My wife started training for a 25k race and we’re looking at HRM options. She’s uncomfortable with the straps. Anyone out there have ideas?
Back in the day, you could use adhesive EKG pads with the snap on Polar transmitters…same kind of snaps the newer Garmin transmitters use. You could give those a shot and avoid the strap altogether.
Just stay away form the Garmin Premium straps…they su-su-su-su-su-suck.
While theirs still utilize a strap, have you looked into Suunto HRMs? Their Dual HR belts are the comfiest of those I’ve tried (Polar, Garmin, Suunto).
I’ve managed compatibility problems interfacing a finicky HRM, with an unreliable strap, and an irritable thorax. (ie. not my irritable thorax)
Best solution: Garmin HRM (Ant+), with the Polar strap (plugs right in just fine, more reliable conductivity and better comfort than the Garmin one, had it lying around), ends cut off the strap just past the electrodes (boom!), stuffed inside the bottom of a sports bra, with a window cutout of the sports bra so the HRM doesn’t crush ribs / lady parts. Depending on the sports bra, you may have better luck making a window on the side or back. Not really my area of expertise.
So glad my manboobs don’t require a bro.
-Mud
Tell your wife to suck it up and wear a strap. She’ll get used to it in about 3 minutes if she just adjusts her attitude.
She can wear a sports bra (I assume) and do all kinds of other uncomfortable stuff that the womens do but can’t wear a HRM strap? It’s not like they have spike on them.
Jeez!
Try a polar.
crazy glue
.
I highly recommend the newer type of Garmin soft straps.
The older models for Garmin, Timex and Polar, which weren’t terrible by the way, had a hard plastic front – about 12-15 inches long. But the new ones use the same type of soft strap. Both my wife and I use that type. Your wife will probably forget she’s wearing it after about 1 minute (unless she’s got the thing so tight that it almost inhibits breathing).
Check out the new polar straps they are not like the old ones and comfortable
.
I believe one of the manufacturers (Polar?) makes a sports bra that has a built in strap for it. Seems like a colossal waste of money, even by triathlon standards. But good luck telling a woman to suck it up.
I highly recommend the newer type of Garmin soft straps.
Do they stay up better? I have the old strap and find that if I don’t keep it fairly tight it might end up around my waist by the end of a long run.
Two options:
Polar sports bra
http://www.fitnesszone.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/alt_4524lg.jpg
OR
Compression top with the HRM duct taped to the outside. The top works as a defacto strap, and the monitor will pickup through the thin top once it’s wet.
I’m not going to give my recommendation because it’s obvious…
But what I will say is that our new Wearlink+ Softstrap is insanely unnoticeable. It hasn’t been announced really because it’s more of a running change. But the improvements are honestly enough for it’s own product launch.
I’d be more than happy to send your wife one to try on - I’m pretty confident she’ll like it. PM me your info
Chris
I have a Polar soft strap AND a Garmin soft strap. THEY ARE IDENTICAL. Literally. No difference except the label. When I had problems with my transmitter, I used my Garmin transmitter on my Polar soft strap.
But to answer your question, which was whether they stay up without having to be too tight, the answer is YES. I have done an IM with it, and am getting ready to run the AR50 next month. So I’ve done lots of miles with it. It does not have to be tight to stay put. Snug is fine.
My polar soft strap and my Garmin premium are different. I like both but i think the Polar is a bit better at staying put and is a bit more comfortable right as you put it on but I forget both in minutes. One thing to note is that she might have it either to high or too low and that is what bugs her. I have found that wearing it a bit lower is more comfortable and it will slid down less but still picks up HR fine.
From my experience, women wear it too low, under the jog bra seam. They have to tuck it under the seam, so technically they could wear it a bit loose and the seam keeps it snug.