If you’re into working out or you’re involved in heavily in sports, you are probably familiar with heart monitor watches. For many athletes and workout fanatics, heart rate monitors are a crucial piece of fitness equipment. But don’t be intimidated if you’re not in this category. Even casual exercisers can benefit from a heart monitor.
A heart monitor watch is a useful tool in helping to improve both fitness levels and performance for practically anybody. Heart monitor watches work by tracking the heart rate. They help you to keep your heart rate in its optimum range for maximum benefits. With a heart rate monitor you always know how hard you are working.
That information is crucial for both serious athletes and those who just want to get in better shape. You might just as well make the most of your workouts if you’re going to go and take time to exercise. Because of the amount of information you can get from a heart rate monitor, you can then make adjustments accordingly.
Heart rate monitors have a ton of different features available. Some provide lots of in depth details while others give you only a minimum. You will even be able to find specialty monitors which have been designed for a number of specific sports.
Basic models may only show your heart rate and maybe some basic information like elapsed time for the workout. A more advanced model will offer many more features. These can include a timer, a calorie counter, a heart rate zone alarm, a personalized workout, and much more.
An important consideration when you’re buying a heart monitor watch is ease of use. Everybody’s different so you might want certain features that somebody else won’t need. That’s why you need to ask yourself a few questions before making a purchase.
Is it easy to set up? A monitor watch with many features is great so long as you are going to use those features. Is it comfortable during your workout? Women in particular sometimes find the chest strap to be uncomfortable. A wrist heart rate monitor might be a better option if that’s the case.
Is each button labeled well and are they in a position where they can be easily accessed them on the monitor’s watch? You’ll want to access all the readings easily from your monitor during the course of your workout, without stopping for a look.
Are the numbers and words large enough to be easily viewed and is the display backlit? If you do an early morning or an evening run, you will want to be able to see the display clearly while you are on the move.
Some heart rate monitors are wireless or may be built into some pieces of fitness equipment like a treadmill or a rower. Some advanced monitors will have the capability of adding extra “pods” which track specific types of information.
For example, a bike pod measures lap distance and speed. A foot pod is designed to measure your stride and will have sensors that measure acceleration and speed. These options let you truly customize a workout and measure all aspects of your performance.
Heart monitor watches are not only for elite athletes any longer. Even if you are just getting started with an exercise program, you too can get some valuable feedback if you use a heart monitor watch.
Specialty heart monitor watches are made for many different sports and activities. If you are into cycling you may want to take a look at a cycling heart rate monitor.