Have you ever noticed how some people in the gym are constantly checking their heart rate monitor watch for data about their exercise routines but never seem to have to fiddle around with the monitoring chest strap that goes hand in hand with them? Well there is a secret. There is no chest strap!
Strapless HRMs are not only getting more and more accurate, they are getting more and more popular. Amongst the best strapless heart rate monitor watch brands are MIO and Impact Sports Technologies. So remove the strap, breathe easily and gear up with the best strapless heart rate monitor watch for your budget and needs.
MIO has been in the strapless heart rate monitoring industry for over a decade and are known for their cute watches that get the job done. Great choices in the MIO range include the MIO Motiva with its built-in calorie counter, the MIO Motion FIT with its built-in pedometer, or the no-nonsense MIO Drive+ which will have you up, running and working within the training zone within minutes.
The ‘ePulse2’ on the other hand from Impact Sports Technologies stands out as being one of the few, if not only, continuous strapless heart rate monitor watches. Because it continuously monitors your heart, it precisely calculates your average heart rate over time. Most other strapless heart rate monitors are not continuous, meaning that they only give you an on-demand heart rate reading for a given moment in time. Other great choices include the Bowflex ‘Fit Trainer’, the Omron ‘HR-210’ and the ‘SOLO’ range of strapless heart rate monitor watches from Sportline.
Women often are sensitive to chest straps and many won’t use heart rate monitors due to this physical requirement. One great alternative however are sports bras that have the chest strap integrated into them. In this case women can kill two birds with one stone enjoying the benefits of chest support and continuous heart rate monitoring in one device!
So consider a strapless heart rate monitor watch next time you hit the trail, track or gym. A lightweight tool to stay in touch with just how hard you are pushing your body.