heart rate monitor whats good whats bad?

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deup
deup Posts: 129 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
k so i am in need of thoughts and recommendations. my first goal is coming up and to treat myself i am getting a heart rate monitor, and would like to know what you guys thoughts on what is good? why? and what options it has, also want to know what to stay away from.

i will be using a heart rate monitor for my cardio workouts, elliptical, treadmill, also outdoor work lawncutting and walking/ biking
doesn't need to be fancy but needs to be water proof and durable also accurate. as well i don't have a ton of money to toss at it, seems the more weight i loss the lower my bank account becomes lol

thank you :)

Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    Polar FT4.

    A lot of people use this HRM, and that's because they're very reliable and are good for their value. They come in at around £40 and have all the things you need - real time monitoring so you can constantly see your HR and calories burned.

    Even though I don't use this (I use a Suunto M5), I've heard very good things about it and I have seen a lot of people recommend this HRM.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    Based on what you described I think the Polar FT4 is probably a good choice. It should run you around $60.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    Just be careful as they aren't accurate for measuring caloric burn unless you are doing steady state cardio

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
  • michelleepotter
    michelleepotter Posts: 800 Member
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    I have the Polar FT4, and I love it. But, is it waterproof as the OP requested? I don't know, but if so, it's even better than I knew. :-)
  • criticaltodd
    criticaltodd Posts: 86
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    Just be careful as they aren't accurate for measuring caloric burn unless you are doing steady state cardio

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

    I'm not sure this is always true. Granted, everything is an estimate but, for example, my Polar watch/HRM have different profiles for different activities and sports, beyond pure steady-state cardio. I can't vouch for the absolute accuracy but the numbers compare well with what I get via other estimation tools.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Just be careful as they aren't accurate for measuring caloric burn unless you are doing steady state cardio

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

    I'm not sure this is always true. Granted, everything is an estimate but, for example, my Polar watch/HRM have different profiles for different activities and sports, beyond pure steady-state cardio. I can't vouch for the absolute accuracy but the numbers compare well with what I get via other estimation tools.

    The other activities simply do not have the scientific backing to create the formulas needed for accurate caloric estimation.
  • criticaltodd
    criticaltodd Posts: 86
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    The other activities simply do not have the scientific backing to create the formulas needed for accurate caloric estimation.
    If you say so. I don't know one way or another. However, since it's only an estimate anyway, I don't know what harm there is in using it over using nothing. I do presume that their engineers have some formulas of some kind. How accurate those are, I have no idea but, as I said, the Polar ones I've used compare well with other tools I've checked them against, though, as you say, they might all be the same sort of inaccurate.
  • deup
    deup Posts: 129 Member
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    thank you guys for all your inputs :)
    i know it's all estimated nothing is 100% , just mfp sometimes seems there cal count for activities are was out to lunch but same time my treadmill and elliptical is weird lol. and with me just finishing 30ds i know i not burning the same cal as i did on level on lol. just not sure if it worth getting one, do people keep using there hrm after they have met there weight goal? and do they use it while bulking or muscle toning? all this is so confusing lol .
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
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    You did not say what your budget was...I got the Polar RCX5 multisportswatch with heart rate monitor and gps. The advantage of this higher end model is that it can calculate your personal fitness, your VO2max, your resting heart rate and so forth. This gives a much more accurate idea of you real calorie burn.

    I would try and get a model that can do a fitness test! I am pretty sure my calorie expenditure calculations are pretty accurate as when I eat them all back I still keep my weight.

    Anyhow, it is at least the best motivational tool that I have and it really keeps me going. I also have a fitbit One fitness tracker that is basically a step counter which I wear as well.

    Stef.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    I wear mine for my cardio and weight lifting session just so I can see how high my heart rate goes and what my average is. I ignore the calorie count completely
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    I have a Zephyr HRM chest strap. It connects through bluetooth to my phone and syncs with a bunch of different apps like Runkeeper and iCardio which also record info like pace and GPS maps, all in one spot. It gives me a lot more info than the watch portion of my old Polar F7, and several of the apps it syncs with also sync with MFP and my Bodymedia band. It's also rechargeable, so I don't have to worry about the battery needing replacement. I charge it once ever couple of weeks, and it's never run down during a workout. I highly recommend it.

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