Heart rate monitors usually come in two: the two-part heart rate monitor and the strapless heart rate monitor. The strapless heart rate monitor requires no strap to wear around the chest which in turn would provide more relaxed and comfortable feel during training. It uses only the wrist-worn device that reads the electronic signal released by the heart through the fingers pressed on the device for a given length of time.
The two-part heart rate monitor on the other hand is composed of the strap and the wrist unit. The belt strap reads the heart rate measurement and acts as a transmitter. The wrist unit serves as the receiver and displays the data sent by the transmitter.
The belt strap heart rate monitor and the strapless heart rate monitor can be used during training. Both have similarities but both present advantages and disadvantages.
The belt strap heart rate monitor and the strapless heart rate monitor both can accurately provide the user with accurate heart rate measurement which is impossible with manual method.
The main advantage of the belt strap heart rate monitor on training is that the user can have an instant access on the status of the heart anytime he/she wishes to. It provides a continuous reading on the status of the heart which is very reliable during long training duration. Higher end belt strap heart rate monitors can be computer compatible or contain high memory storage capacity that equates to larger room to save data for several days of training. Its main disadvantage on the other hand could be the inconvenience the strap provides on the user. Since most of this type is designed for male users, women who wish to have the strap belt heart rate monitor during training can have difficulty fitting the right size for them.
For the strapless heart rate monitor, the main advantage it presents is the convenience of wearing only the wrist unit. There is no need to wear the strap with transmitter. However this might not be very appealing to those who would like to have an access of their heart rate whenever they demand to. The strapless heart rate monitor might not be good for training for it interrupts the continuity. This is because to be able to have a heart rate reading, the user still has to place 2 fingers on the device for seconds. But for people who are unmindful of the destruction it creates, the strapless heart rate monitor is good for training.
Whichever the trainer uses, heart rate monitors of any kind are great tool to get the right heart rate measurement all the time.