Whether you are an athlete who needs to know if you are pushing your heart rate hard enough for maximum performance or a walker who must speed up or slow down to hit your ideal heart rate zone, you will find that a heart rate monitor is an absolutely vital instrument to help you achieve your fitness goal. For best results, buy a model that carries all the features you need.
Standard Features
Basic heart rate monitor models come with heart rate display, oftentimes coupled with an elapsed exercise time readout. High-end models come with more bells and whistles which can include a heart rate zone notifier that, when set, sounds an alarm when your heart rate goes up or below your ideal heart rate zone. They are also equipped with various timers – clock alarm, stopwatch, interval timer, and countdown timer. If you are a weight-watcher, there is also a display that show calories burned.
Consider Display Quality and Functionality
Make sure that your device has easy-to-use features. Don’t buy expensive monitors that are overloaded with features that you won’t have any use for. Test if the buttons are conveniently located and easy to push. Make sure that you can read the display clearly even in bright daylight. Check if it comes with a backlight to help you read in low-light conditions.
Chest Straps
Heart rate monitors can come with or without chest straps. While they can be more expensive than non-chest strap models, monitors with chest straps provides a more accurate reading as it is worn snugly near the heart area.
Pricing
High-end heart rate monitors can cost over $100. However, this does not have to stop you from finding the ideal monitor for you. Scout for sales and promos to get them at a lower price. You can also find models way below $100 that have the same features and designs of their more expensive siblings.

