Treadmill Heart Rate Monitor Hack
Even though I use a Garmin 305 with a Heart Rate Monitor for my outdoor running, I think that it’s a good idea to buy a cheap Polar Heart Rate Monitor.
Why? Because most of the treadmills that I run on at fitness clubs or hotels are Polar compatible. If you wear a Polar chest strap, your heart rate will show up on the treadmill’s display.
I could wear my Garmin indoors, but then I’d have to check my wrist every so often. I could also try to grip the heart rate electrodes on the treadmill, but that’s pretty awkward.
I used to have a Polar heart rate monitor, but it died after I wore it in the rain (warning, most GPS and heart rate monitor watches are not waterproof). I still have the chest strap from it, however, and use that whenever I’m at the gym or at a hotel. It still works great with all the treadmills, bikes, etc.
If you run on treadmills and would like to be able to monitor your heart rate on the display, you might consider buying the cheapest Polar HRM you can find. The cheapest one I could find is the Polar FS1 (pictured above), which sells for about $45. Obviously, if you are interested in more features, you can do that too.
The other way you can go, if you don’t need another watch, is to just get a Polar replacement chest strap for about $38.
What do you do when you want to monitor your heart rate on a treadmill? Tell me in the comments.
Related Posts:
3 Cheap GPS Watches for Runners
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