The Easiest and Cheapest Way to Train by Heart Rate
As fitness watches have become more popular over the years, heart rate workouts have become even more accessible—you can just look at your Garmin, Fitbit, Apple Watch, or whatever expensive gadget you wear on your wrist to see what your heart rate. is being done. But what if you’ve never jumped on the smartwatch bandwagon? What if you don’t even like wearing your watch while exercising?
The good news is that instead of a watch, you can measure your heart rate with a chest strap, and dedicated chest straps are cheap . I bought the Coospo for about $30 and they connect directly to my phone, no need for a watch.
Not only are chest straps cheap and easy, but they are the most accurate way to know how fast your heart is beating during a workout. Wrist monitors are sometimes confused with fast movement , and some watches are more accurate than others. Chest straps are your best bet for precision.
How to use a chest strap without a watch
So the chest strap is cheaper and more accurate. How do you use it?
On my iPhone, the easiest way was to download the Polar Beat app, which connects to my strap via Bluetooth. If you’re going for a run or bike ride with your phone, it can also use your phone’s GPS to track your pace and record where you’ve walked on a map.
However, I usually use mine for indoor cycling and kettlebell training (which I register as “other indoor”). Using a strap without a watch is especially useful when working with kettlebells, as otherwise the bell will knock on the watch in certain positions.
But if you have a fitness watch and enjoy using it, most models allow you to connect your watch directly to your chest strap. This way you will be able to get the most accurate readings and be able to check the numbers on your wrist.