Suggestions for heart rate monitors/activity trackers - HELP!
detzabat
Posts: 6 Member
I need suggestions for wearable heart rate monitors/activity trackers. Things I’m considering:
1. Should come with a watch with an easy to view interface that i can check while on the brink of passing out from my workout
2. Should come with a chest strap or should be able to give the same accurate measurements as one.
3. Much better if it can also track strength training.
4. Budget - around USD100-150
5. I don’t need the fancy schmancy stuff like GPS tracking, pedometer, etc.
So far I’ve shortlisted a few:
1. Polar FT7 (had 1 a few years ago and it was good, cheap and reliable)
2.Garmin Vivoactive - looks complicated
3. Scoshe Rhythm - need to look at an app to view data
1. Should come with a watch with an easy to view interface that i can check while on the brink of passing out from my workout
2. Should come with a chest strap or should be able to give the same accurate measurements as one.
3. Much better if it can also track strength training.
4. Budget - around USD100-150
5. I don’t need the fancy schmancy stuff like GPS tracking, pedometer, etc.
So far I’ve shortlisted a few:
1. Polar FT7 (had 1 a few years ago and it was good, cheap and reliable)
2.Garmin Vivoactive - looks complicated
3. Scoshe Rhythm - need to look at an app to view data
0
Replies
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When you want #3 - track strength training - do you mean for best estimate of calorie burn?
The newer HR-based Fitbits appear to have done the correct thing and are NOT using HR-based calorie burn if you start a workout for Strength training, and it's not step-based calorie burn either - rather time based on database calorie burn.
That's smart and best estimate.
#2 - non-chest strap devices will always have a better chance of being inaccurate for someone. Either in general they have a pulse hard to read with light, or as HR goes up it loses ability to be accurate and either reads low or completely loses it. This is highly individual.
#5 - to get some of the others - you are going to have to pay for this.
And steps is most accurate way to estimate the daily activity calorie burn, so you need the pedometer.
Unless by activity tracker you mean specifically workouts, and not all day activity.
2 -
FYI
Polar FT7 is a very basic HRM, it's not an activity tracker and you can't use heart rate to get an estimate for calories burned in weight training or 24 hours of activity.
It will tell you your heartrate and that's about all it's really for, a training aid for cardio.
Questions:- What exactly are you trying to gain from using a tracker or a HRM?
- What precisely is your activity or exercise?
- Are you looking for an all day activity tracker or just a gizmo to use during exercise?
1 -
I used my FT7 when I run or cycle indoors. It works well for me, but all I am looking for is my hearty rate to make sure I am not slacking off. I tried using it when I swim, but it doesn't transmit unless the chest strap is out of the water.
When I ride outdoors I have a Garmin chest strap that displays my heart rate to a monitor on my handlebars. I haven't try it in my pool because the only water resistant Garmin wrist unit is $250.
If you are mainly concerned with monitoring your heart rate on a budget I'd stick with the FT7, but if you need more I'd look elsewhere. If you buy the chest strap and wristband separately make sure they are compatible. I almost spent a bunch of money on a wrist unit that had Bluetooth for my chest strap without bluetooth!1 -
FYI
Polar FT7 is a very basic HRM, it's not an activity tracker and you can't use heart rate to get an estimate for calories burned in weight training or 24 hours of activity.
It will tell you your heartrate and that's about all it's really for, a training aid for cardio.
Questions:- What exactly are you trying to gain from using a tracker or a HRM?
- What precisely is your activity or exercise?
- Are you looking for an all day activity tracker or just a gizmo to use during exercise?
Thanks for your insight @sijomial .
- I’m more interested in knowing how many calories I’m burning.
- I do HIIT and strengh training.
- I’m basically just looking for something I will use whenever i exercise.
0 -
YosemiteSlamAK wrote: »I used my FT7 when I run or cycle indoors. It works well for me, but all I am looking for is my hearty rate to make sure I am not slacking off. I tried using it when I swim, but it doesn't transmit unless the chest strap is out of the water.
When I ride outdoors I have a Garmin chest strap that displays my heart rate to a monitor on my handlebars. I haven't try it in my pool because the only water resistant Garmin wrist unit is $250.
If you are mainly concerned with monitoring your heart rate on a budget I'd stick with the FT7, but if you need more I'd look elsewhere. If you buy the chest strap and wristband separately make sure they are compatible. I almost spent a bunch of money on a wrist unit that had Bluetooth for my chest strap without bluetooth!
Yeah. I’m thinking of just going with the FT7 since I’m just monitoring my heart rate when I’m working out. But if there are other trackers that have additional features that I can use, why not right?0 -
For me,
I use
Garmin Vivoactive(gen 1) with a Wahoo TICKR basic chest strap.
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Vivoactive-Black-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B014MO61ES/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1510575158&sr=8-7&keywords=Vivoactive
https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-TICKR-Monitor-iPhone-Android/dp/B00INQVYZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510575219&sr=8-1&keywords=wahoo+HRM
Fits your budget, and Honestly, the Vivoactive isn't all that complicated. As a bonus, you've got the GPS should you ever decide you want one.
Additional Bonus, since the TICKR will sync ANT+ and BLE, you can dump data to multiple trackers.1 -
FYI
Polar FT7 is a very basic HRM, it's not an activity tracker and you can't use heart rate to get an estimate for calories burned in weight training or 24 hours of activity.
It will tell you your heartrate and that's about all it's really for, a training aid for cardio.
Questions:- What exactly are you trying to gain from using a tracker or a HRM?
- What precisely is your activity or exercise?
- Are you looking for an all day activity tracker or just a gizmo to use during exercise?
Thanks for your insight @sijomial .
- I’m more interested in knowing how many calories I’m burning.
- I do HIIT and strengh training.
- I’m basically just looking for something I will use whenever i exercise.
Heart rate monitors can accurately tell you your heart rate - they do not and cannot actually measure energy (calories are a unit of energy remember).
Now for steady state cardio they can be a reasonable proxy for oxygen uptake, but whether the assumptions are close to accurate for you depends on how average your exercise HR is. And that is something that has a very wide range between individuals, even similarly fit individuals. But you aren't doing steady state cardio.
When I used my FT7 I was fairly fit but the calorie estimates were extremely exaggerated.
HIIT
Normally done to perceived exertion (at or approaching maximal effort for short bursts). A basic HRM would massively overestimate calories as during your recovery periods when you are doing little work your HR is still elevated.
It's not even much of a training aid as HR cannot keep up with short bursts.
This is a trace of power and HR in a 30 sec maximal effort sprint. You can see it's back to front if someone believed HR and calories were linked - as my power declines (less calories burned) my HR is going up.
It can be used to judge your recovery if you want to use that metric instead of timed intervals.
Strength Training
Completely inappropriate to use a HRM - it's not cardio (not aerobic exercise) and your raised HR is completely out of line with work done - it would be a massive over-estimate.
Just log duration of your workout (under CV part of diary) as strength training. (Free and more accurate!)
Sounds like you need a device such as suggested by heybales.
Actually you don't need anything - for the training you do you will get a number that may or may not be any more accurate than using other free methods. Save your money would be my advice.
2 -
FYI
Polar FT7 is a very basic HRM, it's not an activity tracker and you can't use heart rate to get an estimate for calories burned in weight training or 24 hours of activity.
It will tell you your heartrate and that's about all it's really for, a training aid for cardio.
Questions:- What exactly are you trying to gain from using a tracker or a HRM?
- What precisely is your activity or exercise?
- Are you looking for an all day activity tracker or just a gizmo to use during exercise?
Thanks for your insight @sijomial .
- I’m more interested in knowing how many calories I’m burning.
- I do HIIT and strengh training.
- I’m basically just looking for something I will use whenever i exercise.
Heart rate monitors can accurately tell you your heart rate - they do not and cannot actually measure energy (calories are a unit of energy remember).
Now for steady state cardio they can be a reasonable proxy for oxygen uptake, but whether the assumptions are close to accurate for you depends on how average your exercise HR is. And that is something that has a very wide range between individuals, even similarly fit individuals. But you aren't doing steady state cardio.
When I used my FT7 I was fairly fit but the calorie estimates were extremely exaggerated.
HIIT
Normally done to perceived exertion (at or approaching maximal effort for short bursts). A basic HRM would massively overestimate calories as during your recovery periods when you are doing little work your HR is still elevated.
It's not even much of a training aid as HR cannot keep up with short bursts.
This is a trace of power and HR in a 30 sec maximal effort sprint. You can see it's back to front if someone believed HR and calories were linked - as my power declines (less calories burned) my HR is going up.
It can be used to judge your recovery if you want to use that metric instead of timed intervals.
Strength Training
Completely inappropriate to use a HRM - it's not cardio (not aerobic exercise) and your raised HR is completely out of line with work done - it would be a massive over-estimate.
Just log duration of your workout (under CV part of diary) as strength training. (Free and more accurate!)
Sounds like you need a device such as suggested by heybales.
Actually you don't need anything - for the training you do you will get a number that may or may not be any more accurate than using other free methods. Save your money would be my advice.
I have found that my HRM ( a Garmin Fenix 3 HR) calculates calories burned for non-steady state exercises reasonably close with the general tables, plus using a fitness tracker automatically captures the time & date, duration, HR, GPS location, etc., saving me the effort of logging in everything manually.0 -
@Bry_Lander
You do realise that Garmin is nothing like a Polar FT7 I assume?
It's reflected in the price and features.0 -
@Bry_Lander
The Fenix 3 uses the licensed Firstbeat formula - which indeed may improve it's ability to not be fooled by purely HR.
It attempts to use by means of HRV to discern what your breathing rate is also.
Since in lifting your breathing has usually recovered sooner than your HR has lowered - the inflated calorie burn isn't as bad.
Plus way more than OP was looking for. But it is nice, hadn't read a review since the prior version to see the improvements. It almost has my attention if I hadn't just gotten a backup 310XT on the cheap.
@detzabat
As mentioned - the Polar, or any HRM for that matter - will be totally useless for your stated purpose of calorie burn for your workouts mentioned.
By sheer coincidence you could happen on a good estimated calorie burn for lifting - but you'd never know that - plus the workout would need to be rather wimpy.
HIIT are you actually talking some circuit workout, or calisthenics - the term has been terribly mis-applied with fads lately?
If so, then all your entries are in the database already and merely need to be used accurately.
Count lifting for when you start and stop, and rest times 2-4 min, but extra long distracting talks in the gym don't count or waiting for equipment.
Calisthenics don't count warmup/cooldown/stretching time, only the time actually doing the workouts.
That'll be as accurate as needed. The lifting won't seem high, and that's true. The calisthenics will be higher but still seem low compared to intense cardio, and that is true too.0 -
When you want #3 - track strength training - do you mean for best estimate of calorie burn?
The newer HR-based Fitbits appear to have done the correct thing and are NOT using HR-based calorie burn if you start a workout for Strength training, and it's not step-based calorie burn either - rather time based on database calorie burn.
That's smart and best estimate.
#2 - non-chest strap devices will always have a better chance of being inaccurate for someone. Either in general they have a pulse hard to read with light, or as HR goes up it loses ability to be accurate and either reads low or completely loses it. This is highly individual.
#5 - to get some of the others - you are going to have to pay for this.
And steps is most accurate way to estimate the daily activity calorie burn, so you need the pedometer.
Unless by activity tracker you mean specifically workouts, and not all day activity.
@heybales yes, i have read that for strength, it’s better for it to be time-based.
#5 - I’m not really so keen on the steps but I’m not saying no.
0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »For me,
I use
Garmin Vivoactive(gen 1) with a Wahoo TICKR basic chest strap.
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Vivoactive-Black-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B014MO61ES/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1510575158&sr=8-7&keywords=Vivoactive
https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-TICKR-Monitor-iPhone-Android/dp/B00INQVYZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510575219&sr=8-1&keywords=wahoo+HRM
Fits your budget, and Honestly, the Vivoactive isn't all that complicated. As a bonus, you've got the GPS should you ever decide you want one.
Additional Bonus, since the TICKR will sync ANT+ and BLE, you can dump data to multiple trackers.
Thanks for the suggestion @stanmann571 ! I have read about the Wahoo Tickr. Is the Vivoactive accurate enough by itself if I do HIIT or strength training?
0 -
@sijomial @heybales thanks you guys for your insights. I have read one post here that said HR should not be directly correlated to calories burned. But I guess an HRM would be useful in making sure I’m not slacking off when I’m doing my HIITs.
As for strength training, i have seen a post here i think that says that trackers that also consider the VO (something) levels are good for it. I can’t find the post again so I forgot what the term was.
So guys, ultimately, I do want to get something. Yes, I’ve read the part that said I should just save money. But still, I want to be able to track things and see if I am working my *kitten* off and getting better.0 -
Actually HIIT by definition is all-out by effort, not by HR. You are either pushing as hard as you can, or not.
That is other forms of interval training (just as valid and useful for other things) that have you reach a certain HR during the intense part, and then keep recovery above and below another HR.
For HIIT, and talking the correct application of the term to interval cardio training, running, ect - the only thing a HRM will tell you is if comparison you were able to push the HR as high as prior times.
Because your HR lags behind your effort. My HR graphs doing some real HIIT show the peak HR's goes half-way into the recovery time - so it's not useful for that at all.
I'll use it as I mentioned - was I able to push as high as prior times - since pace also lags on GPS devices it's hard to use that to determine anything later. But I know that high HR actually occurs seconds into the recovery lap.
Regarding nicer Polar's that estimate your VO2max - that's for aerobic capacity - not a useful figure for weight lifting which is anaerobic - so ability to provide oxygen doesn't matter as much.
Those calorie burns aren't going to be any better either with it.
So that was misinfo or misunderstood.
If you want to show yourself why it's not useful, do the following.
Sit on bench and take your HR. That's the level your HR needs to be to supply the oxygen needed for that activity.
Now do some good weighted squats, normal set of reps.
Sit down and measure your HR. And how long does it take to get down the actual required level as shown before for sitting there?
That whole time HR is inflated for what is actually needed for the actual level of activity.
If a HRM was estimating calorie burn - that whole time would be inflated, highly eventually getting to right on.
Except HR is a bad calorie estimate for below exercise levels too - so sitting is inflated also.
As far as getting better - HR is only useful to determine that for aerobic cardio - mainly endurance type stuff.
Meaning running the same pace as 3 months ago, is your HR lower now, meaning your VO2max went up and you are fitter. Or conversely - running the same HR, is your pace faster showing same improvement.
That's where having some data on HR is useful.
And those types of aerobic improvements do not come from making every workout as hard as can be, working your rear off. That improves the anaerobic system, some improvements to the aerobic system.
The easier training improves both.
But that's really only going to matter if you intend to do endurance cardio stuff
For your mentioned purpose - frankly it won't be useful.
You'll know if you are pushing hard or not - HR won't be helpful there because of the many reasons why it can be inflated from normal.
Progress will be measured not by HR, but by weight on the bar increases, reps is increased, time spent on intense part increases.
It can be useful for aerobic aspect of HR recovery, seeing improvements to how fast it drops from an effort, aerobic or anaerobic.
It could be useful to confirm a cardio warmup to more intense efforts is kept reasonable so you don't wear yourself out accidentally.
If you have the funds and like data - go for.
Just be aware it's not going to tell you what you think it will be useful for.3 -
stanmann571 wrote: »For me,
I use
Garmin Vivoactive(gen 1) with a Wahoo TICKR basic chest strap.
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Vivoactive-Black-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B014MO61ES/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1510575158&sr=8-7&keywords=Vivoactive
https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-TICKR-Monitor-iPhone-Android/dp/B00INQVYZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510575219&sr=8-1&keywords=wahoo+HRM
Fits your budget, and Honestly, the Vivoactive isn't all that complicated. As a bonus, you've got the GPS should you ever decide you want one.
Additional Bonus, since the TICKR will sync ANT+ and BLE, you can dump data to multiple trackers.
Thanks for the suggestion @stanmann571 ! I have read about the Wahoo Tickr. Is the Vivoactive accurate enough by itself if I do HIIT or strength training?
Ultimately, HR based estimation for HIIT and Strength training isn't necessarily meaningful.
0 -
As for strength training, i have seen a post here i think that says that trackers that also consider the VO (something) levels are good for it. I can’t find the post again so I forgot what the term was.
VO2 max is the measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense, or maximal exercise. It is measured as milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight.0 -
Is it possible to combine or sync both a chest strap and a wearable HR watch/device (light reading monitor) for the best accuracy? I have never used any tracking devices and I'd like to start tracking calories burned while strength training and weight lifting. According to MFP default tacking, strength training/ WL burns 265 cals per hour. I'm pretty sure my intensity calorie burn is more than that.1
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draftsman28 wrote: »Is it possible to combine or sync both a chest strap and a wearable HR watch/device (light reading monitor) for the best accuracy? I have never used any tracking devices and I'd like to start tracking calories burned while strength training and weight lifting. According to MFP default tacking, strength training/ WL burns 265 cals per hour. I'm pretty sure my intensity calorie burn is more than that.
There's no reason for a Light monitor HR if you have a chest strap.
However, the Activity tracker(motion) component can improve accuracy, just like adding a foot pod can.0 -
draftsman28 wrote: »Is it possible to combine or sync both a chest strap and a wearable HR watch/device (light reading monitor) for the best accuracy? I have never used any tracking devices and I'd like to start tracking calories burned while strength training and weight lifting. According to MFP default tacking, strength training/ WL burns 265 cals per hour. I'm pretty sure my intensity calorie burn is more than that.
Read several of the posts above yours in this thread - you are missing why your plan is inaccurate.
Database is best bet.1 -
Some early Fitbit commercials before they had HR-based devices showed people riding a bike.
Step-based devices have no accuracy at all for riding a bike. Steps with distance based calorie burn have no relation to calorie burn on a bike.
So yes - they are willing to claim more usefulness than what they do.
I think they are great for your daily activity level burn, caveat some tweaks may need to be done to improve accuracy.
Especially if very active, but you want the best from your workouts.
That is not benefited by having too much deficit in eating.
The newer HR-based devices, especially newer ones, can provide the benefit for cardio, and some newer models, even strength training calorie burn.
They just use the database entry rather than steps or HR.0
This discussion has been closed.
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