Finally! A heart rate monitor designed for women
I test the Garmin HRM-FIT
Sports companies are not always great at recognising that women are not just small men. Everything from shoes to t-shirts to heart rate monitors are usually designed to male body shape and then put in smaller or narrower sizes for female athletes. So, the women’s fit Garmin HRM-FIT is an important piece of heart rate tech for women.
It might not be the cheapest heart rate monitor on the market, but the price reflects its versatility. This is a comfortable piece of kit that can withstand water pressure equivalent to 30 metres depth so is ideal for all kinds of races whether it’s a parkrun, ultra marathon or mud run.
There are pros and cons to training via heart rate but I see it as another useful metric in a runner’s toolkit alongside pace and perceived effort (you can find out more about heart rate training here). And I was pleasantly surprised by the data the HRM-FIT produced.
So here’s my verdict on this female-specific piece of kit…
The price of progress
Launching at the end of last year the Garmin HRM-Fit is currently priced at £129.99 (although the price does fluctuate on Amazon). This is at the higher end of the market and puts a premium on being female, which is a little jarring given that the product is designed to offer more equality in tech. However part of this extra cost may be due to the 3 ATM waterproof rating which is higher than many other models like the cheaper 4iiii Viiiiva heart rate monitor.
Testing, testing
I run five times a week and go to the gym twice . I tested the monitor over a month putting it through running interval sessions, hill reps, trail runs up to 30km plus hour long weight training. This included all weather conditions from wind and rain, to hotter sunny days.
Design for life
The simplicity of this monitor is what makes it work so well. Rather than being a strap that goes all the way around your chest chafing under your bra, or slipping down during a run, it is a backless short band that snaps onto the front of a sports bra. There are three clips which slide onto the bra underband and firmly grip in place. It takes seconds to fit and is easy to remove.
The purpose of the design is to avoid chafing and at first, I was dubious because the clasps are relatively bulky. But I was pleasantly surprised. Even after a sweaty three-hour trail run I had no marks or chafing. I completely forgot the monitor was there and couldn’t feel it at all. The same happened in the gym. In fact the monitor helped to alleviate bra chafing as the fabric of the HRM-FIT had less friction than my bra bands and created a barrier between my bra and chest.
The 3 ATM waterproofing meant it coped well in torrential rain, was easy to clean and could withstand jumping into water during a mud run.
However, there was an issue with bra fitting as the band only picks up a heart rate when it is fixed to a medium to tight-support sports bra. Looser crop top bras, which are commonly used for gym workouts and yoga, were no good. I had to choose the right bra if I wanted to use the HRM-FIT. This might exclude a lot of women who only wear low support bras.
Data time
Once I had worked out the best bra to fit the monitor to the ANT+ data recording was impressive. Frustratingly there were no clear instructions on how to sync it with my Garmin app or watch so I had to get advice from running colleagues. But once this was up and running I found the data to be extremely accurate.
Compared to the heart rate on my Garmin Fenix 5 watch the HRM-FIT was much faster at giving me information. The heart rate data appeared to be in real time without a delay, and around five to 10 seconds quicker than the watch heart rate.
I also noticed that the HRM-FIT data was two to eight beats a minute higher than my watch, which I assume is because the recording is more accurate.
What I found the strap most useful for was running intervals. Because the data was quicker and more accurate it gave me a much better idea of how much rest to have between reps. Sometimes I thought my heart rate was back to resting but when I checked the monitor data it was still in the threshold range. This meant I needed to recover for longer, which in turn meant I had a better quality session.
For longer runs when I am cruising along at an easy pace I barely look at my heart rate and prefer to run to perceived effort but I can see the benefit of using the HRM-FIT during a race or if you are someone who runs to heart rate.
You also get extra dynamic data when paired with a Garmin smartwatch as the monitor records vertical oscillation, ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more. As an easy-going ultra runner I’m not a slave to data but I can see how this extra information could be useful for road runners looking to finesse their form.
Batteries included
Based on one hour use per day, the coin slot battery has up to 12 month’s life. Although the instructions state that the app will tell you remaining battery life, on my Garmin app and watch the only status update I got was ‘Battery OK’. Only time will tell how long lasting the battery really is.
Is it worth it?
It may be on the higher price end but a heart rate monitor especially designed for women is well worth the extra pennies. Arguably women shouldn’t have to pay a premium for tech designed for their morphology, but this is a huge step in the right direction. The fit is extremely comfortable, it is easy to use and clean, and being able to wear it in the wet is a big bonus. The only caveat is that it doesn’t work effectively with all bra types which limits its accessibility.
Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. If you have any running news for me, let me know! Send feedback to lilycanter@yahoo.co.uk or suggest topics you’d like me to cover.
