Strapless Heart Rate Monitors - Are They Really Inferior?
Most athletes will tell you that heart rate monitors with a chest strap give a more accurate heart beat reading than those monitors that rely on a reading from the finger or the wrist.
Tests generally confirm this.
In addition, some users find that the strapless models can take a little time before they start giving you a reading, and that they are awkward to use properly, as they may require you to press a button each time you wish to check you heart rate.
But the chest strap models have disadvantages too.
Certain users find the straps exceedingly tight and uncomfortable, and some models may even require the application of gel to make them work properly.
Also, they are, of course, more expensive than their strapless rivals.
Yet, as heart rate monitors increasingly enter the mainstream as an important training tool for athletes of all levels, it is the strapless models that are enjoying a surge of popularity.
One reason is their cheap price.
But another more important reason is that advances in technology mean that strapless monitors are becoming as accurate and reliable as the more expensive chest strap models.
So if you are looking to buy a heart monitor, and even if you are fairly serious about your work-out sessions, do check out the strapless versions.
You may be pleasantly surprised.
For example, the leader in strapless technology has been the American company MIO, whose monitors are not only cheap and packed full of features, but typically are very fashionable.
In fact, the company markets one series of monitors that have been designed in Italy.
Women especially often like the stylish MIO products, as they can double as an everyday wristwatch.
Another example is that Impact Sports ePulse strapless monitor.
This innovative model claims to be the first of its kind to integrate light sensor and microchip technology, as used in hospital heart rate monitors, to provide accurate readings from a comfortable strap that is placed around the forearm.
Not only does it provide a heart reading, it also tracks calories burned during a training session.
Perhaps most innovative of all is the NuMetrex heart rate monitor clothing, which is a men's tank top or women's bra that incorporates a built-in heart rate transmitter in the middle of the chest.
Extra padding keeps this comfortable, to the extent that you seldom even notice it, and it is compatible with any Polar monitor.
And finally, if you really cannot decide, a couple of models come in dual chest strap or strapless versions.
Tests generally confirm this.
In addition, some users find that the strapless models can take a little time before they start giving you a reading, and that they are awkward to use properly, as they may require you to press a button each time you wish to check you heart rate.
But the chest strap models have disadvantages too.
Certain users find the straps exceedingly tight and uncomfortable, and some models may even require the application of gel to make them work properly.
Also, they are, of course, more expensive than their strapless rivals.
Yet, as heart rate monitors increasingly enter the mainstream as an important training tool for athletes of all levels, it is the strapless models that are enjoying a surge of popularity.
One reason is their cheap price.
But another more important reason is that advances in technology mean that strapless monitors are becoming as accurate and reliable as the more expensive chest strap models.
So if you are looking to buy a heart monitor, and even if you are fairly serious about your work-out sessions, do check out the strapless versions.
You may be pleasantly surprised.
For example, the leader in strapless technology has been the American company MIO, whose monitors are not only cheap and packed full of features, but typically are very fashionable.
In fact, the company markets one series of monitors that have been designed in Italy.
Women especially often like the stylish MIO products, as they can double as an everyday wristwatch.
Another example is that Impact Sports ePulse strapless monitor.
This innovative model claims to be the first of its kind to integrate light sensor and microchip technology, as used in hospital heart rate monitors, to provide accurate readings from a comfortable strap that is placed around the forearm.
Not only does it provide a heart reading, it also tracks calories burned during a training session.
Perhaps most innovative of all is the NuMetrex heart rate monitor clothing, which is a men's tank top or women's bra that incorporates a built-in heart rate transmitter in the middle of the chest.
Extra padding keeps this comfortable, to the extent that you seldom even notice it, and it is compatible with any Polar monitor.
And finally, if you really cannot decide, a couple of models come in dual chest strap or strapless versions.
