Waterproof HRM with a chest strap...?

NJbabe
NJbabe Posts: 113 Member
edited April 2015 in Fitness and Exercise
Does such a thing exist? I'd like to find one that I can use while swimming.

I love swimming and I plan on doing it 5 times a week for 60 min. That's a lot of exercising. And it'd be nice to know how many calories I'm burning.

All of the nice ones I could find say something like: "Does not transmit heart rate data to your device while swimming." :(

The closest thing I've been able to find is one that tracks distance, pace and stroke rate. Here it is:

https://www.heartmonitors.com/garmin-vivoactive-gps-smartwatch.html

Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated. :)

Replies

  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    Wahoo Tickr X is waterproof and will record data independent of a device (16 hours of memory) and can sync with your device later automatically. I bought one early this year and it is a reliable HRM in my opinion. I have not used it for swimming, but have recorded runs without a paired device before with no trouble, syncing the data to my device afterward.

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/01/wahoo-fitness-tickr.html
  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
    I can swim with my polar f24.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Beyond the fact that HRMs count heart beats, not calories ...

    The older Polar watches work in water, but don't track length/stroke data. The only one that does is the V800 with H7 strap at well over $500.

    None of the ANT+ or BLE only straps can transmit through the water. As mentioned, the TickrX records data for later sync.

    Garmin makes a swim watch that tracks length/stroke info but no HR .... the Vivoactive does that as well ... so do the 310XT and 910XT (both older models so price reduced) ... Tomtom's multisport has a swim mode for indoor tracking.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    I am not convinced that tracking your heart rate in the water really will give you much in the way of actionable data.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    I've worn my Polter FT7.
    Half the time the strap wasn't transmitting to the watch.

    The new Garmin's are multi-sport: Fenix, 920xt, 910xt, epix
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    I am not convinced that tracking your heart rate in the water really will give you much in the way of actionable data.

    I doubt it.
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    I've worn my Polter FT7.
    Half the time the strap wasn't transmitting to the watch.

    The new Garmin's are multi-sport: Fenix, 920xt, 910xt, epix

    The three current models listed here start at $400+ ... the 910xt is on sale at many places now, but still $250+ ... none of them track HR in water due to the limitation of the ANT+ signal. The same applies to the Suunto Ambit 2. Their Ambit 3 uses a new HR strap that stores the data then syncs the HR with the swim metrics ... starting at about $450.
  • Thunderthighs131
    Thunderthighs131 Posts: 9 Member
    I use my polar ft7. I haven't had any issues with the connection and I've been using it for about 2 months now. I do some form of water aerobics or lap swimming 6 days a week. It doesn't upload the data unless you purchase the sync tool (can't remember the exact name of it) separately. I didn't purchase it so I just enter my calories burned manually.

    The ft7 also maintains data for 100 workouts (days) while the ft4 only maintains data for 7 workouts (days).
  • NJbabe
    NJbabe Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you all for your replies. :)

    I wouldn't mind paying a higher price... as long as the gadget works the way it's intended. After all, I plan on using it (almost) daily. ;)

    I don't mind entering my burned calories manually. Does the Polar ft7 tell you how many calories you burn?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited April 2015
    NJbabe wrote: »
    Does the Polar ft7 tell you how many calories you burn?

    Depends what kind of swim sessions you're doing. Fast paced sessions it might be less inaccurate than for the lower paces.

    That said, I'd agree with the points above about limited value from the data.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »
    I am not convinced that tracking your heart rate in the water really will give you much in the way of actionable data.

    I doubt it.
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    I've worn my Polter FT7.
    Half the time the strap wasn't transmitting to the watch.

    The new Garmin's are multi-sport: Fenix, 920xt, 910xt, epix

    The three current models listed here start at $400+ ... the 910xt is on sale at many places now, but still $250+ ... none of them track HR in water due to the limitation of the ANT+ signal. The same applies to the Suunto Ambit 2. Their Ambit 3 uses a new HR strap that stores the data then syncs the HR with the swim metrics ... starting at about $450.

    She didn't list a price range lol

    I want a new Garmin (unrelated to the swimming metrics) but that price tag is steep and there's nothing wrong with my current Garmin lol
  • dllach
    dllach Posts: 3 Member
    http://swimovateusa.com/products/swimovate-poolmate-heart-rate-watch
    I do like mine . Does a lot more than track heartrate (laps, stroke analysis), but just swimming - not good for any other activities at all.. I've recently changed over to a vivoactive since it tracks other activities, steps etc and connects to my phones for txt and email type notifications and it tracks laps and calorie estimates for my swims but no hr connection in the pool, unfortunately (can use wit hr strap outside of pool though). If you want something that tracks activities and swimming and heart rate - I haven't found one that does it all yet.
  • HelenWater
    HelenWater Posts: 232 Member
    edited May 2015
    Check out the Polars. V800, A300, Loop, and the older models. H7 HRM. Best to check their website to see what features suit you.

Categories