Are women’s heart rate monitors really different to men’s heart rate monitors?
You’ve probably realised by now that there are new lines of heart rate monitors purporting to be specialised women’s heart rate monitors. So there must be a lot of differences, right?
Well, the answer’s “Yes”, err… and “No”. Let’s look a bit deeper.
Are there physiological differences between the heart of a man and the heart of a woman?
Yes.
A woman’s heart is about twenty-five percent smaller than a man’s, but the structure and power of a woman’s heart is otherwise the same as a man’s. A man’s larger heart size means that he will have greater heart volume than a woman, which allows the man to more easily pump blood. A man’s blood also carries more (somewhere around 10% more) oxygen than a woman. So, men more easily pump oxygen to their muscles than women, which gives them an advantage and makes them faster runners.
In general the heart of a woman beats faster than that of a man (about 6 to 8 beats per minute faster) due to relative size of women compared to men (i.e the smaller the size – the faster the heartbeat). Studies have also shown that there may be some differences in the heart rate increases of men and women in response to stress. But, the maximum heart rate between individuals (both male and female) will vary, as will their resting heart rate. This is what heart rate monitors are designed to measure. There is no difference in the way it is measured according to size, height or weight of the individual. The heart rate at any given time is the heart rate. Period.
A heart rate monitor, at its most basic, reads your pulse – albeit in a more high-tech way than using your fingers and some mathematics. At this level, are there any differences between measuring the beat of a man’s heart compared to that of a woman? No.
From the functional point of view for simply measuring the heart rate, it makes no difference whether you are male or female.
If that’s the case, then why are you running a site called Women’s Heart Rate Monitor?
Because not all heart rate monitors are created equal.
A decent model will allow you to input factors such as your sex, height, weight, and age which can help to determine calories consumed in a workout. In addition, models made specifically with women in mind may be smaller and lighter than the men’s version, in a more slimline form that is more comfortable on feminine wrist sizes.
Then there is the transmitter, which is most commonly a chest strap. Some are more comfortable to wear than others. Some bra’s have been designed to make the wearing of a heart monitor strap more comfortable. There are also strapless heart rate monitor models which have more recently come onto the market. Doubtless there will be more innovations.
For some women, the style and colour may also be important considerations. If you’re going to appear on TV during the New York Marathon or the London Marathon, then you want to be looking good even if you feel like death on legs!
There is more choice than ever before about which make and model you can choose. Some are not cheap, so it makes sense to ensure that the model you choose will meet your needs – now and in the future.
I aim to cut-through the hype and give you reasoned facts and experiences about women’s heart rate monitor training. I will use my own experiences and those of friends and acquaintances to help you in your purchasing decision, and guide you in your training progress.
If you have any personal experiences using women’s heart rate monitors, or just heart rate monitors in general then I will be happy to hear from you. Also, please let me know if you have any questions or subjects that you would like covered in future articles.
August 21 2009 11:34 am | Womens Heart Rate Monitor