When I first got into endurance sports back in 2007, I was looking for something to help motivate me.
How it all started
At the time, I was primarily a cyclist and everyone I rode with talked about the benefits of using your heart rate as a marker for training. At the time, the best-known name for heart rate monitors was Polar, so I went out and got myself one.
It was fascinating to me, all the bells and whistles, the fact that it had an option to test your current physical condition by just relaxing while it measured your vitals.
I was hooked.
But I was never satisfied with the watch in hand. I’d go for a ride with someone who had something I deemed better because it had more options, or it clipped on to your bike rather than your wrist. Or, and this was state of the art at the time, you could upload your data to a website!
And shortly thereafter, GPS started gaining traction.
But I digress.
When I first started really paying attention, the common thinking was that for superior GPS you went with Garmin but if you wanted the best HRMs on the market, you went with Polar.
Fast forward 11 years and Polar has more than caught up with Garmin on the GPS front, but it remains, in my opinion the gold standard in HRM technology.
Polar M430
The M430 is the company’s first foray into wrist-based heart rate monitors.
And if you don’t mind wearing a watch that looks like a sport watch full time, this is a great option for all things endurance sports.
Check out my review, 5 things I like about the Polar M430:
