Which heart rate monitor should I buy for prone paddleboarding and SUP race training?

Hey  – thanks for the question. This is one we get about once a month, and most everyone who is gong to complete our preseason race training interval program is going to need a heart rate monitor so lets go long form on this one.

On the one hand buying a heart rate monitor should be a brainless and inexpensive decision as there are dozens of monitors on the market that will measure your heart rate while exercising.

On the other hand buying a heart rate monitor for paddling can be a headache because

1. if you are a prone paddler a heart rate strap can be a torture device if you try to lay on it
2. We are seeing more and more paddlers who SUP and use prone paddling for cross training or vice versa. Getting a single heart rate monitor that works for prone and SUP adds a little expense
3. if you want to add GPS it can be expensive
4. carrying around a GPS device on a prone paddleboard can be a headache and you will need some sort of adaptor to make that happen.

What this all means is that there is no single device that is right for all situations. Below we will list our current recommendations. These are just a few devices we are familiar with. It is by no means an exhaustive list.

Whatever you buy, we recommend getting an ANT+ heart rate monitor. ANT+ is a “universal” standard that will allow you to use a strap from one vendor and a GPS/heart rate device from another. We can unequivocally recommend products from Garmin as we have been using them for years. Timex, Polar, and other companies also make great devices but we are less familiar with them so we will not call them out by name in this article.

1. If you are a prone paddler and that is all you do: heart rate straps are a nightmare. Avoid them like the plague. Even thin ones get old in a hurry when you lie on them.  Get yourself a Scosche Rhythm Plus band and a Garmin ANT+ device such as the Garmin 310XT or 910XT. Roch has also been playing with the Garmin 920 and he says  it is fantastic (especially if you run for cross training) but at $500 it is on the pricier side. These devices will also get you GPS.  To carry your GPS watch while paddling get either a Coastal Eddie wonder bracket or the Connexsup configuration described at this link

2. If you do prone and SUP: get the prone paddleboard rig as described above but use the chest strap that comes with your Garmin when you do SUP. If possible get this strap as it fits better under neoprene.

3. If all you do is SUP: go nuts. The world is your oyster. Any inexpensive heart rate monitor that is waterproof will work. They all work well. If you are looking for GPS, again we have had good luck with pretty much everything we have used from Garmin including the 910XT, 920XT, and 310XT.

Full Disclosure : SupThinkTank is an advertiser on this website and we use and highly recommend their products or we would not let them advertise.  Riding Bumps has no formal affiliation with Scosche, Garmin, Timex, Polar, or Coastal Eddie.