Is It Worth It?

alexakimbro

Anyone use a heart rate monitor? Is it worth it?

I have my Garmin, and it works perfectly. But I'm thinking about buying a new Garmin that has the heart rate monitor in it to get a more accurate reading on my calories burned.

cmriverside

I wouldn't buy one. But then I lost weight the old-school way and I'm cheap.

Calories burned: here's a great blog post by a member here with decades in the fitness industry -

https://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

TavistockToad

alexakimbro wrote: »

Anyone use a heart rate monitor? Is it worth it?

I have my Garmin, and it works perfectly. But I'm thinking about buying a new Garmin that has the heart rate monitor in it to get a more accurate reading on my calories burned.

i'm a runner, so my Garmin 225 is worth it a million times over.

unless you do steady state cardio, a HRM isn't any use.

stanmann571

alexakimbro wrote: »

Anyone use a heart rate monitor? Is it worth it?

I have my Garmin, and it works perfectly. But I'm thinking about buying a new Garmin that has the heart rate monitor in it to get a more accurate reading on my calories burned.

The HR monitor isn't going to give you a more accurate calculation of your calories burned. If anything, the wrist based HR monitors that are integrated into fitness trackers give a less accurate calculation for many respondents.

h1udd

if you are planning on training to heart rate zones, then its worth it ... if its just for calorie usage, then no, its still going to be inaccurate .. just differently inaccurate.

I use mine these days more as a prompt that I could be pushing harder ... ie when I look down and see I am only doing 120bpm, ill put more effort in, or if I am doing an online race, its good to know when and how long I am in the red for as just using watts can be a little inaccurate if I am tired or fatigued

stanmann571

h1udd wrote: »

if you are planning on training to heart rate zones, then its worth it ... if its just for calorie usage, then no, its still going to be inaccurate .. just differently inaccurate.

I use mine these days more as a prompt that I could be pushing harder ... ie when I look down and see I am only doing 120bpm, ill put more effort in, or if I am doing an online race, its good to know when and how long I am in the red for as just using watts can be a little inaccurate if I am tired or fatigued

I use mine for metrics over time. If I ran 5 miles in 45 minutes 3 months ago with an Average HR of 160, Is my current run of the same time and distance higher or lower.

MegaMooseEsq

If what you have is working for you, I wouldn’t switch.

0ysterboy

These guys are right, the primary use of an HRM is to know your heart rate zones during a workout. The HRMs that work best are the chest strap type, the HRM integrated into the watch are less accurate.

JBApplebee

I got a chest strap HRM with my membership at 9Round & I like it. I go for a run & I know how many calories I burn.

nooshi713

I dont think it is accurate in tracking calories but may help if you want to train in certain zones.

bikecheryl

stanmann571 wrote: »

h1udd wrote: »

if you are planning on training to heart rate zones, then its worth it ... if its just for calorie usage, then no, its still going to be inaccurate .. just differently inaccurate.

I use mine these days more as a prompt that I could be pushing harder ... ie when I look down and see I am only doing 120bpm, ill put more effort in, or if I am doing an online race, its good to know when and how long I am in the red for as just using watts can be a little inaccurate if I am tired or fatigued

I use mine for metrics over time. If I ran 5 miles in 45 minutes 3 months ago with an Average HR of 160, Is my current run of the same time and distance higher or lower.

This !

VUA21

I have one and used it daily when I was a firefighter, but that was for work purposes to ensure that we wouldn't over exert ourselves and become one more victim. It also beeped when our heart rate was in cardio range for more than an hour. Now that I'm semi-retired (going back to school full time to finish my degree), I don't use one. I'm not a runner and have no real need.