To make your shopping decisions easier we have been working closely with suppliers, our sponsored athletes and passionate cyclists to produce an easy-to-follow, useful and informative guide to help you make the correct choice when choosing Heart Rate Monitors.

Any products featured in this guide will have been actively researched / tested to find the qualities that sets them apart from others. Spend a few minutes to read through and if you still need a little extra help simply contact us and we will be glad to help

Introduction to Heart Rate Monitors

Whether you are an elite athlete or someone who is just starting a fitness campaign, a heart rate monitor is a great way of ensuring you get the most from each and every training session. While some models are now so technically advanced they could almost tie your shoelaces for you, others are simple pieces of kit which provide all the essential information for surprisingly low prices.

A heart rate monitor measures the number of times your heart beats per minute (bpm) so you know how hard your body is working as you exercise. A strap is worn around the chest which has sensor pads on it. These pads pick up the electrical signals given off by the heart every time it beats and feed the data to the monitor which is worn like a watch on your wrist.

Heart rate monitors vary hugely in price and consequently in the number of functions and features they offer. At Wiggle, the heart rate monitors we stock range from £32 to £450+.

All models will display your heart rate in beats per minute and most entry level models will feature a stopwatch, lap counter, programmable target heart rate zones and an alarm which can be preset to alert you if you are working beyond or beneath your target zone. Your target zones are determined as a percentage of your maximum heart rate and the simplest way of finding your max heart rate is by subtracting your age from 220. For example, a 30-year-old’s maximum heart rate would be 190bpm (220-30). This is by no means 100% accurate as every individual will vary, but it provides a good starting point for first-time users.

When initially programming some heart rate monitors, they will ask your gender and age and will then preset target heart rate zones based on this information. Some entry level models will also display your heart rate as a percentage of your maximum (e.g. if our 30-year-old is exercising at 114bpm this would be displayed as 60% max heart rate, that is, 60% of 190).

Other features to look for on the better entry level monitors include a calorie counter and average and maximum heart rates for the total session (useful when comparing the same run or bike route week after week). If you are going to be training in a group with others who wear a heart rate monitor, it is also worth considering buying one which has a coded transmitter. This means the monitor will pick up your heart rate only, not that of the person running or cycling alongside you, which can occur.

If you are someone who enjoys analysing your workouts, it might be worth considering buying a heart rate monitor which allows you to download data from the watch to your PC. Even some of the cheaper models – the Garmin Forerunner 50 and the Polar F4 and F6 – enable you to download your workouts to your computer so you can monitor progress. The more advanced the heart rate monitor, the greater its memory capacity and the more data it stores for you to review and analyse.

In mid-range heart rate monitors, you should expect to see data transfer and analysis functions included as standard as well as training specific features on top of the essential heart rate functions. This might include autolap functions or laps with recall which will give you information such as average heart rate, max heart rate and minute-mileing pace per split/lap. Being able to customise your heart rate zones and programme in interval sessions is also a good feature to look for in mid-range monitors.

With top of the range monitors, prepare to be dazzled by the vast array of features on offer. Some monitors provide almost too many functions so keep in mind what you want from your watch. Among the many options are GPS, run speed, distance, cadence, average stride length, altitude and elevation profiles, VO2 max predictors and state of relaxation indicators.

The heart rate monitor you ultimately opt for might be dependent on your chosen sport. For example, there are now several running, cycling and multi-sport specific heart rate monitors. Some are available with optional extras such as foot pods (to measure run speed, distance and/or cadence) or speed and cadence sensors (for cycling), while on the more expensive, performance-orientated models these gadgets are included as part of the package. There are also men’s and ladies specific models available from some manufacturers, such as Polar’s F4 and F6, although the only real differences are the colour options and the slightly sleeker look of the female watch.

Remember, a heart rate monitor will allow you to train at a level specific to you so be sure to choose one which will cater to your training needs. With this in mind, here are our recommended products for each of our price-determined categories:

Click here to view our complete range of Heart Rate Monitors.

Click here to view all Wiggle Buyers Guides.