Heart rate monitors can be especially handy for marathon training, helping you maintain a good pace.
Monitoring your heart rate while training gives you the ability to run at your own ideal pace and maximize your workout potential.
Heart rate monitors can also be a handy tool in helping you lose weight. It can help you prevent overtraining and better fitness levels.
There is a huge range of heart rate monitors available. Our Heart Rate Monitor Reviews aims to help you find the heart rate monitor that best suits your needs.
Contents
- Reviews of The10 Best Heart Rate Monitor
- 1.Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor, Bluetooth HRM Chest Strap
- 2.Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor
- 3.Letsfit LS-004 Fitness Tracker with HR
- 4.SUUNTO SS023309000 Spartan Sport Wrist HR
- 5.Fitbit Surge Fitness Superwatch– Best Activity Tracker With HRM
- 6.Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband
- 6.Mio LINK Heart Rate Monitor Wristband
- 7.Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate Monitor with Armband
- 8.Bowflex EZ Pro Heart Rate Monitor Watch
- 9.Withings Pulse O2 Activity, Sleep, and Heart Rate Tracker
- Heart Rate Monitor Buying Guide
Reviews of The10 Best Heart Rate Monitor
1.Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor, Bluetooth HRM Chest Strap
The Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor has a slim design and includes all the necessary features you need when training with your heart rate.
The Polar H10 has some innovative training features to help you reach your exercise goals.
It includes features that help track calories you have burned and also ones that help keep you in your target heart rate zone. It also has a stopwatch with a convenient button-free operation.
The Zone Pointer is a display feature that shows and monitors your target heart rate zone and where your current heart rate is within that zone giving you an effective guide to maintain it.
It gives you the ability not only to track your heart rate but also your breathing rate.
It also comes with a heart rate monitor strap for your chest or you can get the staples monitors which can be worn on the wrist like a watch.
It also allows you to set daily or weekly calorie expenditure goals and helps you reach those goals.
It also calculates the total amount of exercise time spent in the target zone. This feature can help you see how effective your exercise program is.
While you’re exercising, you’ll be able to read your heart rate from the large, clear display.
This will allow you to know when it’s time to increase your intensity or to slow down a little to get your heart rate back in the correct target zone.
By entering some of your personal information, which you can do by following the easy to use set up wizard, you’ll get even more data that’s personalized to you.
This includes the right beats per minute for your age and the number of calories you’re burning during exercise.
The high tech heart rate monitor offers GPS tracking for more accurate distance measurement, training software and also a wireless connection to your computer.
Overall, The Polar H10 easy to use, simple and also great for womens.
2.Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor
Are you looking to get fit but worried about your existing heart condition? Concerned that the sudden take up of exercise will be too much for you?
Well worry no more. The Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor could be the solution to your problem. It is a great investment for both beginners and professional athletes alike.
Knowing your heart rate when you exercise is not only critical to making sure that your efforts are burning fat and strengthening your heart, but essential if you need to know that you’re not putting your heart under any excessive strain.
The Polar FT7 is the perfect tool to help you do that. You can enter both minimum and maximum beats per minute and if your heartbeat should go above or below this range, the monitor will emit a beep to warn you.
That means you can work out without having to constantly stare at the monitor. And you can also work out with peace of mind too.
If you are serious about your training then Polar is a great investment. It comes with personalized training programs, as well as the ability to create and formulate weekly targets complete with feedback and guidance.
It comes with a comprehensive set of plans designed by professional coaches to support every part of your training and to give you the best possible workout you could expect.
If your heart problems are such that you wear a pacemaker, defibrillator or any other implanted electronic device, consult your physician before using this monitor.
It’s water resistant and can be used while swimming or even during a water aerobics class to measure how hard you’re working.
In addition to showing your heart rate, this monitor also doubles as a watch. It shows the date and time and can has an alarm clock setting as well as snooze function.
For those that don’t want to be bamboozled with stats or confounded with technology, this will deliver accurate information pretty much at the touch of a button.
And the built in alarm system will give you the confidence to work toward better fitness without worrying about your heart.
All in all, the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor is a great heart monitor. It is a great investment for anyone serious about their training and physical pursuits.
3.Letsfit LS-004 Fitness Tracker with HR
The Letsfit LS-004 Fitness Tracker is one of the best heart rate monitors for fitness on the market.
It great for beginners and also gives you an alarm if you fall out of the heart rate range you are working on in a particular session.
This monitor is worn on your wrist and comes with a chest strap that is used to help monitor your heart rate during exercise.
It’s easy to set up and to wear while you work out and allows you to get relevant, accurate information.
It’s made from a soft, comfortable fabric which adjusts to mold itself to your body shape.
The chest strap is washable and heart rate monitor saves power by automatically switching off when not in use
It has a large easy to read display with split screen and backlighting. It is water resistant up to 100 feet (30 meters) and has automatic and manual heart rate limit settings.
It is simple and easy to operate. You have many display options to choose from as well. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or an expert at your sport of your choice, Letsfit LS-004 Fitness Tracke gives you the tools you need.
4.SUUNTO SS023309000 Spartan Sport Wrist HR
The Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR is a reliable and versatile piece of equipment. It is perfect for any sport and is easy to use.
It is designed by a group of professional designers, one psychologist and a cognitive scientist with various sports backgrounds including diving, sailing swimming, cycling and boxing.
Suunto’s technology allowed for a fully customizable screen layout, GPS tracking, measuring possibilities including altimeter which is a great help for hill training.
It also has all the capabilities of a basic watch including date, alarm, count down timer.
Like other heart rate monitors, the Suunto heart rate monitor comes with software so you can download your training data.
It will let you know whether you are training too hard, too little and gives you everything you need to improve upon performance at each and every training session.
Like Garmin. Suunto has an online community where you can share, refine and compare performances with others.
All in all, the Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR has many more advantages to it than competitive monitors. With Suunto you get a training lab on your wrist.
If you are serious about getting your performance up in you particular sport, you won’t be disappointed with the Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR.
5.Fitbit Surge Fitness Superwatch– Best Activity Tracker With HRM
The Fitbit Surge is the most complete and functional Fitbit Activity Tracker, if you’re looking for a fitness activity tracker with HRM, then this Fitbit Tracker is for you. It is one of the best activity trackers on the market.
The Fitbit Surge accurately has a built-in GPS tracker that records your distance, pace, and elevation climbed and lets you review routes and split times.
The PurePulse heart rate monitor functionality provides continuous, automatic beats per minute and simplified target zones without the uncomfortable chest strap of other fitness trackers out there.
The unique multisport functionality records running, cross-training and cardio, delivering detailed workout summaries with tailored metrics, intensity level and calories burned.
And, an added bonus is that this fitness activity tracker has controls to play, pause and skip songs on your smartphone playlist right from your wrist.
The Fitbit Surge also displays calls and texts so you never miss an important message.
The convenient display also tells you what time it is and a silent vibrating alarm wakes you without disturbing your sleeping partner and tracks your sleep patterns.
All in all, the Fitbit Surge Fitness SuperWatch is a strong regular fitness tracker. Designed for work out functionality, With GPS tracking, realtime work out stats along with a heart rate monitor.
6.Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband
The Fitbit Charge 2 HR can provides constant heart rate monitoring on the wrist.
Battery life is great, and heart rate tracking as well as measure counting were both exceptionally precise.
Its screen occurs to be a monochrome OLED display and it is pretty lively and simple to read.
It’s going to track your daily steps and calories by day, and monitor your slumber by night.
If you would like a standalone fitness tracker. It is a good fitness tracker and with fairly priced.
Not only that, it is quite precise, it is super simple to use, also it is not bad looking.
6.Mio LINK Heart Rate Monitor Wristband
Monitoring your heart rate has never been easier since the advent of strapless heart rate monitors.
It also allows you to check your physical fitness levels, perfect for athletes of all kinds, whether you are walking, running, or biking.
It provides continuous monitoring, and is available on a lightweight wristband utilizing Bluetooth technology.
This will allow it to transmit the information that it is receiving, allowing you to download it to your computer, and customize workouts so that you can become more physically fit.
The continuous technology that uses, along with wireless connectivity, makes this the perfect device for people that are serious about working out.
Since this device is a GPS watch, similar to what Garmin has available, it will know exactly how far you have gone and be able to calculate your heart rate at the same time, giving you valuable information to improve your physical fitness levels.
7.Scosche RHYTHM+ Heart Rate Monitor with Armband
This is a product that is a heart rate monitor armband. It is a very popular heart rate and workout tool.
It can tell you many different things including how fast your heart is going, how far you have run or walked, what your pace was, and will even tell you how intense your workout actually was.
This strapless monitor can also monitor how many calories you are burning, and it is able to work with many of the more popular fitness and health applications.
This will allow you to download the information, augment your existing workout, helping you to become more physically fit with this heart rate monitor that has a battery that will last up to eight hours. It is fully functional and built to last. Highly Recommend!
8.Bowflex EZ Pro Heart Rate Monitor Watch
If you decided to get one of Blowflex, one best heart rate monitor with strapless called the EZ Pro.
It has many different functions, including a 24 countdown timer, a 100 hour, stopwatch, a calendar, alarm, and of course a strapless HRM.
It comes in stylish colors, utilizing quick touch technology that is easy to use, especially with the large LCD screen.
It is the perfect HR monitor for people that are on a budget.
9.Withings Pulse O2 Activity, Sleep, and Heart Rate Tracker
The Withings Pulse O2 Tracker has a very sleek design, it is one of the most affordable HRM on the market.
It utilizes Bluetooth technology, which allows you to connect with different devices.
It comes with the capability of monitoring your health and heart rate, has an OLED touchscreen.
Heart Rate Monitor Buying Guide
Why is it Important to Measure Your Heart Rate?
A balanced fitness routine considers,
- Frequency
- Duration
- Intensity, and
- Type of Exercise
The heart rate is an indicator of the intensity of effort and how your body is adapting to it.
Your maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age. During a moderately intense workout you should be aiming for a heart rate in the region of 50-69% of your maximum heart rate. During an intensive workout, you should aim for 70-95% of your maximum rate.
Certain medications change your maximum heart rate and therefore your target rate. So if you’re on medication, it’s always best to consult your doctor before taking up any exercise.
Exercising at below your target heart rate means you’re under training and not working to your body’s full potential. You’re neither burning enough calories to lose weight, or developing enough endurance required to build muscle strength.
Exercising above your target heart rate means you’re over doing things. This can lead to dehydration which in turn can cause dizziness and fainting. Consistent over training can lead to chronic pain.
Using a heart rate monitor allows you to receive real time information regarding the rate at which your heart is working. By being able to keep within your target range, you’ll be able to get the maximum benefit from your workout. However, you should never work strictly to the monitor. Always listen to your body first. If something starts to hurt, or you start feeling dizzy, STOP! Take a rest, call it a day, and go consult your doctor.
How Does A Heart Rate Monitor Work?
Typically there are two types of heart rate monitor. The first involves a strap being attached to your chest. These are made from a range of materials including soft plastic and breathable smart fabrics.
The strap has a sensor attached to it which continuously tracks the heart rate and transmits the information wirelessly to a monitor worn on the wrist. In many models, this monitor doubles as a watch.
For women, sports bras are now available which have a heart rate transmitter attached to them.
Some strap based models use headphones instead of a watch. The monitor “tells” the wearer their heart rate which means they don’t have to slow down to view a monitor.
The second type of heart rate monitor does not require a chest strap. A pulse monitor, containing two sensors, is worn on the wrist and you have to place your fingers on the sensors in order to obtain a heart rate reading. Some models require that you stop moving to do this.
More sophisticated heart monitors also have monitors you attach to your shoes. This allows you to track how far you have travelled and how fast you have moved. Others are connected to GPS which allows you to map courses, save your routes and compare performance.
Are Heart Rate Monitors Accurate?
Heart rate monitors, which use a chest strap, work by measuring the electrical activity transmitted through the heart. They are continuously tracking and recording your heart rate and are generally considered to be accurate.
Pulse monitors work by measuring the speed of blood as it reaches the capillaries in the wrist. Unfortunately by this time it’s often a lot slower than when it left the heart and therefore the accuracy of this type of monitor is variable and not as good as that of a strap based monitor.
That being said, some of the more expensive models use advanced algorithms to adjust for this time delay and thus report a more accurate reading.
What are the Benefits of Using a Heart Rate Monitor?
Using a heart rate monitor allows you to ensure you’re exercising efficiently.
Before you start exercising you should determine what your fitness goals are. Maybe you want to run faster, or build your muscle strength. Or perhaps you’re looking to lose weight. Whatever your objectives are, you’ll need to devise an exercise plan designed to achieve this (or work with a professional who can help you do this).
Within your workout, you’ll probably be undertaking a number of exercises, all requiring different levels of activity:
This means they require you to be working in different heart rate zones.
A heart rate monitor will provide the information you require to know if you’re working in the correct zone:
Or if you need to change your activity level.
When you know, rather than just guessing, that you’re working to plan, you know you’re on course to achieve your fitness goals. Seeing your heart rate falling, for a given amount of work, confirms you’re improving and provides motivation to continue.
In a world where many people are looking for quick results, the feedback from a heart rate monitor can give you the encouragement you need to continue.
Top Heart Rate Monitor Brands
Some of the best brands when it comes to heart rate monitors.
- Garmin
Garmin heart rate monitors are some of the best available on the market.
A Garmin Heart Rate Monitor is a great investment for anyone interested in monitoring their heart for fitness.
They offer great heart rate monitors at both ends of the price spectrum, having some of the best low end heart rate monitors available.
- Nike
The Nike Heart Rate Monitor makes a great fashion statement and is simple to use.
The Nike Heart Rate Monitor is only available in a few different models but in a variety of different colors and styles. J
Nike has also created heart rate monitors specifically designed for women. These are smaller and slimmer and fit even the tiniest of women.
- Omron
Omron is a medical company that produces heart rate monitors not only for home use but also for the health care sector.
An Omron heart rate monitor can be an excellent tool for beginners or those using it for casual running.
Omron also offers monitors for blood pressure.
- Polar
Polar are one of the leading brands in heart rate monitors. Polar has a hug variety of heart rate monitors and specializes in monitors for various different sports including running, cross training and cycling.
- Suunto
Suunto carry a variety of heart rate monitors for various different sporting activities including cycling, running and swimming.
Their basic heart rate monitor is more expensive than most basic heart rate monitors however it includes more features including a calorie counter.
A Suunto Heart Rate Monitor Watch is a great investment for those wishing to get the most out of their training programs.
- Timex
Timex have a great collection of heart rate monitors, and they are quite fashionable and come in a wide range of colors and styles.
Things Need To Consider when Buying a Heart Rate Monitor?
The range of heart rate monitors available on the market can be quite overwhelming. If you’re thinking about buying a heart monitor, it may help you to consider your purchase in terms of,
- Usage
Heart rate monitors are intended to be used with cardiovascular activity. This extends beyond just running and includes activities such as cycling, hiking, mountaineering, swimming and triathlon. Someone who only participates in one sport is likely to require far less functionality than a multi discipline sports person.
- Functionality
Obviously the key feature of a heart rate monitor is to display your heart rate. But as technology advances, more features are being included in them. A basic heart rate monitor will probably also have the following functionality,
- Record minimum, maximum and average heart rate during a workout.
- Display target heart rate zone and set alarm to sound should you exercise outside of this.
- Stop watch and count down timer
- Time and date
- Calories Burned
More advanced models also include functionality such as:
- VO2 max estimate
- Altitude monitor
- Route navigation
- Compass
- Training programmes
- Recovery advisor
- GPS
- Smartphone/Computer connectivity
- Apps
Before purchasing, think carefully about your monitors intended use and select a model with the features that compliment it.
- Aesthetics
No longer are heart rate monitors bulky devices that you wouldn’t want to wear all day. These days there’s a wide range of sleek designs, modern materials and bright colours, designed to suit all tastes. If you’re not comfortable wearing a monitor which is functional but ugly, look at the models which could be mistaken for looking like fashion accessories.
- Cost
Obviously with such a wide range of models available, costs range from a few dollars to several hundred. You’ll need to select the best one for you that meets your budget.
If you can answer the above questions before you make your purchase, you’ll have a better chance of picking up the most suitable monitor for your needs.