The Best Heart Rate Monitors For Women - Here’s What The Experts Say
Sunday, August 8th, 2010If you are serious about fitness, then a heart rate monitor is as important as the right pair of shoes. And like shoes, a heart monitor isn’t one size fits all. Women need different things in a monitor than men do. The best heart rate monitors for women are very different from monitors that are best for men.
Let’s face it. Most men can comfortably wear a regular heart monitor watch with a chest strap and get an accurate reading. This is more of a challenge for many women.
The chest strap transmits data to the heart monitor watch. It does so by picking up on impulses from the heart and transmitting this information to the watch’s monitor. If contact with the skin is not good enough, the transmission is flawed.
Now if you are a relatively flat chested woman, you can probably get that good solid contact between skin and strap. So you will be able to use a monitor with a chest strap.
Women with larger cup sizes may have problems when they try to wear a strap. That’s because in order to get good skin contact, the strap has to be worn so tightly that it is both uncomfortable and too restrictive.
If you fall in this group, there may be a suitable alternative to the traditional heart rate monitor. The strapless heart rate monitor is becoming increasingly popular among women in particular. This type of monitor measures heart rate and does it without the need to wear a chest strap.
Reviews on strapless heart rate monitors are mixed. Some experts in the field of fitness feel that they don’t provide as accurate a reading as a traditional monitor. Others feel that the technology is approaching the traditional monitor. They do agree that today’s models are much better than earlier ones.
So, if you can’t wear a regular heart rate monitor, look for a strapless model that comes recommended, made by a company that specializes in heart monitors. There are a number of designs to choose from in a strapless heart monitor.
Many of the strapless type of monitors are worn on the wrist. Other types may have a ring type sensor which is worn on a finger. Other models are designed with a strap that is worn on the upper part of the arm. Lastly are those strapless monitors that can be carried in the hand.
With a wrist heart rate monitor, there is usually one or two sensors located right on the watch. Putting a finger on the sensor lets it collect and then display this data on the watch.
It’s difficult to say which are the best heart rate monitors for women. The two most important factors are accuracy and comfort. Otherwise you probably won’t wear it anyway.