My wife gave me a heart rate monitor for Christmas. A Sports Instruments FIT3. I love my HRM! This is a good quality entry-level device. The two things I like most about it is that it is simple to use and the zoom display. I’m not sure what the price is but it’s on the low end of Sports Instruments product line. You can probably get one for about $30.

It comes with an instruction manual that includes a starter training plan (which I am currently using) developed by Sally Edwards of heartzones.com fame.

The device uses a wireless chest strap transmitter.

Some of the notable features are: keeps up to 7 workouts in memory in which you can view total time spent in each training zone, average heart rate and calories burned; a fitness test – the Rockport 1 mile walk test; zoom display with backlighting; displays real-time heart rate in % MHR.

The FIT3 also has an alarm which lets you know when you are outside of your selected workout zone but it doesn’t do me any good because my high frequency hearing is shot. I can only hear it barely if I put my ear right up to the watch never mind on a bike ride with all kinds of ambient noise. I wish they had adjustable volume on those alarms.

[Reae More]