heart rate monitors

lindsayvernon

I'm looking to get one to better track my exercise. I just use MFPs calculations for my exercise but know that it's not accurate, so I never eat all those calories back. I've been trying to make a better effort with my diet and fitness with tracking everything, and the next step is becoming more accurate in that (I'm getting in the habit of measuring everything and not having wee bites of things throughout the day).

I don't need anything too fancy, but am willing to spend a bit of cash on something that is good quality. Any help or suggestions would be great!

BajaDreamin333

I bought a Sportline DUO 1010 Women's from a major retailer for about $65, and it is a disapointment. It only seems to work about half the time, and the complexity of the modes and programming is very difficult to figure out and make work, and I'm pretty good with electronics. There is a huge benefit to knowing your HR and measuring a burn, but my suggestion is either buy a really good one or buy one that is super simple - that just does one thing. A friend of mine (a personal trainer) has been through 2-3 models and not had great luck either, so it seems they are quirky in general. I would also suggest you confirm the store's return policy in the event it doesn't work. I feel like I tossed $65 down the drain.

PS, some cardio machines at the gym will pick up the HR monitor signal and display your HR on the control panel. That is a great benefit, and honestly that is about the only time the darn thing is reliable.

aakaakaak

Most people I've seen user a Polar FT4 or FT7. The FT4 is a simpler model that you can basically grab and go. The FT7 is a bit more advanced. There's also a bit of a price difference as the FT4 is about $60-70 and the FT7 can break $100 depending on where you get it.

If you want to go overboard you can get a Garmin with GPS.

Timex also has several varieties that have some success, but most people stick with their Polar.

---

Using the chest strap:

Use one.

(Women with breasts bigger than an A-cup can pretty much ignore the rest, as your chest strap will almost always work flawlessly.)

- Be sure to either wet the little sensors so they make good contact with your skin, or use the gel.
- You will need to clean the salt residue off your sensors every now and again, even if you don't see anything on them. The salt is there, you just can't see it.
- If you start to get intermittent readings most likely you need to adjust your strap, wet the sensors, or clean them.

nickyvw

I use a Polar FT4 and I LOVE it. It is extremely accurate and I never have a problem with it.

playadavon

I was in the same boat as you about two weeks ago; using MFP calculations for my calorie burn. I was also skeptical of it, so I tried not to eat many of my exercise calories. I finally decided to get an HR monitor and it has been great! It is nice to see your heart rate as well as your calories burned on the fly (not all HR monitors show calories so be sure to read the small print). I ordered the MIO Energy Pro off Amazon for $35. My buddy recommended it to me and so far it has been working great. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/0042USBLK-Energy-Heart-Rate-Watch/dp/B003JRSCMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383157465&sr=8-1&keywords=mio+energy+pro

MichMunchkin

I have a Polar FT7. I bought it at Canadian Tire (obviously if you're in the U.S., you won't be able to buy one there, LOL) and if I remember correctly, I paid about $100 for it. It's the kind with a chest strap (which are the most accurate kind, I'm pretty sure) and I don't know how I ever did without it. I wear it not only when I go to the gym, but when I go out walking, and it really helps me keep track (ACCURATELY) of how many calories I am actually burning. (And it's *way* different from the numbers MFP is giving me, so it's really a godsend.)

fitmek

I'm glad someone started a thread about this. I have been wanting to get one too, and know absolutely nothing about them or where to start. I know a lot of people use the Polar brand, but I never knew which model to get. Will the FT4 track calories too, steps? What all does it track?

Mokey41

I'm glad someone started a thread about this. I have been wanting to get one too, and know absolutely nothing about them or where to start. I know a lot of people use the Polar brand, but I never knew which model to get. Will the FT4 track calories too, steps? What all does it track?

A HRM is for use during steady state cardio only. The FT4 tracks HR and calorie burn along with time and it will tell you how long you were in "the zone" although I think that's all BS anyway. If you want something to wear all day that counts steps you need something like a Fitbit.

ryske

I got an FT7 at target on sale for about $25 dollars( original price $70). Look in the clearance section as well.

The fancy ones are only worth it if you plan on doing something big.

johnnifast

I use a Polar FT7. I got it off Amazon with free 2-day shipping with the Amazon Prime for $60. Local stores here sell them for $100+.

I love it. I think it's a useful tool in weight loss.

I don't really monitor my heart rate, but I use the watch to monitor the burned calories for each workout session. This watch has helped me lose 65 lbs in 6 months safely.

Euroboss

I just bought the FT1. Got it for under $50. Why the most basic? Because the heart monitor does one thing, monitor your heart rate and give a summary at the end. The rest are derived values, as in the watch just does some math with the heart rate figures and HAS A GUESS at what you burned. Obviously a huge guy running at 150 beats per minute isn't using the same amount of energy to run as a tiny little skinny girl.

So every feature you get in the higher Polar models are just simple math, that if you really care about you can just Google and take your HR figures and calculate them yourself. You'll quickly see it's all pretty much crap.. you shouldn't be even looking at calories burned in exercise anyway. Set your calories/kj to a deficit, use your food diary honestly and don't give yourself extra when you exercise. If your deficit figure is reasonable (like around 2000 calories for most men) then you can do this and actually LOSE FAT, rather than exercising and then just eating extra what you just burned off.

Basically, buy Polar because it's the original and the best, and buy the FT1 because all you need it to do is let you know that you're in the zone.

Chain_Ring

Garmin Edge 500 for sure. Trust me.

CheeksBryant

I use a Polar FT4 and I LOVE it. It is extremely accurate and I never have a problem with it.

^ This, got mine a little over a week ago. So glad I did, man was MFP's calculations wrong

Euroboss

Of course, trust him. He's got a picture of a bike on the Internet. That's tight

CheeksBryant

I'm glad someone started a thread about this. I have been wanting to get one too, and know absolutely nothing about them or where to start. I know a lot of people use the Polar brand, but I never knew which model to get. Will the FT4 track calories too, steps? What all does it track?

A HRM is for use during steady state cardio only. The FT4 tracks HR and calorie burn along with time and it will tell you how long you were in "the zone" although I think that's all BS anyway. If you want something to wear all day that counts steps you need something like a Fitbit.

^this
I like my FT4 a lot, but I'm getting a fitbit for Christmas as well.

Chain_Ring

Of course, trust him. He's got a picture of a bike on the Internet. That's tight

And this dude is a total Euro Boss so yeah.............

Mr_Knight

I've been trying to make a better effort with my diet and fitness with tracking everything, and the next step is becoming more accurate in that (I'm getting in the habit of measuring everything and not having wee bites of things throughout the day).

Don't confuse accuracy with precision. HRMs will give you both accuracy and precision for your actual heart rate - but for calorie burn, they will generally give you a precisely inaccurate reading.

SJCon

I'm glad someone started a thread about this. I have been wanting to get one too, and know absolutely nothing about them or where to start. I know a lot of people use the Polar brand, but I never knew which model to get. Will the FT4 track calories too, steps? What all does it track?

A HRM is for use during steady state cardio only. The FT4 tracks HR and calorie burn along with time and it will tell you how long you were in "the zone" although I think that's all BS anyway. If you want something to wear all day that counts steps you need something like a Fitbit.

Or the polar "loop" with a Bluetooth chest strap, that covers both worlds. If you use a smartphone than consider a Bluetooth chest strap and the "I cardio" app which syncs to MFP Chest strap from polar (H7) cost about $65. Polar has an app also called "Polar Beat" that is identical but doesn't sync to MFP. The benefit of the app is it lests you estimate VO2 / fitness level to get a more personal calorie number.

Euroboss

Of course, trust him. He's got a picture of a bike on the Internet. That's tight

And this dude is a total Euro Boss so yeah.............

I justify my recommendation with words, you know, like typing out why I say what I do. I'm not arrogant enough to just say 'trust me' when I have no idea who you are.

The Polar Loop is like the Nike Fuelband - it's for people that actually need a flashing LED sign on their wrist saying YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GO FOR A WALK NOW. Guess what, you're here which means you should probably go for a walk now. I just saved you some money. Buy a HR monitor to monitor your HR, because being between 60%-85% of your max HR when you're doing cardio is where the real benefits are and realize everything else is the sizzle, not the steak!

janicelo1971

I bought the Polar FT4 about a year ago from ****s sporting goods for 89 dollars...it works on and off...not sure how accurate the calorie count it...seems a bit high....I usually deduct 100 or so calories each work out....much more accurate then MFP though which I find is really off

lindsayvernon

Thanks for all the help! I'm checking on amazon for a HRM right now and am thinking I will probably go for the Polar either FT4 or FT7. They seem to be the most popular.