There is no question as to the value of a heart rate monitor. I’ve said several times in other posts that spinning is really about targeting certain heart rate zones and working within those zones to maximize your ability to meet your goals with your spinning workout. Let me repeat – SPINNING IS ABOUT HITTING HEART RATE ZONES. I think that’s pretty clear now.
Sorry if I scared anyone by shouting, but I really wanted to make that point. Success = hitting heart rate zones. If you’re thinking “I guess I need a heart rate monitor to get the most out of my spinning workout”, well, you’re a quick learner.
Picking a heart rate monitor is confusing. It’s like going to pick out a pair of shoes for a teenager these days. There are right at about 1 gajillion (plus or minus a few bazillion) different heart rate monitors on the market now. How are you going to decide what you really need to maximize your spinning workout?
Heart rate monitors come in two styles for the most part. The first is looks like an over-sized watch. The contacts that pick up your heart rate are built in to the watch. They contact your wrist. The second type also has a watch looking device. Not quite as big as the first because there is a second part to it. I has a separate unit that straps about your body just below your chest and contacts are built in to that unit. The contacts pick up your heart rate at your chest and a wireless signal is sent to your wrist watch looking device letting it know your heart rate. Sounds odd, but it is just fine for spinning.
First decisions – strapless or not. Short answer – forget about strapless. Long answer – forget about strapless for spinning classes. Strapless monitors aren’t all bad. In fact, some have been decent as of late. Without a question though, the ones that strap around your torso are more reliable. The contacts are more likely to stay in contact with your skin which, of course, means a more reliable reading. I didn’t want to believe this when I was first shopping for a heart rate monitor for my spinning workout. I was determined to find a monitor that was strapless and equally as reliable and accurate as a monitor with a chest strap. Fortunately, common sense soon prevailed. Would monitors requiring a strap around your torso with contacts for your upper abdomen really be dominating the market of all major heart rate monitor manufacturers if they were inferior to the monitors that make contact on your wrist?
I started looking through Amazon and reading reviews. Raise the white flag. I needed to get a monitor with a strap for my spinning workout. Ok, I can deal with that.
Now that I’m resigned to getting a monitor with a strap, what features do I really need for spinning? To make a long story short, keep it simple stupid. Computer power in a small package has led some manufacturers to go a little crazy with small devices such as this. Polar offers a monitor that has more computing power than the super computers in the 80’s. I looked up one of their full featured monitors online and the first bullet point was “ECG accurate heart rate.” Following bullet point number one was 80 MORE BULLET POINTS! It will up-link to your computer, give you history, weekly history, etc. Its like having a PC strapped to your arm while on your spinning bicycle.
When all is said and done, its still about calculating your heart rate and keeping you within target heart rate zones throughout your spinning workout. With that thought in mind, I would suggest spending a few extra coins and getting one with programmable heart rate zones. You can get an audible alert or just a visual alert. What ever works best for you.
Make sure you get a monitor with a reasonably large display. Many spinning classes are dark and it can make reading your heart rate difficult. If you’re over 40, you don’t want to be taking out the drug store readers to see your wrist. Most monitors have reasonably large displays, however.
The rest is really mostly fluff. If you really dig downloading data to your computer, using your watch as an alarm, getting historical data, etc, then you might end up spending $200 and get a free tour of Microsoft tossed in. The average person who wants pure functionality can probably get away with a $75 heart rate monitor for their spinning workout.
Don’t go too crazy shopping brands. Polar makes very nice monitors. If you want tried and true, go with a Polar. Other than spinning shoes, a heart rate monitor is your most practical addition to your spinning routine.
Now get out there and get started with a spinning workout!