Heart Rate Monitor Information

We cover full-featured sports watches and GPS watches in a separate report on sports watches. If you are more interested in measuring steps while walking than measuring heart rate, we also have a companion report on pedometers.

If you're new to heart-rate training, "Selecting and Effectively Using Heart Rate Monitors" from the American College of Sports Medicine offers useful advice for beginners.

Sean Fishpool at Runner's World UK also has a helpful beginner's guide to heart-rate training for runners.

If you're a cyclist, enthusiasts at Mountain Bike Review recommend you buy a heart-rate monitor and cycling computer separately, not in one unit. Be sure to check the reviews of biking pods; some reviewers complain of ill-fitting pods based on the bikes they own.

Two biking pods that have received excellent reviews are the Suunto bike pod (*Est. $60) and the Garmin GPS Edge with Bicycle Monitor (*Est. $260).

Manufacturers' websites are helpful for reviewing product features and specifications:

Garmin

Nike

Numetrex

Omron

Oregon Scientific

Polar

Suunto

Timex