Time for an UP GRADE...Heart Rate Monitors!!!!

WanderingBomb

Alrighty, so I've had enough of my crappy little FitBit Zip, its time for an up grade! Soooo.... What does everyone recommend for a good decently priced heart rate monitor? I will be using during both weight training and cardio.

indianwin2001

A HRM will not accurateley track your calories during weight-lifting. It is more for steady-state cardio. Having said that I like my Garmin FR15 as it is an activity tracker and a HRM in one. I also have a Garmin FR220.

hazleyes81

I started years ago with a low price Polar FT1 or something similar. I eventually moved up to the FT80 because I was doing a lot of weight lifting, but I didn't like it so I moved on to a RS400 (and CS400 for my bike). A year ago I got a RCX5 and I really like it, although I don't think it is 100% suiting my needs but is okay until something better comes out. I also use a Fitbit one (I started with an ultra back in the day) to estimate my non-exercise activity and burn.

I have some brand loyalty toward Polar, but other companies certainly make decent monitors. If you use any apps, like Strava or Mapmyfitness, you might want to look at monitors that are compatible with those apps (and your phone).

Tell me some more about what you are looking for, and maybe we can guide you better. How much do you want to spend? My FT1 was probably $30, but my RCX5 setup is about $800 or so.

I do recommend that since you want to use it for weightlifting that you get one that has different activity modes and uses different algorithms for those activities, otherwise you will likely end up with a gross overestimation of calorie burn for your weightlifting.

kjm3579

There's actually 2 parts to your question. One, is the heart rate monitor itself. You can select from quite a few out there, but I use the Polar H7 since I wanted one compatible with bluetooth and Polar's system. The second part is what you are monitoring or recording you information with. Do you want to send your info. to a smartphone app or do you want to wear a monitor watch? I use an iPhone with cyclemeter to monitor and record my data during cardio, I don't monitor heart rate during strength training.

WanderingBomb

hazleyes81 wrote: »

I started years ago with a low price Polar FT1 or something similar. I eventually moved up to the FT80 because I was doing a lot of weight lifting, but I didn't like it so I moved on to a RS400 (and CS400 for my bike). A year ago I got a RCX5 and I really like it, although I don't think it is 100% suiting my needs but is okay until something better comes out. I also use a Fitbit one (I started with an ultra back in the day) to estimate my non-exercise activity and burn.

I have some brand loyalty toward Polar, but other companies certainly make decent monitors. If you use any apps, like Strava or Mapmyfitness, you might want to look at monitors that are compatible with those apps (and your phone).

Tell me some more about what you are looking for, and maybe we can guide you better. How much do you want to spend? My FT1 was probably $30, but my RCX5 setup is about $800 or so.

I do recommend that since you want to use it for weightlifting that you get one that has different activity modes and uses different algorithms for those activities, otherwise you will likely end up with a gross overestimation of calorie burn for your weightlifting.

I'd like to not spend more than $200. I want something that will accurately show calories burned during both my weight lifting (I do multiple sets with 1 min walking rest between each set and 2 min walking rest between lifts) and my cardio (I do speed walking on the treadmill at various inclines for 20-60 minutes depending on the day). I don't plan to keep track of 24/7 activity, I've kind of lost hope in that since my FitBit is almost never accurate.

WanderingBomb

kjm3579 wrote: »

There's actually 2 parts to your question. One, is the heart rate monitor itself. You can select from quite a few out there, but I use the Polar H7 since I wanted one compatible with bluetooth and Polar's system. The second part is what you are monitoring or recording you information with. Do you want to send your info. to a smartphone app or do you want to wear a monitor watch? I use an iPhone with cyclemeter to monitor and record my data during cardio, I don't monitor heart rate during strength training.

I'm not too particular about syncing/sending my info. If I have a solid number I can add it to my exercise diary on MFP manually.

SnuggleSmacks

Some of the new trackers coming out are supposed to be able to track lifting and have a heart rate monitor...the Jawbone Up3 and Amiigo are worth looking at.

indianwin2001

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

Some of the new trackers coming out are supposed to be able to track lifting and have a heart rate monitor...the Jawbone Up3 and Amiigo are worth looking at.

From what I can tell,the UP3 does not mention weightlifting on its website--tennis,basketball,swimming etc..

SnuggleSmacks

indianwin2001 wrote: »

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

Some of the new trackers coming out are supposed to be able to track lifting and have a heart rate monitor...the Jawbone Up3 and Amiigo are worth looking at.

From what I can tell,the UP3 does not mention weightlifting on its website--tennis,basketball,swimming etc..

Not specifically, but it is supposed to be able to track intensity in non-step activities. It mentions things like yoga, cycling and swimming.

Bocch

Microsoft is coming out with a fitness tracker that includes weightlifting. It should synch up with MFP and some other sites and has bluetooth to synch up with cell phones. I have woorn HRMs during weightlifting and find that weightlifting is not really cardio exercise and the HR stays low and steady. When you run,walk, bike or swim then you are talking cardio. I am trying the vivofit. It will track calories even if you do not exercise. So, it counts steps for walking and running. For the bike to see calories burned you would use the HRM chest strap. I think the vivofit will track calories burned for swimming. The Microsoft tracker will have many other options like you can get your e-mail sent to the fitness tracker.

SKME2013

Look at the new Polar M400. It got some excellent reviews and it is around $200. I have the Polar RCX5 and fitbit one which is an awesome combination, but if I had to do it again, I would probably go for the above. Check out dcrainmaker's review on the web.
Stef.

MeanderingMammal

WanderingBomb wrote: »

I want something that will accurately show calories burned during both my weight lifting (I do multiple sets with 1 min walking rest between each set and 2 min walking rest between lifts) and my cardio (I do speed walking on the treadmill at various inclines for 20-60 minutes depending on the day).

HRMs aren't an appropriate tool for this. Resistance training will be overestimated as it includes anaerobic activity and walking isn't going to drive your HR into the range where the algorithms are meaningful.

'Ware the marketing with its bland, unsubstantiated assertions

sijomial

Calories (energy remember) burned during strength training is related to the weight lifted over distance not heart rate. So if you do a little experiment to see what happens when you lift try doing a shoulder press (say 100lbs) and then a leg lift (say 200lbs) and see what happens to your HR. You will probably find your HR spikes to roughly the same number despite one exercise lifting twice as much weight and requiring twice the amount of energy.

Advice would be just choose a set number of calories per hour for your weight training. Say 200 or 250 / hour perhaps? (Consistency is all you really need, not accuracy.)
For walking - use an online walking calorie calculator for time and distance.

And the bonus is both are free and just as accurate for your activities as any gizmo you are considering.

If you are determined to get a HRM for your steady state cardio (only!) then I like my Polar FT60 but pointless spending that much unless you are going to use it as a proper training aid.
FYI - don't get sucked into believing the hype around calorie estimating accuracy, my old FT7 is 10% different to my FT60 which is another 10% different to the Garmin I use for cycling. One (or none) of them may actually be accurate!

KyndraBaby

No offense buuuuttttt I lift with my Polar HRM and do cardio as well and input the numbers into MFP and I lose weight...sooooo scientifically YES they may be correct but according to the way my scale set up lol I'm just sayin if you trying to lose weight don't get discouraged and use the tools out there find what works for you...I love my polar when it mess up I call them in jan I'll be on year 2 with it....just puttin in my two cents....FT 4

MeanderingMammal

KyndraBaby wrote: »

....use the tools out there find what works for you...

Here, try using this claw hammer to unscrew the baseplate of your laptop...