Heart rate on your erg
Heart rate drives zones, internal training load, and recovery tracking in Ergon. During erg workouts, the cleanest source is a belt paired to the PM5 itself — the monitor relays every reading straight into your workout, and it shows on the PM5 screen too.
How to pair depends on what your device speaks.
Which setup fits your device
| You have | Best setup |
|---|---|
| ANT+-capable strap (Polar H10, Garmin HRM, Wahoo TICKR) | Strap → PM5 over ANT+ |
| Bluetooth-only device (Whoop broadcast, watch broadcast) | Device → Ergon directly |
| Apple Watch | Neither works — see below |
ANT+ straps: pair to the PM5
Most chest straps speak both ANT+ and Bluetooth. Pair them to the PM5 over ANT+:
- On the PM5, choose More Options › Connect Heart Rate.
- Wake the strap (put it on, or moisten the electrodes) and keep it close to the monitor.
- The PM5 lists nearby ANT+ belts — select yours.
Why ANT+ and not Bluetooth? The PM5 holds one Bluetooth link for the app and one for a belt, and running both at once is a known flaky combination — belts and apps can knock each other off. ANT+ uses a separate radio, so your strap's Bluetooth also stays free for other apps.
Once paired, Ergon remembers the belt for that erg and tells the PM5 to re-pair it automatically the next time you connect — no more re-pairing at the monitor before every session.
Bluetooth-only devices: pair to Ergon
Devices that only broadcast Bluetooth — Whoop in broadcast mode, a Garmin or Coros watch in broadcast mode, some armbands — connect to the app rather than the monitor. Pair them from the Bluetooth panel in Ergon, the same place you pair an erg.
One thing to check: a strap or broadcast that is already connected to another app may be invisible to Ergon. Most devices hold only one or two Bluetooth connections at a time.
Apple Watch
An Apple Watch can't pair to a PM5 and doesn't broadcast heart rate to other apps. For live heart rate on the erg, wear a strap. Workouts recorded with the Watch stay valuable in Apple Health — but they can't feed the live session.
Checking it worked
Before you start a workout, the editor shows the belt state for the connected erg: Heart-rate belt connected with the belt's ID, or No heart-rate belt paired with a link back to this guide. During the row, heart rate appears in the live view; afterwards, zones and heart-rate-based load appear on the result — provided the belt covered enough of the workout.
Write to support@ergon.training. A human reads every message, usually within one business day.