If you’re the type of person who works out regularly, you may also be one of those people who is frustrated with their results. Countless people commit to a fitness routine for months or even years at a time without seeing the results they hoped for. Don’t give up though. You may be making the mistake of putting quantity above quality. More or “better” workouts aren’t the answer. Workouts that involve a higher degree of intensity are. Using a fitness monitor can help.

Fitness monitors are great for checking in on what your body is actually doing while you’re working out or even throughout the course of your day. This is how you can ensure that your body is actually benefiting from your workout and not just coasting by. While there are many versions these days, the best kind will help you—at the very least—stay within your target heart rate zone throughout the course of your workout. Doing so makes for a stronger heart and more weight loss.

Right now, the leading brands of fitness monitors include:

• Garmin
• Suunto
• Polar
• Timex

However, more are being made every day by different companies as their appeal and popularity grow.

The most common version you’ll see uses a chest strap to monitor your body’s status by measuring the heart’s electrical signals. You then have a separate unit that conveniently displays this information.

Your most basic form of the chest strap model will time your workout and display the average, continuous and lows and highs of your heart rate. More advanced versions can track your overall speed, distance and even have GPS that can show you what path you took during cardio workouts.

These models tend to be more expensive than the other variety though. Also, as it straps around your chest, you’ll want to make sure it’s comfortable.

If chest strap models aren’t for you, try wearing a finger sensor version instead. These take on a number of different styles. Some literally wrap around a finger, others look like a watch and there are even models that combine the two. Aside from being more affordable, they may also be more convenient. Just put your finger to the console and the machine will measure your data and report back a 95% accurate result. This does, however, mean pausing during your workout to do so.

Whichever model works best, fitness monitors are a great way to break through plateaus and continue meeting your fitness goals.