What are the different heart rate monitors and how to make a choice?
The time when only professional athletes could afford training with a heart rate monitor is already in the past. Today literally anyone can buy this useful "device". At its inexpensive price, it brings a lot of benefits. Knowing your heart rate during training is useful not only for a professional athlete, but also for a beginner.
Having determined the heart rate (HR), you can find out the level of load on your body, choose a rational pace of training, determine the duration of breaks between certain stages of training. But there is one very important question: which model is best for you? Today's heart rate monitors are very different from each other, both in design, ergonomics and construction, and in a set of useful functions. Let's try to understand these devices.
Types of heart rate monitors
Types of heart rate monitorsAll existing heart rate monitors are categorized according to specific criteria. First, this is the type of design of the receiving device :
A wristwatch is the most versatile and widespread option, which is ideal for any sport (cycling, mountaineering, swimming, running, etc.).
A bike computer is a specialized heart rate monitor designed for cyclists. It looks like a watch without a strap, it is mounted on a bicycle handlebar using a special mount. If you want, you can use the bike computer during fitness, jogging, etc., but this is not very convenient, since you will have to constantly put the device in your pocket or hold it in your hand.
Secondly, this is the type of sensor design :
With a sensor that fits on the ear / finger - these heart rate monitors are not widely used due to their low accuracy, so they are quite rare on sale.
With a built-in sensor located directly in the device (bike computer, heart rate monitors on exercise bikes).
With a chest strap for the most accurate and compact heart rate monitor. The chest strap looks like a belt. In this case, the belt is an electrode. All the necessary data from the belt goes to the heart rate monitor, where it is processed and displayed on the screen. A person quickly gets used to the belt on his body and after a while such a belt stops interfering with training.
heart rate monitor with chest strapThird, this is the signal transmission method :
Wired - heart rate monitors, in which the communication between the receiving device and the sensor occurs via wires. This technology, in fact, came to us since "yesterday", since professional athletes used to work with such devices, but due to their inconvenience and inability to use outdoors, after the advent of wireless heart rate monitors, they receded into second place. The only advantage of wired devices is that they are not "afraid" of radio interference.
Wireless - those in which the signal is transmitted from the sensor to the receiving device via a radio channel in digital or analog mode. Please note that analog heart rate monitors are capable of transmitting data to trainers (i.e., you will be able to see your heart rate directly on the treadmill monitor).
Which heart rate monitor should you choose?
So, now we know what heart rate monitors are. The next question is to figure out which device is best for whom. Let's try to give general recommendations for each athlete. So, if you are:
A cyclist, you should pay attention to heart rate monitors-cycle computers equipped with speed / distance sensors, GPS sensors (such sensors will come in handy for tracking the route, measuring the distance traveled, cadence, etc.).
Doing fitness or jogging, take a look at the wrist-type heart rate monitors with a calorie counter, which, however, does not have any special "bells and whistles" (the maximum you may need is a GPS sensor or a speed / distance sensor).
A climber or a traveler, then your choice can stop at a multifunctional wristwatch-heart rate monitor with a built-in compass, thermometer, barometer, altimeter, which are equipped with a GPS sensor (it will be useful on the road, as it will help to save the route).
Swimmer, then almost all of the same models as fitness lovers and runners can suit you, the only thing you need to pay attention to is that the device can withstand dives to a depth of more than 10 meters.
Happy choice!