is a heart rate monitor worth it

ThisGirLIsOnFireeeeee
ThisGirLIsOnFireeeeee Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
thinking of buying one but not sure if its worth it or not
«1

Replies

  • kiwitechgirl
    kiwitechgirl Posts: 145 Member
    I wouldn't be without mine. It allows me to keep track of my workouts, get the most accurate number of calories burned, and i can also see my fitness levels increasing through max heart rate reached. Just make sure you get one with a chest strap as they're far more accurate.
  • hedgiie
    hedgiie Posts: 1,226 Member
    yes
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,993 Member
    Before my HRM, I was grossly overestimating workout burns, so for me it was worth it. If you don't want to spend the money, try to borrow one for a session and figure out the ratio between the HRM reading and some other estimation method such MFP database.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    Love mine and it does help. Go for it.
  • IronPhyllida
    IronPhyllida Posts: 533 Member
    thinking of buying one but not sure if its worth it or not
    Cant see the point of exercising and taking it seriously if I didn't have one.
  • EniBee
    EniBee Posts: 274 Member
    I contemplated getting one as well, so I bought a cheap one (£15.00) which was just a wrist watch with a sensor that measured your pulse rate through the tip of your finger! You then had to indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 how hard you thought you worked and then it would give you your calorie burn. Needless to say, I stopped using it as it was total useless and much inaccurate.

    I then bought a polar FT4 HRM with a chest strap sensor. I am very happy with this, although I wished I had bought one with bluetooth so that I could sink it with my Runkeeper app. So, if you do get one, make sure you get a decent on,otherwise it will be a waste of your hard earned cash!!
  • RUGGEDGerit
    RUGGEDGerit Posts: 17
    If you get a good quality one, it will be in valuable. Sometimes I think I am working hard, and the readout on the HR monitor shows only a moderate workout, and then I know to kick it up a notch. Why do all that work if it is ineffective?
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    Without one, you're simply guessing at exercise calories. No point in tracking your food accurately if you then guess the other side.
  • moelowens132
    moelowens132 Posts: 13 Member
    Yes, so worth it!!
    It's helped me know when to push harder or when I can back off. I now know what I'm realistically burning when I work out. No, they are not 100.00% accurate on cals- more like 99.8% but unless you literally lay down the rest of the day and never move they difference is nothing. I say go for it!!
    Get a good quality one with a chest strap. ;)
  • TamaraKat
    TamaraKat Posts: 533 Member
    For me it is worth it too! :) On cardio days, it helps me control my heart rate through breathing and gives me a more accurate count than the machines. I would definitely look at buying one.

    EDIT: As stated above, I would get a chest strap one. It is more accurate than an arm-band and you can't really feel it!
  • janpuzzle31
    janpuzzle31 Posts: 48 Member
    I bought one for when I am running and it has helped me to see when I am pushing myself too hard. By slowing down to achieve a sustainable heart rate I have enjoyed my runs more and felt better afterwards. I agree with others that a chest strap is best.

    Also I find a new exercise gadget is a great motivator!
  • TamaraKat
    TamaraKat Posts: 533 Member
    I bought one for when I am running and it has helped me to see when I am pushing myself too hard. By slowing down to achieve a sustainable heart rate I have enjoyed my runs more and felt better afterwards. I agree with others that a chest strap is best.

    Also I find a new exercise gadget is a great motivator!

    I agree with the last bit - I was SO excited to try mine out when I bought it!!!
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
    totally worth it, and personally I find it very motivating to see my calorie burns, I try to earn myself a glass of wine a night hehe :wink:

    I have the polar ft4, which I got on ebay for 20 quid, with the chest strap. Totally worth taking a look if you need to budget! (and definitely get a good hrm, you need a chest strap, and a trusted brand, the polars are very popular and known for accuracy
  • TamaraKat
    TamaraKat Posts: 533 Member
    You will also find that some heart rate monitors can actually synch with the machines in gym too :)
  • krissenior
    krissenior Posts: 68 Member
    I wouldn't be without mine. It allows me to keep track of my workouts, get the most accurate number of calories burned, and i can also see my fitness levels increasing through max heart rate reached. Just make sure you get one with a chest strap as they're far more accurate.

    ^^^This :)
  • kroonha
    kroonha Posts: 102 Member
    I bought one for when I am running and it has helped me to see when I am pushing myself too hard. By slowing down to achieve a sustainable heart rate I have enjoyed my runs more and felt better afterwards. I agree with others that a chest strap is best.

    Also I find a new exercise gadget is a great motivator!

    I agree with the last bit - I was SO excited to try mine out when I bought it!!!

    I've had mine for a week and I'm totally loving it. So great to see an accurate number of calories burned, when I'm in the fatburning or fitness zone, etc. Really helped my workouts and provided me with even more motivation :)
  • minuz5
    minuz5 Posts: 256 Member
    alright, everyone is speaking about them but none says what brand and how much do they cost?? Also, do you have to wear that strap on your chest to monitor everything??
  • michable
    michable Posts: 312 Member
    Absolutely worth it! Love having a more accurate calorie burn estimate.
  • TamaraKat
    TamaraKat Posts: 533 Member
    alright, everyone is speaking about them but none says what brand and how much do they cost?? Also, do you have to wear that strap on your chest to monitor everything??

    Minuz,
    You can purchase a variety or brands like Polar, Suunto,Timex, and Garmin to name a few. The Polar is a really popular choice by everyone and can pick one up for approximately $AU90 + depending on the model. The chest strap is your only way of monitoring your heart rate which in turn does your calories burned, distances, etc etc. These chest straps are barely noticeable when worn (unless pulled unrealistically tight) and can withstand water depth, depending on brand of course.
  • perfectflightisbeingthere
    perfectflightisbeingthere Posts: 66 Member
    I wouldn't be without mine. Needs to be one with a chest strap to be useful. I have a Polar RCX3 with GPS, cost about £160 and been worth every penny, to the extent that i've just bought my daughter one too! The zone based training programme I've been following since May has transformed my fitness by making me run slower and much more conssitently.

    (The calorie burns reported are lower than you tend to get from the table approach on MFP etc, but given that heart rate is a proxy for how much oxygen you are using should be a better estimate. It is still only an estimate though and for some people will be on the high side, so still be careful if intending to eat back calories burnt through exercise and trying to lose weight.)
  • lannabelle
    lannabelle Posts: 85 Member
    Definitely worth it! I've had my Polar FT7 for a little over a month and it's been a great motivator and information source. Whatever type of HRM you buy, make sure it has a chest strap.
  • Anita_hoar12345
    Anita_hoar12345 Posts: 82
    I bought one at wal mart I forget the brand I think it's called sync. It's supposed to measure my footsteps and calories I burn all day. I don't know if it's accurate because it says I burn 4000 calories in an entire day which seems a bit high I would probably gain weight eating 4000 calories a day


    I don't use it and waisted 129$
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Totally worth every penny.

    I got the Polar FT4. Love it.
  • minuz5
    minuz5 Posts: 256 Member
    I wouldn't be without mine. Needs to be one with a chest strap to be useful. I have a Polar RCX3 with GPS, cost about £160 and been worth every penny, to the extent that i've just bought my daughter one too! The zone based training programme I've been following since May has transformed my fitness by making me run slower and much more conssitently.

    (The calorie burns reported are lower than you tend to get from the table approach on MFP etc, but given that heart rate is a proxy for how much oxygen you are using should be a better estimate. It is still only an estimate though and for some people will be on the high side, so still be careful if intending to eat back calories burnt through exercise and trying to lose weight.)

    I've seen that function on polar which says whether you're improving fitness or burning fat. Any difference in BF when using your monitor? I mean that function for fat burning is it actually useful/accurate?
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
    I don't mean to hijack, but I have a dumb question--is the chest strap worn over or under clothing? Over a sports bra?
  • AquaFan
    AquaFan Posts: 309 Member
    Totally worth every penny.

    I got the Polar FT4. Love it.

    Same here. I bought it off Amazon for I think $80.00 and am in love with it. I can accurately see how many calories I'm burning and when I am doing Jillian's Shred can see when I am working too hard and need to back off a bit.
  • kroonha
    kroonha Posts: 102 Member
    I don't mean to hijack, but I have a dumb question--is the chest strap worn over or under clothing? Over a sports bra?

    It goes right underneath your chest muscles on bare skin; usually you need to wet the strap for good contact.
  • Ivey05131980
    Ivey05131980 Posts: 1,118 Member
    YES! I have the Polar F4 and I love mine!
  • kroonha
    kroonha Posts: 102 Member
    I wouldn't be without mine. Needs to be one with a chest strap to be useful. I have a Polar RCX3 with GPS, cost about £160 and been worth every penny, to the extent that i've just bought my daughter one too! The zone based training programme I've been following since May has transformed my fitness by making me run slower and much more conssitently.

    (The calorie burns reported are lower than you tend to get from the table approach on MFP etc, but given that heart rate is a proxy for how much oxygen you are using should be a better estimate. It is still only an estimate though and for some people will be on the high side, so still be careful if intending to eat back calories burnt through exercise and trying to lose weight.)

    I've seen that function on polar which says whether you're improving fitness or burning fat. Any difference in BF when using your monitor? I mean that function for fat burning is it actually useful/accurate?

    I have a Polar FT40 and I set mine on the fat burning mode when I do cardio at the gym (It will beep if my heart rate rises too high and I'm in fitness mode). At the end it tells you number of calories burned as well as percentage of body fat.
    In a week, my waist and hip size has gone down over 1cm. I will keep using this and measuring, but there's a reason that feature exists, right?
  • _jayciemarie_
    _jayciemarie_ Posts: 574 Member
    Absolutely! You won't regret it!

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