Heart rate monitors-chest strap-women

When did you last change the battery?

If you need just the HR reading and not any of the other running dynamics that some of the Garmin HR chest straps have, an optical HRM arm strap such as the Scosche RHYTHM+ or Wahoo TICKR FIT work well without the same issues with the "girls". They both feature Bluetooth and ANT compatibility.

Start by making sure it's clean, especially the contact sensors.
Then make sure the battery has some life left.
Lastly, replace the strap - they don't last forever.

Is the strap tight enough? I read somewhere 100 years ago that the strap (before it’s stretched) should be about 8 inches smaller than the measurement for wherever you’re wearing it. That seems to be about right for me so when it’s stretched it stays in place. I wear mine right below the band of my sports bra and it only slips around if the band has loosened up.

I have DDD cups but also wear a quality sports bra that doesn’t move or shift around either (kind of a necessity at my size but if your bra shifts at all, that might contribute to the problem).

tecat73 wrote: »

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

Is the strap tight enough? I read somewhere 100 years ago that the strap (before it’s stretched) should be about 8 inches smaller than the measurement for wherever you’re wearing it. That seems to be about right for me so when it’s stretched it stays in place. I wear mine right below the band of my sports bra and it only slips around if the band has loosened up.

I have DDD cups but also wear a quality sports bra that doesn’t move or shift around either (kind of a necessity at my size but if your bra shifts at all, that might contribute to the problem).

Thank you! I will try that. Maybe that is an issue. I might need to invest in a few more brooks sports bras. Those seem to work the best as well and that may be the culprit. I have two that are champion and don’t have as much tautness to the material for holding in place.

I also wear Moving Comfort (now Brooks) Maia bras. I have some Champion bras that are Ok and some that aren’t but I find the Maia works best for running. It seems the more movement there is in that area for me, the more the HRM strap gets jostled a little-especially if it’s not tight enough to begin with.

tecat73 wrote: »

MeanderingMammal wrote: »

When did you last change the battery?

I bought a new one that is more flexible and it has the same issues as the old one. I don't think battery?

Ok, so two different sensors?

What do you mean by not accurate? High, low, intermittent?

tecat73 wrote: »

MeanderingMammal wrote: »

tecat73 wrote: »

MeanderingMammal wrote: »

When did you last change the battery?

I bought a new one that is more flexible and it has the same issues as the old one. I don't think battery?

Ok, so two different sensors?

What do you mean by not accurate? High, low, intermittent?

Yes, I have a Garmin that has more plastic on the sensor, and then another that is soft all the way around and then just more rubbery where the sensor meets the skin.

By inaccurate I mean low.

Ok, thanks. All sounds a little odd if it's been reading ok and suddenly started to read low, and that's replicated with a second device. That might suggest a change in your body composition.

I'd echo the comments from @The_Enginerd, try the models that fit on the upper arm. That limits the issues around a bra and the only data you lose is the intra-beat stability and strength metrics. Most head-ends don't use that data anyway.

I get the best results when I put the strap on first, right where the lowest part of my bra will be, then wear a Brooks Fiona sports bra over it. That usually prevents it from sliding around and getting inaccurate readings.

The only other things I can suggest trying that haven’t already been mentioned is to make sure you’re putting the sensor in the middle of your chest and have rinsed off any sweat buildup from previous workouts.