Running Accessories
A heart rate monitor is the cheapest upgrade that makes treadmill training smarter, letting you hold the right effort instead of guessing. Wrist sensors are convenient but drift during hard intervals, so a chest strap or arm band paired to your watch or treadmill is far more reliable. We have compared the best heart rate monitors you can buy in the UK, chest straps and armbands, and scored each on our RunRank system.
- Type Chest
- Connects ANT+ & BT
- Battery ~400h coin
- Type Chest
- Connects ANT+ & BT
- Battery Rechargeable
- Type Armband
- Connects Bluetooth
- Battery 38h recharge
- Type Chest
- Connects ANT+ & BT
- Battery Coin cell
- Type Chest
- Connects ANT+ & BT
- Battery ~12mo coin
- Type Armband
- Connects ANT+ & BT
- Battery Rechargeable
- Type Chest
- Connects ANT+ & BT
- Battery Coin cell
Prices checked regularly and change with sales. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
If you train on a treadmill, your heart rate is the single most useful number you can track. It tells you whether an easy run is actually easy, keeps interval sessions honest, and stops you drifting into the grey zone that feels productive but is not. The problem is that the wrist sensor in most watches struggles exactly when it matters most, during sharp efforts and quick pace changes, because the wrist is a difficult place to read blood flow.
That is what a dedicated heart rate monitor fixes. A chest strap or an arm band sits where the signal is cleaner, then sends your heart rate to your watch, phone app or the treadmill console itself. Every pick below gets a RunRank score across accuracy, comfort, connectivity and value. If you would rather track from the wrist, see our companion guide to the best watches for treadmill and indoor running; this page is about the straps and bands that feed them.
Chest strap or arm band?
This is the one real decision to make. Chest straps (the Polar H10, Garmin HRM 600 and 200, Wahoo Tickr and Decathlon band here) use ECG-style sensing across the chest and are the most accurate option, especially for intervals and rapid changes in effort. The downside is the band itself, which some people find uncomfortable or chafing.
Arm bands (the Coros Heart Rate Monitor and Polar Verity Sense) use an optical sensor worn on the forearm. They are far more comfortable, and worn on the arm rather than the wrist they get close to chest-strap accuracy, much better than a watch. For most treadmill running either type is excellent; choose a chest strap for absolute accuracy in hard sessions, or an arm band if comfort is what will actually keep you wearing it.
One connectivity tip. Check how you will pair it. Bluetooth connects to phones, apps and most newer kit; ANT+ is used by many watches, bike computers and gym machines. Dual-band straps (everything here except the Bluetooth-only Coros) cover both, which is the safest choice if you want to link to a watch and a treadmill console at the same time.
RunRank at a glance
| Monitor | Best for | Type | Connectivity | RunRank | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polar H10 | Best overall | Chest strap | ANT+ & BT | 4.7 | £78.99 |
| Garmin HRM 600 | Best for data | Chest strap | ANT+ & BT | 4.5 | £149.99 |
| Coros Heart Rate Monitor | Best armband | Optical armband | Bluetooth only | 4.5 | £69.00 |
| Wahoo Tickr | Best for apps | Chest strap | ANT+ & BT | 4.5 | £64.99 |
| Garmin HRM 200 | Simple & accurate | Chest strap | ANT+ & BT | 4.4 | £79.99 |
| Polar Verity Sense | Premium armband | Optical armband | ANT+ & BT | 4.5 | £99.99 |
| Decathlon HRM Band | Best value | Chest strap | ANT+ & BT | 4.4 | £34.99 |
The best heart rate monitors, reviewed
Polar H10
£78.99Chest strap · ANT+, Bluetooth & 5 kHz · ~400h replaceable battery
The Polar H10 is the strap nearly every other monitor is measured against. It uses ECG-style chest sensing rather than optical, which is what makes it the most reliable choice for hard intervals and quick pace changes on a treadmill, exactly where wrist sensors tend to lag behind. It transmits over ANT+, Bluetooth and 5 kHz at the same time and pairs to two Bluetooth devices at once, so it can feed your watch and the treadmill console together.
At £78.99 it is not the cheapest, and it sticks with a replaceable coin-cell battery rather than a rechargeable one, but for raw accuracy and rock-solid connectivity it is still the one to beat.
- Benchmark ECG accuracy, especially for intervals
- ANT+, Bluetooth and 5 kHz, pairs two devices at once
- Comfortable, grippy Polar Pro strap
- Works with almost any watch, app or treadmill
- Coin-cell battery rather than rechargeable
- Dearer than basic budget straps
Garmin HRM 600
£149.99Chest strap · ANT+ & Bluetooth · rechargeable, up to ~2 months
If you live in the Garmin world or simply want every metric going, the HRM 600 is the most capable strap here. It is Garmin’s new top-tier monitor, replacing the HRM-Pro Plus, and the headline change is a rechargeable battery, good for up to two months, instead of coin cells. It adds full running dynamics, records indoor treadmill pace and distance, and can even log a whole session on its own and sync it to Garmin Connect without a watch.
Connectivity is the best in this group: ANT+ with no connection limit plus three simultaneous Bluetooth channels, a 5 ATM water rating and a detachable, machine-washable strap. The catch is the price.
- Rechargeable battery, up to around two months
- Full running dynamics and treadmill pace and distance
- Records sessions without a watch, syncs to Garmin Connect
- ANT+ plus three Bluetooth connections, 5 ATM
- Detachable, machine-washable strap
- Expensive at £149.99
- Many features go to waste if you only want heart rate
Coros Heart Rate Monitor
£69.00Optical armband · Bluetooth only · 38h rechargeable
Not everyone gets on with a chest strap, and the Coros Heart Rate Monitor is the most comfortable way to escape one. It is a soft fabric armband with an optical sensor worn on the forearm, and independent testing puts its accuracy close to a chest strap, far better than a wrist watch, because the forearm is an easier place to read blood flow than the wrist.
You get up to 38 hours per charge, three simultaneous Bluetooth connections and a low-profile band you genuinely forget you are wearing. The one limitation is connectivity: it is Bluetooth only, with no ANT+, so check your watch or treadmill accepts a Bluetooth strap.
- Far more comfortable than a chest strap
- Accuracy close to a chest strap on the forearm
- 38-hour battery and three Bluetooth connections
- Low-profile, no chest band to chafe
- Bluetooth only, no ANT+
- Optical still trails ECG in the very hardest intervals
Wahoo Tickr
£64.99Chest strap · ANT+ & Bluetooth · coin-cell battery
The Wahoo Tickr is the easy all-rounder, especially if you train across lots of apps. It is a dual-band chest strap, ANT+ and Bluetooth, that connects to several devices at once and plays nicely with everything from Zwift and Strava to Peloton and gym treadmill consoles, with small LEDs on the pod confirming connection and heart-rate zone at a glance.
Accuracy is very good, comfort is fine, and at £64.99 it sits in the sweet spot between the budget straps and the premium Polar and Garmin options.
- Dual-band ANT+ and Bluetooth, multiple devices
- Works with virtually every app and console
- Helpful status LEDs on the pod
- Sensible mid-range price
- No internal memory or advanced metrics
- Armband fans will prefer the Coros or Verity Sense
Garmin HRM 200
£79.99Chest strap · ANT+ & Bluetooth · ~12 months on a coin cell
The HRM 200 is Garmin’s no-frills strap, and for most people training by heart-rate zones it is all they actually need. It delivers the accurate ECG heart rate Garmin is known for over both ANT+ and Bluetooth, runs about 12 months on a replaceable CR2032 coin cell, and adds the newer encrypted connection Garmin introduced in 2025.
What it skips is the HRM 600’s running dynamics, rechargeable battery, treadmill pace and watch-free recording. If you want those, pay up for the 600.
Polar Verity Sense
£99.99Optical armband · ANT+, Bluetooth & 5 kHz · rechargeable, internal memory
The Verity Sense is the armband the Coros is chasing. It is Polar’s optical arm sensor and a long-standing favourite for good reason: strong accuracy, genuine comfort and more flexibility than most, with Bluetooth, ANT+ and 5 kHz, internal memory to record sessions without a phone, and even a goggle clip for swimming.
A rechargeable battery gives around 20 hours of tracking and it pairs to multiple devices at once. At £99.99 it costs more than the Coros and is ANT+ and Bluetooth versatile rather than Bluetooth-only.
- Excellent comfort with strong optical accuracy
- Bluetooth, ANT+ and 5 kHz, very versatile
- Internal memory records without a phone
- Rechargeable, multi-connect, swim-capable
- Dearer than the Coros armband
- Optical still trails ECG at peak intervals
Decathlon HRM Band
£34.99Chest strap · ANT+ & Bluetooth · coin-cell battery
If you just want accurate heart rate without spending much, Decathlon’s own HRM Band is the value pick. The key thing it adds over the very cheapest belts is dual connectivity, both Bluetooth and ANT+, so it pairs with watches, apps, treadmills and gym kit rather than only one of them.
At £34.99 it is a basic chest strap with no running dynamics or memory, but it measures heart rate reliably and connects to almost anything, which is all a lot of treadmill users actually need.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a heart rate monitor if my watch already has one?
If you want accurate data during intervals, usually yes. Wrist optical sensors are fine for easy runs and daily tracking but tend to lag or spike during hard, fast-changing efforts. A chest strap or arm band paired to your watch replaces the wrist reading with a far more reliable one. See our treadmill and indoor running watches guide for the wrist side of this.
Chest strap or arm band, which is more accurate?
A good chest strap like the Polar H10 is the most accurate, particularly for intervals. A forearm arm band such as the Coros or Polar Verity Sense is a little behind in the hardest efforts but still far more accurate than a wrist sensor, and much more comfortable. For steady treadmill running, both are excellent.
Will a heart rate monitor connect to my treadmill?
Many treadmills and consoles can read a Bluetooth heart rate strap, and some also support ANT+. A dual-band strap (any here except the Bluetooth-only Coros) is the safest bet, since it can pair to the treadmill and your watch or phone at the same time. Check your treadmill’s manual for which it supports.
ANT+ or Bluetooth, which do I need?
Bluetooth pairs with phones, apps and most modern devices, one connection at a time on cheaper straps. ANT+ is common on watches, bike computers and gym equipment and handles several connections at once. If you are not sure, a dual-band strap covers both and removes the guesswork.
Is the Polar H10 worth it over a budget strap?
For accuracy, connectivity and longevity, yes, it is the benchmark. But if money is tight, Decathlon’s dual-band HRM Band at £34.99 measures heart rate reliably and connects to almost anything, which is all many treadmill users need for zone training.
How do I look after a heart rate strap?
Rinse the strap after sweaty sessions and let it air dry, and dampen the electrodes before a run for a cleaner signal early on. Avoid machine-washing the sensor pod unless the strap is designed for it, as the Garmin HRM 600’s detachable module is.
Track smarter on every run
For most people the Polar H10 is the best all-round choice, accurate, well-connected and fairly priced. Prefer comfort over a chest band? The Coros arm band is the one to get. On a budget? Decathlon’s dual-band HRM Band does the job for £34.99.
We research and compare products independently using our RunRank system. If you buy through links on this page we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Prices are checked regularly and change with sales, so always confirm the current price on the retailer’s site.
