a limited budget, ensure that the monitor you pay for is still quality enough to give you an accurate read out for the price you pay. Do some comparison shopping and ensure that you are getting the best price for your monitor, but always ensure that the monitor you are purchasing is quality made as well.
