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Heart rate monitors began as luxury treadmill options but have quickly become a standard feature on most home machines. This article describes monitors and differentiates heart rate monitoring from heart rate control.
Convenient Cardio Monitoring
Before the 1990s, treadmill users assessed their heart rates the old-fashioned way, if at all: they used a clock, two fingers, and patience. But by the mid-1990s, treadmill makers started offering a more practical option: built-in electronic monitors. With electronic heart rate monitors, there’s no need to stop reading or listening to music in order to concentrate on watching the clock and counting heart beats.
Cheap Monitors & Their Fancy Friends
The vast majority of mid-priced and luxury home treadmills now feature heart rate monitors. Monitors are also available on many of the newer budget treadmills like the Fuel T96. However, the monitors on cheaper treadmills aren’t always are reliable as those on machines with better components. For example, a Fuel treadmill probably can’t boast the 99.9% accuracy of the Sole F85, review a machine that costs two or three times more. It’s a good idea to read some treadmill reviews of cheaper machines before trusting their readouts.
Types of Heart Rate Monitors
The most common type of treadmill heart rate monitor is a grip monitor. Grip monitors are often built into the handlebars of home treadmills, and they can be found on treadmills at just about any price point. As treadmills become more expensive, wireless heart rate monitors become more common. These are usually used in conjunction with a Velcro chest strap. Rare types of pulse monitors include thumb pulse readers and ear clips.
Heart Rate Control
While monitors are common even on cheaper machines, only the more expensive treadmills include monitors and heart rate control. Heart rate control uses data from the pulse monitor to adjust workout speed and intensity. The automatic adjustment helps ensure that a trainee gets the maximum benefit from each session; it takes the guesswork out of judging when to speed up or slow down. Landice treadmills, Smooth treadmills, and Epic treadmills are among the many treadmill brands now featuring heart rate control workouts.
