Heart Rate Monitor Buying Guide
Buying a heart rate monitor for the first time can be an extremely confusing experience. Looking at the wide variety of products that are available, it can begin to seem as if they are all the same. In fact, this couldn't be further from the truth. This article will describe some of the features that can be found in today's heart rate monitors, and why those features might be important for your individual needs.
Digital vs. Analog Coding
Virtually all heart rate monitors come with a belt that is strapped to the chest. This belt monitors your heart rate and transmits it to a wrist-mounted unit. These belts use either analog or digital encoding for their transmissions. Although digital transmissions are less likely to be misread by your unit in situations where there are many others working out nearby, an analog heart rate monitor can often display your heart rate on the screen of a treadmill or other piece of gym equipment, where many digital heart rate monitors can not.
Real Time vs. Target Monitoring
All heart rate monitors can monitor your heart rate in real time. However, only a few have an alert feature to notify you when you are in your target zone. This feature is an essential one to look for in most situations, especially if your goal is to lose weight.
Calorie Counting
Many heart rate monitors have the ability to estimate the number of calories that you are burning during your workouts, but several do not. Knowing approximately how much fat is being burned can be a powerful motivational aid if you are working out with the goal of losing weight. Some heart rate monitors also give you the ability to record how many calories you are eating during the day, making them very powerful aids for weight loss.
Determination of Maximum and Target Heart Rates
Some heart rate monitors have the ability to assist in estimating your maximum heart rate, along with your target zones. This can be an extremely useful feature for beginners who may not know what the ideal target heart rate zone is for their individual goals.
Workout Scheduling
The most advanced heart rate monitors have the ability to tell you exactly when to work out, and at what intensity, and will create new schedules for you as you go along so that you are always seeing a consistent level of progress. Some will even adjust their schedules automatically to compensate for any training sessions you complete that were not scheduled by the heart rate monitor.
Progress Tracking
If you are purchasing a heart rate monitor to help you lose weight, you are going to want a way to track your progress. Some heart rate monitors allow you to review your past workouts via the watch itself, but many also allow you to send the data to your computer, making the process much easier. If you would like a heart rate monitor that can send data to your PC, pay careful attention to how this is done. Some heart rate monitors allow you to use cables that you already have, but others require you to purchase extra hardware.
Social Networking
Many companies that market heart rate monitors also maintain websites that allow you to communicate with other users and talk about the progress that you have made. If having a "workout buddy" is important for your level of motivation, you will want to look for this feature.
