Heart Rate Monitors

harvo

I am thinking or gettting one because I officiate several sports and I believe the basketball is WAY too high on calorie burn so I am left "guessing" my calorie burn. I am not sure I want to wear one aroud my chest as I do not want it to be seen on the basketball floor or to get hit by a baseball.

What do you wear and your thoughts on the size (even if it goes around your chest). I also sweat heavily and I am not sure how that would affect the HRM.

Greytfish

Unless you're officiating topless, no one would see the band for the HRM. There are some that don't have a band, but they can be pricey and aren't very accurate. For that matter, a HRM is just guessing about calorie burn based on averages, though it will be more accurate than MFP.

toddis

I'm not sure an HRM would be useful in this situation. Is your heart rate constantly elevated or is it in spurts?

The only time my Polar's chest strap is terrible visible is when I have a sweat line...

harvo

Well, it depends on the game. I had a game the other night that both teams pressed and pushed the ball so 2 minutes in my heart rate jumped and I was all but gasping for breath and then I settled in but we have half time and I typically get my heart rate down then befre it jumps back up. With baseball/softball I am not sure what I burn because I do not run a lot but do have to sprint from time to time and squat when i have the plate.

That is why I am trying to figure out what would be better. I was thinking Nike fuel band due to it being on my wrist and fairly small.

tzig00

I have a Polar FT4. It's a watch that shows the calorie burn and your heart rate and keeps track of your excercises, it also has a band that goes across your chest to monitor your heart rate which tracks your calorie burn. I think you could benefit from this one. I love it on my runs!

_TimeForMe

I have the Polar FT4 and I love it!!!!!

Mrsum3

I have a Polar FT4 as well and love it.

thevoice1973

HRMs without chest straps are notoriously imprecise! I understand your concern about the strap being visible, but honestly, you'd have to be wearing pretty tight exercise wear for that to happen. As for having it hit by a baseball, I think that kind of impact to the chest could actually be bad for your ribs, never mind your HRM.

They are useful tools to measure your heart rate, but that's just another tool to help you gauge your physical activity. It's not a tell-all and neither are most activity trackers (like the Nike Fuel band, which is essentially a fancy wrist-mounted step counter!)

Having gone through several HRMs, Polar really is the company to beat. They have several models, some which are quite affordable, and parts are available as well (in case you do manage to destroy the transmitter with a baseball to the chest! ;-)

cwolfman13

I would think you'd be better off with a fitbit or something. I don't think a HRM is going to be very accurate here as it's not your HR that directly affects your calorie burn...it's just used in an algorithm as an estimated measure of what level of V02 max you are at. This algorithm also assumes a steady state cardiovascular event...the further away you get from steady state cardio, the less accurate the HRM is going to be for your calories burned.

Hornsby

A heart rate monitor will not give you accurate burns on the activities you have listed. I wouldn't waste the money on them if your only intent is to use them during those times. Now if you are planning on adding some steady state cardio, then the price might be worth it.

Mr_Knight

If you officiate for 90 minutes, just pick a relaxed speed and use "walking, 90 minutes". It'll be close enough.

if you pull it from MFP, though, cut that number in half because it gives gross burn, not net burn.

harvo

On the polar FT4 can you get a record of your activity without wearing the watch? in some sports the NFHS is picky about what you wear. For example in basketball the pants we wear are not supposed to have a belt as it could cause a player to be injured.

In baseball I may keep a stop watch in my pocket bt not very often, that said i do wear a chest protector behind the plate but have been hit a couple times. Not much hurt usually other than pride. I play on to keep the macho image except for once over the past 4 seasons.

amygauv

I was thinking Nike fuel band due to it being on my wrist and fairly small.

I have a NikeFuel Band and I would say that my Polar FT4 is probably way better. I really only use the NikeFuel points system for fun to make sure I am staying active. I play basketball a lot and the NikeFuel band gives you a million points when you dribble lol

echofm1

if you pull it from MFP, though, cut that number in half because it gives gross burn, not net burn.

I've been on these forums for 7 months and this is the first time I've heard of the terms "gross burn" and "net burn". Would you give me definitions please?

echofm1

On the polar FT4 can you get a record of your activity without wearing the watch? in some sports the NFHS is picky about what you wear. For example in basketball the pants we wear are not supposed to have a belt as it could cause a player to be injured.

In baseball I may keep a stop watch in my pocket bt not very often, that said i do wear a chest protector behind the plate but have been hit a couple times. Not much hurt usually other than pride. I play on to keep the macho image except for once over the past 4 seasons.

If you have a pocket in your pants, you can just set the watch and put it in there, if that's allowed. If you're keeping the watch somewhere else though, it won't be that accurate. The band send signals to the watch, so it needs to be nearby to avoid interference (which I imagine there would be running up and down a basketball court).

There are some HRMS that will keep track of the calories and then sync up later though. They're designed for swimming, where the signals can be distorted by the water. I'm not sure which ones, but it might be worth looking into.

Hornsby

if you pull it from MFP, though, cut that number in half because it gives gross burn, not net burn.

I've been on these forums for 7 months and this is the first time I've heard of the terms "gross burn" and "net burn". Would you give me definitions please?

It just means that if you workout for 3 hours and burn 1000 calories, MFP doesn't take into account that you would have burned calories just sitting so the number is inflated. So if you would burn 100 calories per hour just "being", then the net would actually be 700 calories.

echofm1

if you pull it from MFP, though, cut that number in half because it gives gross burn, not net burn.

I've been on these forums for 7 months and this is the first time I've heard of the terms "gross burn" and "net burn". Would you give me definitions please?

It just means that if you workout for 3 hours and burn 1000 calories, MFP doesn't take into account that you would have burned calories just sitting so the number is inflated. So if you would burn 100 calories per hour just "being", then the net would actually be 700 calories.

I see! Do HRMs do a gross burn as well? Or a net burn?

Hornsby

they do gross burn estimates as well.