Monday, January 25, 2010

Running Watches That Measure Heart Rate

Runners who want to pay more attention to their body's vital statistics can learn a lot by running with a heart rate monitor running watch. A heart rate monitor measures your heart beat and typically expresses your rate in beats per minute and in real time.

Heart rate monitors are typically a strap that wraps around your chest area with special sensors that are capable of measuring the beating of your heart (or pulse). Heart rate straps trasmit a wireless signal to the wristwatch which decodes this signal and performs the necessary calculations before expressing your data on the watch display.


Your heart rate can be a usuful guide to determine what rate you should train at. It is also an effective guide for judging whether you are pushing too hard. Overtraining can lead to decreased performances and in the worst case - an injury, so it is a useful thing to keep an eye on.

There are many decent cheap heart rate monitor watches around. The money you spend on one is usually determined by the number of high quality sports watch features the unit packes in addition to its ability to measure your heart rate.


Some popular cheap heart rate monitors include the Timex T5G971,T5G941 and T5J031 models which are simple devices that deliver basic heart rate information and supply you with features such as heart rate zone alerts and recovery rate measurement.


Heart rate zones are essentially an upper and lower "ideal" heart rate band that is used as a guide for optimal training. A heart rate alert is simply an alarm that the watch triggers if you fall out your optimal heart rate zone.


Perhaps the most sophisticated manufacturer of heart rate monitor timepieces is the Polar Electro watch company. It is claimed that Polar invented the first ever heart rate monitor watch. They are certainly reckognized as the leading manufacturer of heart rate measuring technology for runners.


Popular entry level heart rate monitor watches include the Polar F6, Polar FS1 and Polar RS100. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but as almost all Polar watches support heart rate monitoring, you should choose the best watch for your needs based on the other features offered.

Other popular heart rate monitor watch brands includ Omron, the Omron HR-100C is a popular cheap heart rate monitor watch and Mio, a company that has made waves in the heart rate monitor watch arena too.


Heart rate monitor watches offer an added dimension for runners and athletes who have the desire to get more in tune with their bodies. Yet we have only really begun to scratch the surface of what heart rate monitor running watches can offer. More information can be found on the Sports Watch Informant website here. (Heart Rate Monitors), Amazon.com, or by visiting the product manufacturers themselves.

  • http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/products
  • http://www.timexironman.com/Assets/Timex+Ironman+v3/PDF/2009U.S.SportCatalogHRMPedomCharts.pdf

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