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Heart Rate Monitor ReviewHere's how to make your own heart rate monitor review ratings. These are the criteria I look at for my polar heart monitor reviews. Use this approach for your own heart rate monitor reviews:Chest Strap or Not?Most monitors have traditionally used a chest strap to pick up electrical signals from the heart. Newer designs like the Mio dispense with the chest strap. MIO was the first ECG-accurate (ECG-accurate puts the Mio into the same accuracy range as Polar - at least according to Mio!) heart rate monitor to work without a chest strap.I still think a chest strap is still the way to go. It's not an issue while exercising, and unless you have some medical condition that requires constant monitoring what's the point of strapless? I think chest strap means greater continuous accuracy and you don't have to stop exercising to get a reading. Heart Rate Monitor GPS? Think about a GPS heart rate monitor if you're running away from streets and avenues. Garmin (www.garmin.com) is the premier company for ultra portable GPS, and some of their GPS wrist units have heart rate monitoring capability.You'll pay a little more for the convenience of everything in one place, but the Garmin heart rate monitor delivers accuracy and reliability. Make sure you don't sacrifice heart rate monitor features you would really like. One the other hand, if you are running "off the grid" or just want to know your running distances GPS will be your key feature! Staying on target.Many Heart Rate Monitors have an tone that sounds when you are below of above your target zone heart rate. Think back to motivation. If you're exercising at too low an intensity you don't get fit and motivation dies. If you go too hard you get too tired and injuries result. The "out of zone tone" can be a real help.Multiple Zone Settings.Can you set multiple zones depending on your current workout goals? This is nice if you are aiming for a "fat burning" recovery session sometimes and maximum effort other times.Thanks for the memories... It's nice to compare the last few workouts you've had - even if it's just for interest's sake. Some heart rate monitors have a memory, some don't. Many will remember details of the last dozen workouts: total time, time spent in zone, calories used, average heart rate and so on. Heart rate monitors like the Polar F6 also summaries workouts by the week in terms of time, calories and countComputer uploading and web logbooks.A few heart rate monitors make it really easy to upload the result of your runs. If you want to upload your data, make sure the upload software really works. Based on my experience I'd say that infrared data transfer is more dependable than 'sonic' data transfer. I've never had success with sonic data transfer, but infrared is OK.Illuminated and readable display.Make sure you can read the display, or most of the display! If there's too much information at once you may not be able to easily see what you want to see. Most of us will spend some time exercising in the dark, so make sure your display can be illuminated. My current Polar monitor has a really cool feature: If you hold the monitor close to the chest transmitter for a second the display lights up and cycles through some basic information: heart rate, time, elapsed time. It beats pressing a button to illuminate the display!Cross Training, anyone?Some HRM's are multi sport - they will have cycling accessories which show speed and biking distance. If this is important to you this is a similar decision to GPS and HRM. You'll have to decide if you are better off with a cycling computer and a separate HRM, or if the integrated data is really a key for you. Some Polar heart rate monitors even count slopes!Maximum Heart Rate calculation and fitness zone calculations.Many monitors allow you to measure your maximum heart rate, training zones, and even overall fitness levels. Great for measuring overall progress from one month to the next.Let's get wet!Make sure your HRM is water proof and capable for activities such as swimming. Whether you actually swim or not is besides the point. Exercise makes it own moisture! Most Polar monitors are well sealed (a plus) and their batteries last a long time (another plus) but you need to take or send the Polar units to a service centre for battery changes - a negative. On the balance, it's more important to have a well sealed unit even it it means a service session every two or three years.Watch It!Right, we're not buying a watch here - but - is the heart rate monitor too clunky and big to be a watch? Heart rate monitor ratings indicate many monitors small enough to be a regular watch. If you can wear your heart monitor to work or school on your running days it's one less thing to forget! (OK, but don't wear the chest strap all day. That's uber dorky!)The Price is Right.HRM's sell from under $50.00 to over the $600.00 range. Start with the model which gives you the basics of what you need, and then in two or three years you'll know what you want to add in terms of features. Ask other runners what their experience has been - you will get some great information!Conclusion Talk to your active friends and mentors and get their advice. Ask them about heart rate monitor ratings. Active friends are a great source for a heart rate monitor review. Polar USA has a great site with lots of success stories, and Garmin's website has lots of information on GPS combined with HRM's. Send me a heart rate monitor review based on your own experience. I'd like more information on Garmin, Timex, Mio, and of course Polar. I'll post your heart rate monitor review on the blog. Good running! Heart Rate Monitor Review Return to Heart Rate Monitor Back to The Benefit of Running
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