Educate me on Heart Rate Monitors

[Ginger]

Do these monitors really work?

Yes.

Are there any specific brands I should be looking at?

Polar is a great fool-proof brand. There are a few other options out there, which I'm not up to date with... but you can't go wrong with Polar.

Are chest straps really the only accurate technology out there? Are they worth the cost?

Pretty much. Chest strap monitors can be had for little expense these days, but you can tack on lots of features: logging, audible warnings for zone training, wireless (etc) connectivity to your computer, GPS (no, I'm not kidding). The important thing is to get the features that you want/think would benefit you.

I was looking at this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Monitor-Watch-Design/dp/B00136U9TW/">http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Monit ... 00136U9TW/</a><!-- m -->

That's a nice, basic model. I wouldn't bother wth the calorie counter, since I don't really think it's a good training tool (more of a novelty)... but it's built into most models, anyway.

You may want to try out a monitor before you buy one. A lot of people get them to accomplish things that they could do just as well with the Borg exertion scale... there are plenty of very succesful professional athletes that have foregone digital analytic tools, just, you know, as an anecdote.

I hate them... that's why I'm not up to date Lots of things can influence your heart rate that won't necessarily give you the best picture of your workout (amount of rest, caffeine intake, stress, etc. Hell, even the strap annoys the crap out of me.