This chest strap is soft and comfortable, and the battery life is impressive with hours of use. The strap is also waterproof, and while I didn't test it in water or rain, I did test it while running in Louisiana, where the humidity makes the air feel like soup -- and it held up just fine. When it comes to choosing the best heart-rate monitor chest strap for your workout, many of the factors in your buying decision will be based on personal preferences and your workout regimen.
Here are a few factors to keep in mind while shopping. Strap width: This comes down to personal preference, but before you buy, consider whether you'd be more comfortable with a heart-rate tracker that uses a slim strap or a wider one during your workout. Module size: Some chest straps use tiny modules the plastic puck-like part that don't extend over the edges of the strap.
Others, however, use larger monitors to measure your heart rate. Which heart-rate sensor you choose to track your workout also depends largely on personal preference, as well as how tight your running shirts are. Internal memory: If you don't like to hold your smartphone during your workout, opt for a heart-rate training monitor that can store your heart-rate data on its own built-in memory to store maximum heart rate, heart-rate variability and target heart rate.
You can later transfer your heart-rate reading to your smart phone apps via your HR monitor's companion app. Metrics: Consider what you want your monitor to, well, monitor during your workout. Higher-end models capture real-time data covering everything from run cadence to stride length, as well as things like blood pressure, calorie burn and heart-rate variability to help you reach your fitness goal, while more basic models might track only your heart rate.
Battery: A wearable chest strap monitor can have all kinds of power sources. Some have a rechargeable battery. Others may have super-long battery life, but the battery isn't user replaceable or rechargeable. A longer battery life is always convenient -- no one wants a monitor to peter out during a run -- but there are lots of options.
Make sure to check the description for battery life before purchasing a monitor. I ran with several heart-rate monitors to find the best chest strap monitors for runners.
I wore each chest strap on every run for two weeks straight, which came out to six runs per monitor. Between this project and testing face masks for running , my cardiovascular health must be better than it has been in a while. I rated them on comfort, breathability, battery life and accuracy as compared to my Polar Ignite watch , which captures my heart rate throughout runs. While this might not be the best method of testing for accuracy, it's what I had available to me, and the Polar Ignite is very consistent, so it served as a good comparison.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. The Versa 3 also uses music apps like Pandora and Spotify, syncs with your phone, and tracks your calories burned, steps , and sleep metrics. The Garmin Vivosmart 4 is a good choice for people with heart issues, as it not only estimates your heart rate but also your oxygen saturation levels , or how much oxygen is getting to your tissues 2.
For people with heart or lung ailments, measuring oxygen saturation regularly serves as an early warning system. If your levels are dropping, you can take steps to correct the situation or seek medical attention before it becomes too severe 2.
Additionally, the device tracks your heart rate continuously throughout the day, as well as heart rate variability HRV , which can be an indicator of stress. The Garmin Vivosmart 4 likewise features a stress monitor and offers guided breathing exercises for high stress moments. Like other options on this list, the watch can be used to keep tabs on your sleep and activity levels, as well as pair with your smartphone to receive notifications.
The Garmin Forerunner 45S is geared toward runners , boasting GPS capabilities, coaching plans, an activity tracker, and even safety features if you get into an accident — all in addition to continuous heart rate tracking on your wrist. The Forerunner 45S connects to your phone, allowing you to receive notifications and control your music. It also has a waterproof rating of up to feet 50 meters , so you can even swim in it. According to the company, the watch has a battery life of up to 7 days with regular use.
Samsung Active 2 integrates seamlessly with Strava — a popular tracking app for cyclists — making it a good choice if you prefer to stay active on a bike. One distinguishing feature is that it has LTE connectivity, meaning it functions as a smartphone if you have an Android device. The watch is also lightweight and water-resistant up to feet 50 meters , making it a good option if you train for triathlons. The battery life lasts about 2. The Omron HeartGuide is one of the few smartwatches on the market to track blood pressure.
Plus, the watch tracks your heart rate and displays your data in easy-to-read graphs on the accompanying app, making it a great option for older adults or those who are concerned with their overall heart health.
In addition to continuous heart rate monitoring, the Omron HeartGuide includes sleep and activity trackers. Its reports are accurate and responsive, and in our tests we particularly appreciated its compatibility with a huge range of devices and apps. This is a true multi-sport device that's suitable for land and water.
While many modern sports watches can record heart while swimming, their accuracy varies greatly, and a chest strap is easily the more reliable option. Wireless signals transmit poorly in water, but the HRM-Pro can store up to 18 hours of data before syncing. The HRM-Pro also offers running dynamics info, including details of vertical oscillation, stride length and contact time, which are tough or impossible to measure with a device on your wrist. It's one of the most expensive monitors in this roundup, but not by much, and is a worthwhile investment if you're serious about intensity training.
In the same way that Garmin made its name in GPS technology, Polar has a long heritage in biometrics, and that really shines through in the accuracy of data from the Polar Verity Sense. It can be worn on your arm or attached to your swimming goggles, making it a good choice for anyone who doesn't get on with a chest strap.
It uses an optical sensor like those on a sports watch, but the positioning means there are fewer artefacts from movements like gripping. The Polar Verity Sense can be a little awkward to wear with long sleeves, but in our tests we were impressed by its ability to transfer data to multiple devices, hour battery life. Read our full Polar Verity Sense review.
The MyZone MZ-Switch gives you the best of both worlds: an ECG sensor so it can be worn on your chest, and an optical sensor so it can sit on your wrist, arm, or a pair of swimming goggles.
It automatically detects where you're wearing it, so there's no need to worry about switching modes, and although it would be nice to have a choice of different arm band sizes, it's comfortable to wear for any type of workout. That includes swimming; the MZ-Switch is water resistant to 10 meters and stores up to 36 hours of data, so as with the Garmin HRM-Pro, there's no need to worry about syncing when you're in the pool.
When used in chest strap mode, its results compared well with those from the HRM-Pro, though the limitations of technology mean results from the optical sensor have a wider margin of error.
Our main criticism is that the MyZone companion app is too busy and cumbersome for our liking, but the device also pairs with compatible third-party apps so this shoudn't deter you. Many of the best heart rate monitors have one major drawback: price. That's where the Polar H9 comes in.
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