When Runner's World readers were asked to list their essential kit last year, heart-rate monitors came out on top. Unfortunately for the female runner, using a heart-rate monitor is usually an uncomfortable experience, requiring 10 minutes before

Gone are the days when runners would rate our efforts based on the colour of their cheeks after a run. Heart-rate monitors are now so easy to use, affordable and accurate that there's no excuse for skipping the science bit in your training. Most

information to be useful for runners who simply fancy giving heart-rate monitoring a go. It has a simple stopwatch – start, stop and no lap function – but you can keep a check on your current heart rate, your maximum and your average

Training with a heart-rate monitor may no longer be the preserve of the elite, but choosing a model perfectly suited to your needs and budget can still be a minefield of technical jargon and seductive (read expensive) features if you’re uncertain

By using a heart rate monitor while you train, you'll know exactly what impact your workout is having.Unlike trying to judge your own efforts, your heart rate is a completely objective measure of how hard you're working, so you'll be able to fine

’s still packed with all the features that made the 305 great: it monitors your time spent running, distance, pace, calories and heart rate, and your runs can be stored in the memory, so you can review and analyse the data and the routes you’ve taken later

. During your second run you should get a higher maximum reading than with any other method – although you or a helper should use a heart rate monitor to take readings throughout the interval, because your pulse may peak before the finish.

We're delighted to announce the winners of our Garmin Forerunner competition!We offered three all-new Garmin Forerunner 205s and 305s to the RW members who posted the most helpful reviews of their existing heart rate monitor or speed & distance

watches on test is its heart rate monitoring functions. There's just the one hear-rate zone compared with the Polar's five, and there are no features like Polar's OwnIndex V02 test.Contact www.nike.com; 0870 700 0988Suunto T6 - £310 (£250 without the foot

with Polar heart-rate monitors then put aside some time with the instruction manual. There’s a lot to learn to do justice to its range of features, from a full range of heart-rate-monitoring functions to various fitness tests and calorie calculations. Its