Why I'm Never Wearing a Chest Heart Rate Strap Again
This Polar OH1+ arm band is my new best friend.
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Heart rate is one of the most valuable tools in an athlete’s arsenal, because it provides objective, real-time data about your effort level.
Using a heart rate monitor is an easy way to make sure you’re training in the right zones to improve fitness. But heart rate straps aren’t always the most comfortable…
I’ve used a Garmin chest strap for the past 6 years, and I’ve always viewed it as a necessary evil. As a woman, wearing a chest strap underneath an already compressive sports bra isn’t a fun experience.
Most of the time, I feels like it’s hard to take a deep breath, which isn’t a great feeling when you’re already gasping during hard efforts. After a recent 10K, when I still had soreness across my ribs from my heart rate strap days later, I decided it was time to make a change.
I’ve been using an arm-based heart rate strap for the past few months, and I’m never going back! Today, we’ll talk a bit about heart rate monitors, the model I’m using now, and…
❤️ Paid subscribers will get access to Understanding Heart Rate Zones 101 to learn more about how training with heart rate can improve fitness, how heart rate zones work, and how to set your own zones.
Chest-based heart rate vs arm bands, watches, ect.
There are plenty of heart rate monitors on the market from brands like Garmin, Polar, Coros, Wahoo, ect. But there are two ways these devices monitor heart rate.
PPG- (optical) Works by using light to measure changes in blood volume. By shining a small LED through the skin, the device monitors fluctuations in blood volume to determine heart rate.
ECG- (electrical) Detects electrical signals generated by your heart as it beats. An ECG sensor on the surface of the skin picks up these signals.
ECG is widely considered the gold standard for heart rate monitoring, because of its accuracy in measuring electrical signals from the heart. But it needs to be placed close to the heart to pick up the signal, which restricts its use to chest-based straps.
PPG measures heart rate indirectly, so it can be placed in different areas of the body as long as there’s access to adequate blood flow.
Why bother using a heart rate strap when most smartwatches have optical heart rate sensors already built in?
Wrist-based heart rate is often inaccurate, especially during exercise, because body movement and muscle flexing affects monitoring in this area.
That leaves you with one option- an uncomfortable chest strap. :( Or does it…?
Although it also uses an optical sensor, a PPG arm band worn around the bicep or forearm has the potential to be 91% as accurate as an ECG monitor.
When thinking about heart rate monitoring for athletic purposes, we have to maintain a little perspective. We use this information to gauge effort level and monitor changes in fitness.
In a clinical setting, ECG is used for diagnostics, arrhythmia detection, and detailed cardiac assessments, because it’s more accurate. But for non-critical, fitness-based monitoring, a PPG is a more convenient and comfortable option that’s still very accurate.
Meet Polar OH1+, my new best friend
My coach introduced me to this arm-based heart rate strap a few months ago, and I love it!
The Polar OH1+ has an optical heart rate sensor with 6 LED lights. It has Bluetooth connectivity so I can pair it with my Garmin watch and bike computer. It has a 75m broadcast range, 4MB storage/200h internal memory, and is water-resistant up to 30m.
The monitor is very small, about the size of a nickel, and comes with a soft, stretchy arm band. It also comes with a goggle clip in case you want to use it for swimming.
At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like wearing a strap on my bicep, but it’s super lightweight, just 21.5g, and I forget I’m wearing it most days.
Unlike my Garmin chest-based strap, this one doesn’t feel like I’m slowly being squeezed to death in a vise grip. Also, I’ve had trouble in the past with Garmin straps not sealing properly when you need to replace the internal battery. This can lead to corrosion, and the device may stop working entirely.
One thing I like about the Polar OH1+ is it’s rechargeable. The device comes with a small charger that you can plug into a USB port. I just pop the tiny sensor off the band, plug it in once a week, and I’m good to go.
The other difference is you must turn the monitor on before you use it, by holding down the side button for three seconds. It turns off in the same way. Another nice feature is I can open up the Polar app to see how much battery life my monitor has left. Also, I get an alert on my watch when the battery is running low.
Matt has a different version of this device- the Polar Verity Sense. It works in the same way, but there are a few key differences. Whereas the Polar OH1+ has Bluetooth connectivity, the Polar Verity Sense has dual Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity so you can connect simultaneously to different devices.
Also, the battery life lasts longer: 30 hours as opposed to 18 hours, and it has more memory. It also has a gyroscope to detect arm orientation in movements like swimming.
Both of these are less expensive than my previous Garmin straps. Mine was $64.90 and his was $104.95.
Another feature I like is the monitor can be removed from the band, so you can wash the band when it gets salty and gross, something I couldn’t do with the chest-based strap.
Overall, I love this little device, and it’s proven to be pretty comparable to the results I would get from my chest strap. I don't have a relationship with the Polar company, but perhaps I can get us a discount!
If you haven’t trained with heart rate before, you might be asking yourself why you need a heart rate monitor in the first place…
❤️ Keep scrolling below, because paid subscribers get access to Understanding Heart Rate Zones 101 to learn:
How training with heart rate can improve fitness
How heart rate zones work
How to set your own zones
But first a quick congratulations to one of our readers. Kevin did his first triathlon over the weekend! He’s been training for several months after his first race was cancelled due to weather, and we’re so excited that he finally got to swim, bike, and run! He placed 3rd in the 65-69 age group (out of 12). Congratulations Kevin!
Paid subscribers, don’t forget about our Monthly Expert Chat coming up Tuesday, July 22nd at 6:00 pm EST. We’re excited to have one of Precision Fuel & Hydration’s “Sweat Scientists” Lexi Kelson join us to talk about sweat testing.
If you attend live, you’ll have the opportunity to ask your own questions. If you can’t make it, a replay will be available for paid subscribers.
❤️ Understanding Heart Rate Zones 101
A key goal of Triple Threat Life is to help everyday athletes learn how to train smarter, not harder. If you’ve never trained with heart rate before, or don’t really understand how using heart rate zones can help you get fitter and faster, you’re in the right place!
In Understanding Heart Rate Zones 101, we’ll cover the basics about training with heart rate. You will gain a better understanding of how heart rate zones work, the benefits of heart rate training, and learn how to set your own zones.
Let’s get started!
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