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FAO HRM Users (but not serious athletes) - is it worth the investment?

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Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    indianwin2001 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    If you are mainly walking don't bother - use an online calculator or a free app on your smart phone.
    The so-called "fat burn zone" hasn't any relevance at all - please do a little more research and you will see that overall calorie burn is king not what HR zone you exercise in.

    IMHO opinion unless you are using it as a training aid you are wasting your money.

    In the book "Heart rate training" by Roy Benson (which you can find on Amazon) he details exactly why your post is inaccurate and false



    I see in the later discussion you got the fat loss/weight loss context of my post, sorry if that wasn't clear.
    That was why I put the line:
    "IMHO opinion unless you are using it as a training aid you are wasting your money."

    Heart rate zone training for someone serious about training for cardio performance is a valuable tool. I'm a long distance cyclist and HR zone training is a big part of my routine.
    Unfortunately the original (and valuable) use of HRMs seems to be getting lost with people buying into some mythical accuracy of HRMs for calorie counts.
  • indianwin2001
    indianwin2001 Posts: 296 Member
    edited November 2014
    sijomial wrote: »
    indianwin2001 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    If you are mainly walking don't bother - use an online calculator or a free app on your smart phone.
    The so-called "fat burn zone" hasn't any relevance at all - please do a little more research and you will see that overall calorie burn is king not what HR zone you exercise in.

    IMHO opinion unless you are using it as a training aid you are wasting your money.

    In the book "Heart rate training" by Roy Benson (which you can find on Amazon) he details exactly why your post is inaccurate and false



    I see in the later discussion you got the fat loss/weight loss context of my post, sorry if that wasn't clear.
    That was why I put the line:
    "IMHO opinion unless you are using it as a training aid you are wasting your money."

    Heart rate zone training for someone serious about training for cardio performance is a valuable tool. I'm a long distance cyclist and HR zone training is a big part of my routine.
    Unfortunately the original (and valuable) use of HRMs seems to be getting lost with people buying into some mythical accuracy of HRMs for calorie counts.

    Yes I agree with you. My take is on this forum,MOST people are on here to lose weight so the fitness portion takes a back seat to weight loss. The more serious fitness enthusiasts know how to use a HRM for training purposes and calories burned is secondary
  • Langk411
    Langk411 Posts: 3 Member
    I was wondering the same thing as you and decided to "bite the bullet" and buy one, now it's grown into my absolute favorite fitness gadget.
    I have a Wahoo Bluetooth HRM, and I love it. I have the Tickr X model. Connects over Bluetooth to your phone, and partners with alot of apps, MFP, Runkeeper, Nike+, strava, etc. It even saves data to the unit if there is no phone connected for up to 16hrs of work outs, then syncs once you get back to within Bluetooth range, and has all the bells and whistles.
    There are also the BlueHR and the regular Tickr models which are a little cheaper.
    I believe (and I could be wrong) that the Wahoo's are a little cheaper than polars, since you don't need a watch as well (although you can have one) and it sends all data over Bluetooth to your phone.
    It also works with Apples healthkit and I believe Google fit.
    I know the new thing is the fitness bands with optical heart rate monitoring, but seems like there is still some controversy over the accuracy there. HRM's are pretty well proven at this point.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    WelshPhil1975 wrote: »
    I have also recently started turning the brisk walks into walks interspersed with periods of jogging with the hope that in time (not too long) I can go jogging regularly (I want to do a 5k next year if I can – 12 months ago I would barely walk too far if I could avoid it).

    Notwithstanding anything else, I'd suggest using a structured plan to get up to running 5K, which should only take 3-4 months. I'm assuming that you can already comfortably walk for 30 minutes so a Couch to 5K plan will give you some structure, and help you learn to run without over-stretching yourself and getting an injury.

    As most of the 5K and 10K plans are based on time you can get by with just an MP3 player or smartphone. Use an app like Runkeeper or Endomondo to track your running performance.

    I only really started to exploit the HRM as a training tool when I was between the 10K and half marathon distances.
  • aron115
    aron115 Posts: 3 Member
    I use a HRM every time that I work out. It helps me know I am exercising with the correct amount of effort. I would recommend it. It is a very good tool to know that you are doing the right thing. It also does a better job of estimating calories.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
    pinkiezoom wrote: »
    I also have the polar FT4 as poster above says, I did'nt need all the features of the FT7.
    I love mine, gives me a good indication which zone i am in, and how long i have worked out for, and also my calories, which seems much more accurate than the gym machines.

    I really need to learn all the features of the FT7 lol

    I basically use mine for heartrate and calories. If you log your calories to see how much you take in, it just makes sense to me that you would keep track of how many you use as well.
  • WelshPhil1975
    WelshPhil1975 Posts: 138 Member
    edited November 2014
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    WelshPhil1975 wrote: »
    I have also recently started turning the brisk walks into walks interspersed with periods of jogging with the hope that in time (not too long) I can go jogging regularly (I want to do a 5k next year if I can – 12 months ago I would barely walk too far if I could avoid it).

    Notwithstanding anything else, I'd suggest using a structured plan to get up to running 5K, which should only take 3-4 months. I'm assuming that you can already comfortably walk for 30 minutes so a Couch to 5K plan will give you some structure, and help you learn to run without over-stretching yourself and getting an injury.

    As most of the 5K and 10K plans are based on time you can get by with just an MP3 player or smartphone. Use an app like Runkeeper or Endomondo to track your running performance.

    I only really started to exploit the HRM as a training tool when I was between the 10K and half marathon distances.

    I will certainly be following one of the many structured programmes that are available and yes, I am currently (brisk / power) walking over distances of a couple of miles and I am now starting to incorporate jogging into the mix, so I am hoping the training, whwen I start it properly won't be a major hit to me (I'll start in about March next year to prepare for a Julyish race, my friend who I signed up with is working abroad until about April time, so he will need time to get in training aswell when he's back in the UK).

    I already use Endemondo and I am beginning to use MobileRun with my Fitbit, but this won't prove it's worth until they iron out all the issues.

    I want a HRM for general heart motitoring reasons aswell, (as I said in my OP, my late father had heart issues that I am aware that could hit me one day) but I want it to be useful for excercise purposes if I am going to splash out a fair bit of cash on one.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »

    I only really started to exploit the HRM as a training tool when I was between the 10K and half marathon distances.

    Can I ask how your training changed, if it indeed it did change, when using your HRM (presumably as a guide to intensity?) Also, do you think would have been useful for shorter distances or is it more for longer events (say above 10 miles or so) would you say?
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    WelshPhil1975 wrote: »

    I want a HRM for general heart motitoribng reasons aswell

    You should watch the reviews for the Polar M400 as the lady said above then. I had a look at the spec on Wiggle and it is cracking value for money as it is an activity tracker as well as a sports watch.
  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
    I have an HRM and a fitbit.

    From what you describe, I think you could benefit from an HRM for 3 reasons.
    1. tracking calories burnt during steady state cardio. As I understand it, you can get a more accurate calorie burn value from a device which allows you to configure it with your personal details (eg resting heart rate). afaik not all do this.

    2. motivational tool - For me the motivational tool is very effective. I push myself harder if my heart is not in my target range.

    3. the heart health issues you mentioned.If you plan to buy one eventually they really do last a long time, so you might as well...

    If I were choosing an HRM again, I would try to buy one that syncs more effective with MFP (especially considering that my fitbit would have counted the steps, too). It is possible to manually enter calories burned into MFP and tell it the start time of the exercise, but I would just rather a system that did it all for me automatically :smile: not sure if it exists. perhaps you could ask in the fitbit group.
  • WelshPhil1975
    WelshPhil1975 Posts: 138 Member
    msf74 wrote: »
    WelshPhil1975 wrote: »

    I want a HRM for general heart motitoring reasons aswell

    You should watch the reviews for the Polar M400 as the lady said above then. I had a look at the spec on Wiggle and it is cracking value for money as it is an activity tracker as well as a sports watch.

    I saw the M400 but it's a tad out of my price range to be honest, and I have already got activity tracking with my Fitbit so I don't want to spend unnecessary money on something that I've already got covered elsewhere.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    WelshPhil1975 wrote: »
    I want a HRM for general heart motitoring reasons aswell, (as I said in my OP, my late father had heart issues that I am aware that could hit me one day) but I want it to be useful for excercise purposes if I am going to splash out a fair bit of cash on one.

    I don't think it'll usefully give you that.

    I've recently been through a situation with my doctor where I ended up taking my Garmin traces in to discuss, and it took quite a bit of engagement to use them for anything.

    From a day to day perspective you're not going to get useful data, other than how your fitness is improving over time; Resting Heart Rate, average heart rate subject to pace, heart rate recovery time etc.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    msf74 wrote: »
    Can I ask how your training changed, if it indeed it did change, when using your HRM (presumably as a guide to intensity?) Also, do you think would have been useful for shorter distances or is it more for longer events (say above 10 miles or so) would you say?

    I don't really use it for the run itself, but because my Garmin gives me an aligned trace of HR with pace, elevation, and can superimpose on a map so that I can associate it with forest/ path/ pavement etc I can optimise my routes for the session that I'm planning.

    It's mainly about retrospective analysis of the session.

    I have tried to use it to control my pace, setting upper and lower limit alarms, but I found that it was more disrputive than helpful. I've got three HMs in March so may try to use it more over the winter training season for pace management.

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