HRM Preferences

ataylorgardner

What do you prefer and why? The HRM that straps around the chest or the watch type ?

bwogilvie

Most HRMs have *both*: the strap measures your heart rate and transmits it wirelessly to the watch.

HRMs that don't have a chest strap are much less accurate than those with a chest strap.

If you want the most reliable estimate of energy expenditure (calories burned), and you can afford it, get one of the Garmin or Suunto HRMs that use Firstbeat's technology; they are supposedly much more accurate than other HRMs at estimating the energy you expend. Firstbeat's algorithm tracks the time between individual heartbeats and uses not only your overall heart rate but also the change in that time to estimate how much energy you're using.
http://www.firstbeat.com/consumers/garmin-heart-rate-monitors
http://www.firstbeat.com/consumers/suunto-heart-rate-monitors

ataylorgardner

Thank you. I will check them out. I just need to be more accurate on how many calories I am burning than what other people claim they get online lol! I have a pretty sedentary job where I work 10 hours a day so I think I really need to see what I am burning when I workout . Sometimes I feel that even though i am sweating my tushy off I may not be getting enough exercise to compensate for my lack of movement during work hours

Fuax75

I use the Polar FT7. Seems to work very well for me.

chelso0o

I prefer the ones with the chest strap. I have a Garmin Forerunner and I *love* it. I bought a watch type one that just used the pulse in your thumb, and it was a piece of crap. I hated it. The ones with the chest strap transmit wirelessly to the watch, and you are able to download your data.

Garmin is coming out with a fitness band called the Vivofit, and it is like the fitbit, except it uses heart rate data too. I preordered it, and I am really excited to get it!

VoodooChummy

I got a Suunto Quest this past Christmas and couldn't be more impressed with it. You can customize the screen settings and the reports and tracking on their website is exceptional.

Buddhasmiracle

I have a polar FT 60 (strap and watch) which I wear when I cycle. The calories it shows I expend for cycling are on average 70 calories less than what is in the MFP database for the same effort/time. I think you will be satisfied with a watch and strap unless you are a data fiend.

ataylorgardner

thank you all and no Im not a data fiend lol! i just need something to track calorie burn especially since a lot of the workouts I do are not in the MFP database.

AmyRhubarb

Chest strap for sure. I bought a watch only model to try and save money - after a couple of weeks I was so frustrated with it, I wished I had put the money towards one with a chest strap. Watch only requires you to pause and touch two fingers to the face of the watch, doesn't always read right away causing more pauses in the workout, only goes by whatever the last reading was, etc, etc.

Chest strap model was much better - press start on the watch and go, press stop when I'm done. I've had it for at least three years now and love it. I have a New Balance N4 (also would have gone for a Polar - was shopping on eBay and the N4 came up first).