- Should you choose Garmin heart rate monitor strap or Garmin heart rate monitor watch?
- How to use Garmin heart rate monitor
- How to wear Garmin heart rate monitor
Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Strap vs Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Watch
Garmin has a lot of products to help measuring your heart rate. Basically, I divide them to 3 main types and you will know how to use the Garmin heart rate monitor for each type.
1. Garmin heart rate monitor strap
Garmin heart rate monitor strap has a lot of good reviews in the market. It uses EKG sensor just like Polar heart rate monitor does. If you’re serious about high accuracy, check out one of Garmin heart rate monitor straps below:
Premium Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Strap
- Wirelessly transmits your heart rate to your compatible device for instant feedback.
Recognizes Compatible Device After First Usage - Soft elastic strap provides a comfortable fit. Adjustable Sizing
- 3 year battery life
- Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Strap
- Provides instant feedback about how hard your heart is. Compatible with The Edge 305Hr and the Edgecad.
- You can choose Regular strap or Soft strap
- 3 year battery life
- Garmin Heart rate monitor Strap TRI
- Stores data during swims then sends real-time heart rate to the watch when the monitor is out of the water. Provides feedback on running form by measuring cadence, vertical oscillation and ground contact time.
- The smallest and lightest from Garmin. Rounded edges and no exposed seams.
- 10 month battery life
- Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Strap Fabric
- Provides instant feedback. Track heart rate zone.
- Fabric. Lightweight and flexible
- 3 year battery life
2. Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Watch
If you don’t want to wear a chest strap when exercising, Garmin offers you wrist-based heart rate watches that use an optical sensor. Some popular Garmin heart rate monitor watches are: Garmin Vívosmart HR and Garmin Vívoactive HR GPS.
Garmin heart rate monitor watch has more functions than Garmin heart rate strap as they can track steps, distance, calories and you can receive calls, text messages through it. However, as I mentioned above, optical sensor might not be as accurate as EKG sensor.
Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Watch Vívosmart HR
- Displays steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors climbed and activity intensity
Receive text, call, email, calendar and social media alerts²
Control your music and your VIRB action camera (sold separately) all from your wrist
Reminds you to stay active with move bar and vibration alert - Sleek band is comfortable to wear all day, and the always-on display shows your stats, even in sunlight
- 5 day battery life
- Garmin heart rate monitor watch Vívoactive HR GPS
- Monitor your progress against aerobic activity goals. Set any notification from your mobile device to come over – When paired with a compatible smartphone
GPS smartwatch - Sunlight-readable, high-resolution color touchscreen
- 8 day battery life
3. Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Watch that also Works with a Chest Strap
Garmin Vívofit is the favorite of many people but it doesn’t have a built-in heart rate monitor. To track your heart rate, you will need to use it together with a chest strap. Options for you are Garmin Vívoactive bundle (includes Heart Rate Monitor), Garmin Vívofit or Garmin Vívofit 2 Bundle (includes Heart Rate Monitor).
Garmin heart rate monitor watch Vívoactive Black bundle
- Built-in GPS-enabled running, biking and golfing plus swimming and activity tracking apps let you view your stats—even when away from your phone.
- Pairs with your smartphone to gently vibrate and display alerts for incoming calls, texts, email and calendar items plus notifications from social media and other apps
- Ultra-thin, high-resolution, sunlight-readable, color touchscreen display
- 3 weeks or 10 hours when using GPS
Garmin heart rate monitor watch Vívofit
- Inactivity alert. Learns your activity level and assigns a personalized goal each morning.
- Records calories burned throughout the day including base metabolic rate.
- Monitors your sleep.
- Stylist and easy-to-read display
- 1+ year battery life
Garmin heart rate monitor watch Vívofit 2 Bundle
- Inactivity alert. Learns your activity level and assigns a personalized goal each morning.
- Records calories burned throughout the day including base metabolic rate.
- Monitor your sleep.
- Backlit Display. Turn on the backlight to see your stats, even in the dark.
- 1+ year battery life
How to wear Garmin heart rate monitor
Wondering how to wear Garmin heart rate monitor or where to wear Garmin heart rate monitor strap? You will have to wear the strap under your chest and wet it with water or gel before exercising. Again, this may not be comfortable for some people but until now, the chest strap is still considered the most accurate in measuring heart rate data.
A Garmin heart rate monitor watch is easier to wear. Just wear it on your wrist like a normal watch. You don’t need to do anything else.
How to use Garmin heart rate monitor
To use Garmin heart rate monitor strap, you will need to connect it with a smartphone or a wristwatch receiver and to make sure you can easily read the data from these devices when exercising.
You may set your maximum heart rate zone and a targeted heart rate zone for a specific workout activity so you can adjust your level of training to make sure it safe and effective.
Summary: Comparing Garmin heart rate monitor straps and Wristwatches
The Garmin heart rate monitor strap must be connected with a smartphone or a wristwatch receiver and most importantly, you must position the device correctly to collect accurate data. This is critically important so you are make certain to use the best data from these devices while exercising.
Chest-worn monitors were tested against the wrist-worn trackers, which use electrodes to measure your pulse, and that are more accurate than PPG technology. A heart monitor strap device is worn snuggly and closer to the heart and is therefore less likely to slide out of position while exercising than a wristwatch, assuring more accurate heart-rate readings.
There are pluses and minuses to both devices. A wrist-worn tracker may be better for one person because it is more comfortable, easier to wear and provides an immediate reading while a chest strap may provide the most accurate reading for the serious athlete and this factor overrides the discomfort some people report wearing them, the challenge some report in breathing comfortably and difficulty noted in wetting and placing the device accurately, all of which makes them seem awkward to wear. A wrist tracker may not give you the most perfect data, but it allows you to get out the door more quickly and into your activity. The choice is up to you, but remember, both wristwatches and heart rate monitor straps have to fit exactly right to take accurate readings.
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