Heart Rate Monitor?

srob98

Hey Guys,

I am thinking about getting a heart-rate monitor....not an expensive one...the one I am looking at is about $65

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084EI2B8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1T2QV8RUJMJWO

Do any of your use them? Any recommendations? Are they worth the money?

For the most part, I just want to get a better idea of how many calories I burn during exercise. The difference between what one machine says, then another says, then MFP says are very different! Obviously, it depends on how hard you are working. So, I am just hoping to get a better idea.

Plus, my family has a history of heart disease...it would be interesting to see what is happening with my heart-rate when I am working...

Thanks in advance for any advice!

kristen6022

They are absolutely worth the money. I have a Polar FT4 and I LOVE IT! It's nice not to have all the calorie burning guess-work. I lost my weight without it and bought it to keep my weight in check. Gained 5-10 that I'm attempting to get off now (winter slacking), but I never workout without my FT4...

Whatever you choose, go with something with a chest strap, they are the most accurate.

NewMomNewME24

I love my HRM - I have the Polar FT7. I bought it off amazon for about $70 and it is totally worth it in my opinion. I use it everytime I exercise for a more accurate count of calories burned. My reasons for wanting one was the same as yours. If you are going to use it, I highly recommend you get it.

jmcreynolds91

I have the Polar FT40. I absolutely love it. Like the others said, make sure you get one with a strap, as its most accurate. I find that the burns are pretty consistent. Mine was a little pricier but if you do a lot of cardio, its worth it!

A_Fit_Mom

Definitely worth it. I have the Polar FT4 and I love it. I use it every time I exercise. It was about $70 or so and I got it at best buy.

successby50

I'm so glad you posted this thread. I'm looking for exactly the same thing for the same reasons! I'd never even heard of a heart rate monitor until a few months ago, and it's something I would really like to explore. So far it sounds like the Polar series is the one to get.

srob98

I'm so glad you posted this thread. I'm looking for exactly the same thing for the same reasons! I'd never even heard of a heart rate monitor until a few months ago, and it's something I would really like to explore. So far it sounds like the Polar series is the one to get.

YAY! I'm glad this is helping you, too!

srob98

I have the Polar FT40. I absolutely love it. Like the others said, make sure you get one with a strap, as its most accurate. I find that the burns are pretty consistent. Mine was a little pricier but if you do a lot of cardio, its worth it!

Thanks!!!! SO, what more do you get for the pricier models? I do a weight lifting class, starting a spinning class next week, sometimes do Zumba, and do the elliptical.

srob98

OH...and has anyone worn one while swimming??? Do they really work in the water?

Thanks!

HuneeBunee08

http://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-52534NB-Trainer-Calorie/dp/B00BIBCDFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371129230&sr=8-1&keywords=nb+life+trainer



^^^^This is what i have (in green) and i love it! Its very accurate as well! and requires no chest strap!

A_Fit_Mom

I'm so glad you posted this thread. I'm looking for exactly the same thing for the same reasons! I'd never even heard of a heart rate monitor until a few months ago, and it's something I would really like to explore. So far it sounds like the Polar series is the one to get.

I like how "user friendly" the Polar is. Once you add all your personal info, like height, weight and stuff. It take a few seconds to workout each time. You put the strap under your chest, and you click start...and then you are ready to work out. You can also pause it, and start again. It also keeps track of the last few workouts.


I mainly use it, to make sure I stay in the "zone", to know I am burning the most that I can. I also never knew how many calories I burned when doing the 30 day shred.

TheDoctorDana

I was thinking about getting one too. I have a Fitbit One that counts and calculates my steps but I would like something that will tell me what I am burning while on my stationary or lifting weight. Is an HRM good for that?

Nimadi486

I have the Polar FT4 and I absolutely love it. It was on sale at Sears for $44 but you can find it on Amazon for around $60. So worth it!

JustPeachy044

LOVE my polar FT7. It is user friendly and acts as a source of motivation for me. More than once I have pushed myself that extra few minutes to get the burn I am looking for. It is personalized for me, based on height, weight, gender, age.

MsStang02

I just got mine almost 2 weeks ago. I love it. Simple to use. Excellent readings. Very helpful when doing cardio. I highly recommend it!!

stacetherainbow

Hey Guys,

I am thinking about getting a heart-rate monitor....not an expensive one...the one I am looking at is about $65

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084EI2B8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1T2QV8RUJMJWO

Do any of your use them? Any recommendations? Are they worth the money?

For the most part, I just want to get a better idea of how many calories I burn during exercise. The difference between what one machine says, then another says, then MFP says are very different! Obviously, it depends on how hard you are working. So, I am just hoping to get a better idea.

Plus, my family has a history of heart disease...it would be interesting to see what is happening with my heart-rate when I am working...

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I've been using this one for about 4 weeks. I was nervous to eat back any of my exercise calories until I knew I was getting an accurate read. This one's perfect. You'll be happy with the purchase.

HIITMe

I have the Polar FT-60 and highly recommended it because of its multi sport use ability... GPS, etc

If I were shopping today Id look at Polar FT-80. Polar RC3 w/ GPS or Polar RCX3 w/ GPS

I would not get ANY heart rate monitor that didnt come with a chest strap and one that wasnt water resistant

morkiemama

I own a Polar FT7 and you can swim with it. You cannot PUSH the buttons of the watch underwater though. I have heard others put it in a ziploc baggie just to be safe and stuff it in their suit

THE LIMITATIONS OF HRMs:

HRMs are for tracking steady state cardio. It is important to note that HRMs are not accurate for weight lifting and will not give you an accurate burn. They are also not meant for HIIT. Temperature extremes and daily burn tracking (e.g. I wear it all day to find out what I should be taking in) are also inaccurate. HRMs are for steady state aerobic exercise only!

This is a helpful blog post on the subject:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

Edited to Add: I still like to wear my HRM during lifting and HIIT, but I do NOT use it for tracking calorie burns. I use it to keep track of my HR (e.g. it is up high enough during sets/intervals and coming back down during rest periods).

bwogilvie

HRMs are for tracking steady state cardio. It is important to note that HRMs are not accurate for weight lifting and will not give you an accurate burn. They are also not meant for HIIT. Temperature extremes and daily burn tracking (e.g. I wear it all day to find out what I should be taking in) are also inaccurate. HRMs are for steady state aerobic exercise only!

^ This is important to remember.

Also, there's peer-reviewed research suggesting that HRMs sometimes overestimate calories even for steady-state exercise, especially for women. One study of the Polar F6 showed that, even calibrated with subjects' actual VO2max and HRmax, it overestimated energy expenditure by 27% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21178923). An earlier study showed that the Polar S410 overestimated energy expenditure in women by 12% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15292754). Another study found that the Polar S810i overestimated expenditure when exercising lightly but not moderately (http://www.jssm.org/vol9/n3/21/v9n3-21abst.php).

I've used several HRMs. I have two that I can use with the same chest strap, and if I use them both for the same workout, one tells me that I've burned 20-30% more than the other one says. One of them has to be wrong.... Actually, both of them are probably inaccurate, but the one with the lower number is a cycle computer that also factors in how fast I'm riding and how hilly the terrain is, so I'm sure it's more accurate than the other. When my wife and I go cycling together, her Polar HRM says that she burns way more calories than me (60-90% more!), even though she's much lighter than I am.

When I use my basic Timex HRM, I set my weight to my goal weight, not my actual weight at the time. That seems to produce more accurate results.

Tl;dr: get an HRM, but compare its estimates of your calories burned with your food log and your weight loss, then adjust its estimates as necessary.

TheDoctorDana

Thanks for the info

simplycorey

I have had the FT4 for a year and a half now and love it. It has been extremely helpful in my weight loss journey.