Garmin HRM-Fit

The Garmin HRM-Fit is a heart rate strap designed specifically for women, clipping directly onto sports bras. While it's more than double the price of some heart rate monitors on the market, it does offer additional features when paired with Garmin devices, and I found it much more comfortable than a standard chest strap.

Not sure if the HRM-Fit is right for you? You'll find more options in our guide to the best heart rate monitors.

The HRM-Fit is designed to offer a more comfortable alternative to a traditional chest strap for women by attaching directly to the bottom band of a sports bra. It uses three clips – the pod in the centre and one on each side.

Garmin specifies that it's only compatible with medium- and high-support sports bras, to ensure the strap stays securely in place. It actually provides a page listing the supported types. You do need to wear a fairly tight sports bra to ensure good contact with the strap and your skin. I found that unpadded, low-impact sports bras caused the heart rate strap to gape, while long-line sports bras placed the sensors in the wrong position, affecting the accuracy of the heart rate readings. It may be useful to look at your sports bra collection before purchasing the HRM-Fit, but I didn't have any issues as it worked with most of the sports bras I typically wear while cycling.

The strap is one length (13.2in wide), and for me, being a 34B bra size, it sits across the width of my front without reaching all the way to the sides, meaning it's not restrictive. You want to make sure that the strap is tight across the sports bra with no gaping for accurate readings, and this is best done by attaching the monitor after putting your sports bra on.

The clips are easy to open and close and don't mark or snag the fabric of the sports bra. While the clips are bulkier than a standard chest strap, and the central pod that houses the battery protrudes slightly, I didn't find it noticeable or uncomfortable during use as the strap goes against your skin and the clips sit on the front of your sports bra. They also didn't interfere with wearing a cycling jersey.

In terms of comfort, I found the HRM-Fit an improvement over standard chest straps. It eliminates the extra material tucked away underneath your sports bra, and avoids the tight, constrictive feeling of having to do a chest strap up tight to fit underneath a sports bra. Once it was clipped on, I barely noticed it was there, and it stayed secure throughout my rides without ever feeling loose or shifting out of place.

Connectivity

The HRM-Fit transmits data via ANT+ and Bluetooth to whichever device you're using. I connected it easily to my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt and the Coros Pace 3 smartwatch that I've been testing (full review coming soon).

The performance of the strap was equivalent to a chest strap, and I had no issues with it dropping out, whether riding inside or out; even for high intensity intervals it tracked well.

If you're using a Garmin device with the Garmin Connect app, the HRM-Fit offers some additional features. It tracks various metrics such as steps, heart rate variability, all-day heart rate, calories burned, and intensity minutes, with all this data being stored and syncing to your device and Garmin Connect feed.

If you run as well as cycle, the HRM-Fit also captures running dynamics like cadence, stride length, and left/right foot balance, which can be sent to a compatible Garmin smartwatch, but I wasn't able to test these additional features. The HRM-Fit certainly offers more functionality than I need for basic heart rate monitoring during my bike rides.

Quality

The HRM-Fit has a claimed battery life of 12 months, based on one hour of use per day. It uses a CR2032 battery, with the design following a coin-cell battery compartment that can be unlocked with a coin. This compartment fastens and unfastens securely. Garmin switched to a tool-free battery replacement system with its HRM-Pro Plus.

It's rated to 3 ATM, meaning it's splashproof but not designed to be used while swimming. Attaching it to a swimsuit would be a challenge, too...

The whole unit seems very well built, and after numerous sessions on the turbo trainer, sweat hasn't appeared to cause any issues.

Value

At £139.99, it is a lot of money for a heart rate strap, but it does offer some extra features for running and swimming.

It incorporates features from Garmin's premium HRM-Pro Plus, for example, including running dynamics, but interestingly, the HRM-Pro Plus is £20 less than the HRM-Fit, retailing at £119.99.

If you're happy with a standard heart rate strap purely for cycling, Garmin's HRM-Dual is less than half the price of the HRM-Fit at £59.99.

We haven't tested any women-specific heart rate monitors, but the concept of a sports bra that allows you to clip on a heart rate monitor isn't entirely new. For example, Shock Absorber has the Ultimate Run Bra – Heart Rate Monitor Edition for 89 CAD (that's around £50) which features poppers where you can attach a Garmin or Polar heart rate monitor.

Similarly, the Sensoria Sports Bra includes a built-in heart rate monitor and costs $129 (that's around £100).

Conclusion

The standout feature of the HRM-Fit is its clip-on design, which is both effective and far more comfortable than a standard chest strap. It does include additional features that are more than you need for basic heart rate monitoring for cycling, though, which contribute to its higher price.

Verdict

More comfortable than a standard chest strap, with additional features – reflected in the price