Heart Rate Monitor

A heart rate monitor can be a useful tool for beginners and experienced athletes alike. All models provide a stream of simple feedback letting you gauge the impact of your exercises, while many provide additional bells and whistles. Furthermore, you can get them with a strap around your chest plus wristwatch-style readout, glove-like contraptions using only the hand, even sport bras with built-in heart rate monitors. How do you use them, and what should you look for?

It's easy to over-generalize and say beginners should get the cheapest thing out there, while only the experts should consider the three-figure models. In truth, it might be just the other way around.

The really cheap models typically tell you the current heart rate and little more. Take it up one notch and you're still well within the affordable range, but you can now set upper and lower thresholds. In other words, you get a reminder to get moving when you slow down, and a warning to cool it when you're overexerting yourself. This is the one extra that really makes an impact pretty much across the board, since it allows you to focus exclusively on the training rather than keep glancing at your wrist all the time.

Once you get into the hundreds of dollars-range, you can expect gimmicks and useful add-ons galore. Some keep profiles for different family members, allowing you to instantly use pre-determined thresholds as well as track your progress over time. This tracking is usually transferable to a computer program that enables you to further visualize and tweak your overall exercise efforts for optimal returns. Calories burned, time interval countdowns and other useful data is often also used or tracked for additional benefit.

Going back to the earlier statement that beginners shouldn't necessarily stick to the basic model only, let's consider your goals. Are you a competitive level runner? If so, your primary concern is shaving seconds off your time. You may take the scientific approach and appreciate the minutiae of dissecting your exercise on the computer, but you may also just need a little birdie to remind you to stay within a set heart rate interval on the longer distance segments.

Conversely, are you a regular person just trying to lose weight? Many find motivation to be the biggest obstacle to continuous success. Here, having a more advanced heart rate monitor that literally stays on your case and perhaps even starts beeping to remind you when you've been wearing on the couch for too long. And let's not underestimate the positive reinforcement value of getting hard-fact, visual proof that you have slashed your resting heart rate by 5 or 10 bpm over the past three months.

When all is said and done, are heart rate monitors just expensive nice-to-have gadgets, or are they true must-haves in any situation? Beginners, especially those who are overweight, are wise to keep a close watch on their level of exertion. Keeling over on the jogging trail the second week is no way to keep long-term momentum. In all seriousness, many beginners at-risk for serious cardiovascular problems (smokers, overweight, high blood pressure etc.), create the old catch-22 of needing to get in shape before getting in shape. A good heart rate monitor can help you walk the fine line of making progress without putting undue strain on your system.

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