We’ve been trying out this neat little heart rate monitor from Wahoo. Now it strikes me that a HRM has one job - recording your heart rate accurately. There doesn’t seem to be much point in training to heart rate if it’s not right or if it’s picking up the heart rate of the person next to you, who’s puffing a lot harder than you are.
I’ve tried a few HRMs out before - in watches, fitness bands and on chest straps. All had positives and negatives but all seemed to have issues with accuracy. With a chest strap it can be hard to get a reading initially, before there’s a bit of sweat to help the connection, and I’ve found it can slip around if you’re doing something like a circuits class. It can also feel a bit restrictive. With ones worn on your wrist I’ve found that they can slip around a bit - I’ve got really tiny wrists - and have never really worked for me. Much as I’d like to think that my resting heart rate is 30, I know it’s not.
Enter the Wahoo Tickr Fit. This is a bluetooth and ANT+ heart rate monitor that’s worn on your forearm. It makes a good solid bond to the skin and the elastic strap keeps it in place nicely. It’s water-resistant, if you’re a big sweater.
It’s simple to use. It’s rechargeable (it will give 30 hours of battery life) and it’s turned on by one big blue button on the side. A flashing blue light will tell you it’s working. It picks up your heart rate straight away. A flashing red light will show that you’ve successfully turned it off. This is simple technology that I can really get behind.
If you download the Wahoo Fitness app you can get data in a simple and useful format - it will show ‘live heart rate’ as well as recording maximum, average, calories burned and map your heart rate throughout the activity. So pretty much everything you need from a HRM.
The Tickr Fit will also work in unison with your GPS watch to record heart rate alongside all the usual data. It pairs seamlessly and I don’t usually say that about any technology in my life.
It really is a simple, accurate little device that does its one job very well indeed. I highly recommend it.
It’s priced at £64.99. For more information on the Wahoo Tickr Fit see
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