Heart Rate Monitor

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katiejo33
katiejo33 Posts: 7
in Fitness and Exercise
I am debating on whether or not to invest in a Heart Rate Monitor to wear during my workouts. I want to know how many calories I am actually burning during the Zumba and Spinning classes and for when I am just using the equipment. I don't think that the estimates are very accurate on this website as far as exercise is concerned...but what do I know? I'm new at all of this. Also, as much as I'd like to have one, I simply cannot afford the BodyBugg.

So, for those of you out there that use a Heart Rate Monitor...tell me about the benefits and what-not...tell me your favorite brand or style. Just fill me in people!!!

Replies

  • Natural
    Natural Posts: 461 Member
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    i would like one as well. i know the calories burned listed here or on the treadmill are not correct. i use them as a guide and the pants falling off my body.

    i'm sure this topic has been discussed before and i will do a quick search to see which one might be worthy of buying.

    here's a discussion

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/112268-accurate-heart-rate-monitor?hl=heart+rate+monitor#posts-1543509
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Yes, totally recommend getting one! I just got mine a few weeks ago and found that I was really over-estimating my calories burned during exercise! Seeing your heart rate and calories burned is also motivating! When I look down and see that I've only burned so many calories... I may keep going or push harder.
  • emorym
    emorym Posts: 344
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    Polar seems to be the brand of choice. I have the F6 model and love it. I also use a Garmin 310xt which has the HR strap and maps my training.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    I have the Polar FT7... love it.
    I tried the Mio something before that; the one without a chest strap. That one was hard to read and found it would get stuck on one rate and stop reading my heart rate. The chest strap seems to be the best bet. I thought it would be a problem with my large chest. But, it's comfortable and I don't even feel it.
  • GooBeGone
    GooBeGone Posts: 439 Member
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    i recommend the heart rate monitor always. for example i played softball yesterday & put in what mfp told me for 60min. it said abt 500calories. :frown: i put on my heart rate monitor & i tell it my weight & it tells me how many calories i burned. i burned 1400calories! :noway: :bigsmile: so that is always y i'll recommend having a hrm. it's priceless & u won't underestimate ur calorie burn during a workout.

    i have a timex that i can use on triathlons, the actually reader is a strap that goes around my chest. & it sends the info 2 my watch (which has 5different zones of hrm that can b used incl a manual hr zone set)
  • lessjess1
    lessjess1 Posts: 71 Member
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    I have the POLAR F6 - love it!
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
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    I recently got the Polar FT4. I love it! I went on the polar website www.polarusa.com and looked at different ones and picked out the one I thought was best for me. My Zumba instructor actually recommended Polar to me. She has been on fitness competitions all her life and pretty much trusts only Polar Brand. Some are kinda pricey and some aren't too bad. Mine was kinda in the middle range, about $103. Everyone that I talked to that got cheaper ones have been dissapointed and ended up buying another one. I definitely could not buy a Body Bugg either, that thing is expensive! I had to save up to buy my Polar!!! Good Luck! I hope you are able to get one you are happy with.

    LaughingDani:laugh:
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    i recommend the heart rate monitor always. for example i played softball yesterday & put in what mfp told me for 60min. it said abt 500calories. :frown: i put on my heart rate monitor & i tell it my weight & it tells me how many calories i burned. i burned 1400calories! :noway: :bigsmile: so that is always y i'll recommend having a hrm. it's priceless & u won't underestimate ur calorie burn during a workout.

    i have a timex that i can use on triathlons, the actually reader is a strap that goes around my chest. & it sends the info 2 my watch (which has 5different zones of hrm that can b used incl a manual hr zone set)

    1400 calories for 60 minutes of softball??? That seems super high to me. I don't know if I would trust that HRM! It would take some intense cardio to burn 1400 calories in an hour.
  • victory515
    victory515 Posts: 2 Member
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    I just got the Timex T5J941 a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE it. not only does it give you accurate calorie readings, it is also really interesting to see your high's and low's of your heart rate during a work out. Another great thing about it (something I have yet to try, but would love to) is you can wear it for an entire day and see how many calories you really do burn in a day.

    I bought my watch for about $60 off amazon.com. The biggest benefit of a Timex watch over Polar or some other brands, is that with Timex, you can change the batteries yourself, whereas with others you have to send it in to be replaced.

    I definitely would recommend my watch to someone else!
  • Lisa0711
    Lisa0711 Posts: 1,405 Member
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    I've exercised on and off my whole life (played sports when I was young and through high school) but I would only do it for a few weeks and stop UNTIL I got a HRM. It made all the difference in the world for me wanting to work out. It's really encouraging to see how many calories you're burning! I would HIGHLY recommend getting one.

    Since I started using mine over 2 and a half years ago, the only time I've took off from working out was when I was sick. Then I get right back to it when I'm well. That never happened before lol.

    On to actual HRMs.. I started with one from WalMart. It was simple and cheap - didn't have a chest strap and I got super high calories-burned readings. I used it for a while and then bought a Polar F11. It was a nice watch, but I started getting very inaccurate readings (I think I got a dud, it didn't work too great from the get go). But now I have a Polar FT60 and I love this HRM! I've had it about 2 months and it works great. It has a chest strap.. was a little pricey (about $180), but so worth the money! Also, you can change the battries yourself with this watch (unlike most polars). And it has a lot of other bells and whistles about it.. I really can't say enough good things about this watch! Check out Amazon.com - they usually have really good prices (plus free shipping on most things over $25) and you can read the reviews to see more detailed lists of pros and cons.

    Good luck!
  • Tobi1013
    Tobi1013 Posts: 732 Member
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    I recently got the Polar FT4 and I absolutely love it! I found it on Amazon for under $80 with free shipping. The FT4 also comes with the chest strap with the user-changeable battery which was a big selling point for me since many of the other Polar models do not have that type of chest strap (when the battery dies, you need to send it to Polar).
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
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    I recently got the Polar FT4 and I absolutely love it! I found it on Amazon for under $80 with free shipping. The FT4 also comes with the chest strap with the user-changeable battery which was a big selling point for me since many of the other Polar models do not have that type of chest strap (when the battery dies, you need to send it to Polar).
    I love my FT4!! Target carries it as well for $93. A little cheaper than the Polar website.
  • katiejo33
    katiejo33 Posts: 7
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    I ended up getting the Polar FT7. It had the bells and whistles I was looking for. Thanks to everyone who gave their opinions and advice! it helped a lot!!!

    Today will be the first time I wear it to the gym and I am STOKED!

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