Chest heart rate monitor

dalemckeown

Hi all,

I'm looking at getting a proper chest strap heart rate monitor to monitor my calorie burn more accurately, but I have no idea what to buy. I've tried a few watches in the past but these seem to be crap, especially when you've got a decent sweat on. 150 calories in a 10 mile run is obviously not correct.

Requirements are:
Chest strap
As accurate as possible
Compatible with Android phones
Compatible with Endomondo
Bluetooth
Lightweight hardly noticeable to wear

I dont know who sets the standard with hear rate mo itors so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dale

Victoria2448

I have used a few brands. My old Polar was amazing, lasted forever. My newer Polar didn't. Now I have a Garmin Vivofit. I like it and it seems very accurate.

dewd2

If you want the HRM for calorie measurement, save your money. HR has little to do with calorie burn.

Now, if you plan to use it as part of a training program for running or biking, then I recommend the Polar H7 to work with your phone/apps. It also works with some gym equipment.

If you really want to get serious about HRM training, try a watch/HRM combo like the Garmin Forerunner 230 or similar with their HRM4-RUN. This thing gives you more stats than you can use in a lifetime.

dewd2

I just want to add that the logic is not in the HRM device itself. This is handled by your app or other device (watch, treadmill, etc). You can figure out calories burned with no device at all. Just plug in your details here or use the formula and figure it out yourself.

BigGuy47

I have a polar h7 paired with my Android phone. It works well.

scorpio516

Calories burned running has nothing to do with HR.

But there are two products that other products that work: Scosche Rhythm+ or Wahoo HR strap. Both are BT and when you decide that pairing them with a phone isn't the best way to train by HR, they pair with all kinds of watches.

dalemckeown

Thanks for the input everyone - I'll come back to this after I've done some more research, as i thought calories burned was related to HR.

Thanks,

Dale

kcjchang

dalemckeown wrote: »

...especially when you've got a decent sweat on...

Lightweight hardly noticeable to wear

I would avoid soft strap if you sweat heavy. I went through two about a year apart. Problem with the strap itself not the monitor. I still have problems with data drops with hard strap, only indoors when the recording device is more than a feet away (Zwift and waiting for Amazon to ship my extender), but it's night and day. I haven't notice any difference in feel and the weight is negligible.

NorthCascades

dewd2 wrote: »

I just want to add that the logic is not in the HRM device itself.

This is 100 % correct, and what it means is that the HRM sensor can be 100 % accurate and your calorie guess could be 1,000 % off.

scorpio516 wrote: »

Calories burned running has nothing to do with HR.

This is correct, too. Ironically, I get a better/more accurate calorie estimate when I run with my chest strap than when I don't, in part because I use HRM-RUN which has motion sensors to detect how much bounce I have in my step. I burn more calories with 8 cm vertical oscillation than I do with 7 cm VO because I'm doing more work.

NorthCascades

dalemckeown wrote: »

Thanks for the input everyone - I'll come back to this after I've done some more research, as i thought calories burned was related to HR.

Thanks,

Dale

Heart rate monitors are sensors that measure your pulse (how quickly your heart beats), and sometimes your R-R intervals (when your heart beats, variations in the rhythm).

These are training tools, meant to help people exercise at a specific intensity, to help people pace themselves during long events, and as a way to judge the quality of a workout after the fact.

They can also guess how many calories you've burned, but that's not what they're for; it's like using the oven as a space heater instead of to cook your food. It'll work, basically, but it's not ideal.

Here are some things that will raise your heart rate:

* Sickness
* Caffeine, energy drinks, nicotine
* Fear, stress, anxiety - fight or flight response
* Dehydration
* Being too hot or cold
* Lots of medical conditions
* Exercise

Your heart rate monitor doesn't know how much coffee you've had or what your mood is like today. It just knows how fast your heart is beating.

Exercise burns calories because your muscles are doing work, which takes energy. It's not your heart burning most of the calories. If you're a runner, most of your burn comes from what your legs are doing.

Calorie burns from exercise can be measured, or they can be guessed. Measuring is hard and expensive so most people don't do it. And that's ok, estimates are usually good enough, especially with the other tools we have available to us.

Sometimes heart rates are a good way to estimate energy use, but a lot of the time they're not. For things like walking and running, simple physics rules. It takes so much energy to move this much weight that much distance, adjusting for hilliness. For weight lifting, your heart rate is completely unrelated to your energy use, you're better off with a formula. It's things like cycling, Nordic skiing, and rowing, where an HRM is most useful for estimating energy use, because there are so many variables with unknown values (eg were you pedaling or coasting, going with the current or into the wind, etc).

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10506547/heart-rate-monitors-are-not-calorie-monitors#latest

stanmann571

Wahoo Tickr

Pairs in both BLE 4.0 and ANT+ for all your cell phone and smart watch needs.

Spliner1969

Another vote for the Polar H7. Sub $60 on Amazon all day long. Pairs with any modern smart phone.. well.. Android and iOS for sure.