Training Myths: Wrist heart rate monitors are just as reliable as a chest strap

Wearable fitness technology (specifically the use of heart rate monitors) is one of the biggest fitness trends in 2017. Tracking your heart rate allows you to have a deeper knowledge of your fitness level. It also allows you to have better monitoring of the intensity at which you are working. Wrist trackers are becoming extremely popular and the technology used in them is getting better as well. A wrist worn heart rate monitor measures your heart rate through the blood flow in the area below the monitor. While this is an okay estimation of heart rate it becomes less accurate the more active you are. Exercise that doesn’t involve much wrist movement such as a biking is best for wrist worn devices. When at rest they are a little more accurate and if you are consistently wearing the same device you are still able to get a good estimation of your heart rate throughout the day. Chest straps, while a bit less comfortable, are much more accurate for measuring heart rate. A chest strap measures the electrical impulses given off by the beating heart. Each contraction of the heart produces small electrical charges that can be read by the chest strap. This is significantly more accurate because rather than basing the heart rate off of the blood flow it is directly measuring each contraction of the heart. MYZONE is as accurate as an electrocardiogram (EKG) which is a medical test performed to study the heart. Having the chest strap on during exercise will allow you to have the most accurate reading possible. With MYZONE you also have the added bonus of being able to see the changes in your workout. Many devices offer tracking during exercise and record maximum heart rate during a specific exercise session but MYZONE allows you to monitor heart rate throughout the entire workout and allows you to go back and look at it at a later date. Having the ability to monitor heart rate in this way allows for optimal training. When a trainer can see your heart rate and how your body is responding to the exercise they can then provide intensities that will give you the most benefit! While all monitoring of fitness is helpful in adhering to exercise, we at FASTER want you to have the best results possible. This is why we use and encourage MYZONE. We can give you the best workout when we know exactly how we are challenging your heart!