Heart rate monitors....

ljs385

Hi all,

I'm thinking about buying a heart rate monitor so I can stop guesstimating calories burned. But there are so many to choose from! :sad:

Currently I'm looking at the polar ft4 and it seems to tick the boxes
- tells the time
- tells calories burned

Does anyone else have one? I'm only looking for a simple but accurate hrm, preferably one that isn't bulky to wear.

Thanks in advance

mockchoc

I have a Polar FT7 and love it. I've seen lots of people say on here that anything Polar is good.

Also wanted to say that the strap around your rib cage is really comfortable. I have tiny wrists so wish the watch was not so chunky though but it's ok.

Skrib69

I have a lot of friends who run, and here in the UK they either have Garmins or Polars. I bought my wife the Garmin Forerunner a few years back and it is perfect. Aside from that, it just comes down to features and price. Having the HRM reduces the choice considerably.

Manny0311

I agree the HRM is a fab tool and helps you focus when training.

I have the POLAR with the rib cage strap and watch.

Also measuring the average HR will give you the most accurate calorie loss.

Are you familiar with this website ?

http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

It's great for entering your details after training and using it in conjunction with MFP

ladyargentum

I have a Suunto M1 (heart rate monitor chest strap and watch). It was a gift but I love it.
The watch allows me to see number of calories burnt during a workout, duration, heartrate, zone I am currently in and average heart rate from that workout, and current time. Also has a exercise history where you can look at the details of the previous workout or history trends.
I just love being able to accurately record calories burnt!

You are right that there are numerous on the market so I hope you find something that works for you

discobarbie1971

I have had an ft4 for about 3 years can't complain. Easy to use, gives me the info I want, nice and simple!

zenhiker2014

I have a Mio Alpha. It's wrist monitor (no chest strap) which I find easier and more comfortable to use . I know most people say you can't get good data without a chest strap, but I compared the data I get from the Mio to an old Garmin forerunner I have that does use a chest strap and the Mio seems very accurate. Might be worth checking into.

Timelordlady85

I won't use any HRM without a chest strap, I personally feel the burn isn't as accurate. I have a polar FT7 before that had the FT4, both are great watches in my opinion and simple to set up and use.

ljs385

I agree the HRM is a fab tool and helps you focus when training.

I have the POLAR with the rib cage strap and watch.

Also measuring the average HR will give you the most accurate calorie loss.

Are you familiar with this website ?

http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

It's great for entering your details after training and using it in conjunction with MFP

Thanks for the link!

I would definitely be getting the rib strap along with the watch (actually didn't realise that any came without the rib cage strap :embarassed: )

Manny0311

You know the best part about taking the HRM off is inputting those calories in MFP..

I love it.....Get such a BUZZ !

shmerek

I have a cheststrap heartrate monitor that I wear during cardio and weightlifting but the calories burned during weight sessions is way off the mark usually double what it should be. Apparently, the algorithm they generally use isn’t effective unless you are doing cardio and have an average heart rate above or around 120. However I find it useful to see where my heart rate gets to when I am doing a heavy deadlift.
The bottom line don’t trust the calories burned figure unless you are doing consistent cardio.

Manny0311

My HR averages between 154-160 when I'm doing cross trainer.

According to age, frame build, weight and height I burn approx. 500 calories in 30 mins.

Don't know how accurate that is is but even if you were to deduct 15-20% I'd say its in the ball park

blakedebo

my vote also goes for a Polar- I still have my old F4 and love it!
Good luck!

mzbek24

I have an Ft4 in pink. I didn't know a lot about HRM's, but I read a lot of reviews on it before I bought it, which I would recommend you do

I would agree with all the good reviews, It's basic, and very simple looking and easy enough to use (It helps to read the instructions online, the instructions it comes with in the box are pretty vague)

But it certainly does everything I really need, and I didn't want to spend too much. I got mine for about $95 online (In $AUD) It's cute and bright, it matches my runners too, so I like that :P

I love that it's waterproof and even has a backlight button to illuminate the screen if it's dark. It's such a great motivational little gadget for me personally, I feel better results from having a bit more of a clue what my workouts burn, and it certainly makes me feel like going harder to see the bigger burn at the end, but I'm sure most HRM's would do that.

ZakMoon

I don't think it really matters what HRM you get if you're looking at the price range of the Polar FT4, they're all generally accurate at that price range.

So it sort of comes down to specification;
- Does it tell the calories burned?
- Chronograph; does it tell the time? Stopwatch? etc
- How it looks

The FT4 is popular, a lot of people like it, haven't heard anything bad about it. I just preferred the look of the Suunto M5.

*forgot to mention, go with a HRM which requires a chest strap, the ones without them aren't too accurate.

melnorwich

Hi
I've got a polar FT40. Its great to have an accurate tool which tells you your BPM and training zone as you train. I find this really helps me to work out at the right level and prevents me using concern about overdoing it as an excuse to back down.

I would however, advise you to get a chest strap with a replaceable battery as some don't allow you to replace it yourself so you have to replace the whole chest strap when the battery runs out. A polar strap is about £40 so this is costly. Even the polar one with a replaceable battery is an issue as the plastic is so soft that you cant replace the battery more than 5 or so times. My watch is therefore unusable until i replace the strap. I think the watch lasted about 4 years before it got to this point.

Also, if you train in a gym, I've found that the reading will appear on the machine that you are using plus 3 or 4 nearby machines. THis is kind of annoying for people on those machines as their calorie readout etc will be generated by your heart rate, so i dont tend to use it at the gym.

Mel

ljs385

Think I may go with the ft4 for now. I do some cardio which I would like accurate readings for (cycling, Insanity) and it sounds like the ft4 would be right up my street.


Didn't even think about the chest strap running out of batteries! Good shout

rathimani

I just got myself a Polar FT7 and I love it!

laureneliset

I've had a Polar FT60 for over 5 years now and it's brilliant. I use it so much I've just had to buy a new chest strap as my old one broke (twice - I'd sewn it back together once already).

Being able to wirelessly download my workout data to a computer would however make me upgrade. I would prefer to stick with Polar though - anyone know which model (if any) would do this?

raindawg

+1 for Polar FT7. I've had mine two months now and love it. Found out I was burning more calories on the gym bike than MFP and the machine was giving me credit for.

SnuggleSmacks

I have a Zephyr chest strap which connects by bluetooth to my phone. I use Runkeeper or iCardio apps to read and record it. They both give tons of info, and can even help with training by announcing when you've reached a HR zone, telling you your HR in your earbuds, and announcing times for intervals. I usually take my phone with me anyway in order to listen to music or Zombies, Run! or else watch Netflix if I'm on a machine at the gym, so having the info given audibly in my earbuds instead of constantly having to look at my wrist is a big bonus. Plus, there's TONS more info than what my old Polar F7 gave.

zenhiker2014

I know chest strap monitors and Polar in particular are the gold standard, and the OP has made a decision, and that's great - but for others who might be reading this and still debating, go ahead and read a few reviews on the Mio Alpha. It it generally considered much more accurate than previous wrist monitors (which were indeed bad). In various side by side tests with chest strap models the Alpha tracked extremely well. I've been using it for a month with no drop outs or flaky data, and as I said earlier my own side by side test with a Garmin HRM the Alpha gave accurate results. So I wouldn't just dismiss it out of hand.

The advantage is having it be so simple to throw on as you go out for a hike, ride or run. But if that kind of convenience is not a big deal given your work out patterns and you are comfortable wearing a chest strap then sure, skip the Alpha and go for one of the others described in this thread.

FloridaMan1973

I agree the HRM is a fab tool and helps you focus when training.

I have the POLAR with the rib cage strap and watch.

Also measuring the average HR will give you the most accurate calorie loss.

Are you familiar with this website ?

http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

It's great for entering your details after training and using it in conjunction with MFP

Completely agree with this. I have an FT4 I bought a few months ago, use all the time and do the same thing. Works great, strap is comfortable -- and make sure you're entering in NET calories burned, not gross calories. The site has an explanation on why.

hermann341

The Polar FT4's and FT7's are definitely good. As an added bonus, the chest strap will talk to a lot of the equipment at the gym. My preferred device at the moment is my Timex Global Trainer. It's a bit pricey, but I love all the data it gives me.