Smartwatches are incredible tools for daily health tracking, sleep monitoring, and even tracking workouts. But I’ve discovered that when I’m deeply engaged in high-intensity intervals, all-out sprints, or heavy weight sessions, my wrist-based sensor can sometimes lag behind rapid spikes in my heart rate, even with the very best smartwatches.
I’ve not actually tested the Polar H10, but currently sharing an old Wahoo heart rate strap with the whole family is now beginning to become unnervingly similar to sharing a toothbrush, and something urgently needs to be done to rectify the situation.
Which is why this gem of a deal on Amazon Prime Day on the Polar H10 heart rate monitor strap is going straight in my basket. Many athletes and professionals consider this model the gold standard of heart rate monitors and use it as the benchmark against which to measure other models.
Until now, I’ve adopted a ‘close enough’ approach to heart rate monitoring. I no longer needed to track the minutiae of the time lag that racing and performing at the top end requires.
So what’s changed? I’m still not racing to the podium, but I’ve become increasingly aware of my heart, age and spotting the irregular.
It’s something that creeps up on you as you level up the age categories, somewhere after hearing about marriages, babies, divorces and then heart problems.
I’m not saying that the Polar H10 is a medical aid that will act as an early deterrent, but bet your bottom dollar, everyone I know who has had a heart issue has always said it’s been their heart rate monitor data that waved the red flag first.
So, popping this in my basket this Prime Day isn’t an act of panic—it’s the equivalent of giving my finely aged, high-mileage motor a more useful dashboard than, say, power or FTP data would be for me, as heart rate cycling training still really matters.
I’ll still need a head unit, and if you don’t have one now is a good time to think about one of the best cycling computers, but it’s a bit of a high-tech peace of mind so I can keep turning myself inside out on the hills, earning those mandatory café stops for a proper slice of cake, and trying to keep up with my daugter with absolute joy for many more miles to come.
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