Heart rate monitor advice needed!

PearlAng

Hi!

I'm looking for advice and opinions on hrms. Here's my situation:

On Saturday, I'm going away to college to do a six week program. I will not have access to my iPhone Sunday-Thursday. This means I am no longer able to use my nike+ app. I'd like to buy a HRM for the times where I am able to use the fitness center and take walks to classes, but I'm not sure which one to buy. Id like something that can sync with MFP (which I should be able to access every night from my laptop). I was thinking of something cute and somewhat subtle (maybe one of the ones that looks like a wrist watch?) but I don't know much about them and I'd like one that's accurate.

I'm open to all suggestions!

brisingr86

bump.

Based on my own research, you sound like your talking about two different things. Most of the ones that are wrist bands are activity monitors which will give you a decent track for walks to classes, but probably not great accuracy at the fitness center (i.e, fitbit). For the most accurate heart rate monitor, you should have one with a chest strap (not really cute, subtle as it should be under your clothes). These should give you fair accuracy for a fitness center burn, but less so for the walks to class. If you've been using nike+, I think that's more of an activity tracker so you probably are looking more for something like a Fitbit (which does sync with MFP). Good luck!

PearlAng

Thanks for your reply! Leave it to me to screw things up like that lol. I guess I would be more or less looking for a fitbit then. Do you think it would work accurately if I was on an elliptical? That's what I enjoy using at gyms for cardio, and my current gym's ellipticals have the calorie burn on them, but I'm not sure about the fitness center

sassyjae21

I would go with a Polar ft4 . Here's what it looks like:

http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Purple/dp/B005M1P85O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403620998&sr=8-1&keywords=ft4+polar+watch

It's a great HRM. Does not sync to MFP though. I don't know that any of them do unless you get a fitbit or bodymedia or something. My fitibt is also useful, but it's not a HRM.

ETA: My fitbit works on an elliptical...kind of. I'm not sure of it's accuracy though

PearlAng

I would go with a Polar ft4 . Here's what it looks like:

http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Purple/dp/B005M1P85O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403620998&sr=8-1&keywords=ft4+polar+watch

It's a great HRM. Does not sync to MFP though. I don't know that any of them do unless you get a fitbit or bodymedia or something. My fitibt is also useful, but it's not a HRM.

ETA: My fitbit works on an elliptical...kind of. I'm not sure of it's accuracy though

I think this could be what I'm looking for! Do you know how well this one works with the elliptical? And since it does not sync, do you just plug in the calories burnt to MFP manually? Usually when I use nike+, I just log the exercise as "blank minutes of running" according to which mph rate gives me the amount of calories burnt closest to what nike+ told me. Sometimes I have to adjust the time too

bowlerae

OP,

I have the Polar FT4 and I love it. I haven't used it on an elliptical but I used it on the stationary bicycle. I like to think it is pretty accurate because it does ask for your gender, age, height, and weight when you first set it up (some machines don't) and also chest straps will be more accurate than the handle bars on a machine. With that being said, your calories burned on the HRM may differ than what is displayed on any machine--I'd go with the HRM. Also, as someone mentioned, the Polar FT4 would not be ideal for "light exercise" such as walking to and from class nor HIIT cardio or weight lifting...only steady state cardio where you heart beat is elevated in fat burning zone for an extended period of time.

I enter my calories manually. For example, I'll select stationary bicycle for 30 minutes and MFP may give me a number like 217 but if my HRM said 250 then I'm writing 250. You have no idea what sort of stats (gender, height, weight, age) MFP is using to base the calories burned off of.

astralweeks82

Love my Polar FT4. I also now have a Timex GPS watch with HR but I run so I use it to track my pace and distance, I use that more these days. That said, my Polar did really good with tracking my HR and calories burned on the treadmill, bike AND elliptical.

sassyjae21

I would go with a Polar ft4 . Here's what it looks like:

http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Purple/dp/B005M1P85O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403620998&sr=8-1&keywords=ft4+polar+watch

It's a great HRM. Does not sync to MFP though. I don't know that any of them do unless you get a fitbit or bodymedia or something. My fitibt is also useful, but it's not a HRM.

ETA: My fitbit works on an elliptical...kind of. I'm not sure of it's accuracy though

I think this could be what I'm looking for! Do you know how well this one works with the elliptical? And since it does not sync, do you just plug in the calories burnt to MFP manually? Usually when I use nike+, I just log the exercise as "blank minutes of running" according to which mph rate gives me the amount of calories burnt closest to what nike+ told me. Sometimes I have to adjust the time too

Yes, this works perfectly with any cardio exercise, but keep in mind, it does have a chest strap And yes, I enter the calories in MFP manually. MFP is usually incorrect. I actually find that I burn more than MFP gives me. A lot of people complain it overestimates for them. *shrug* But I use my HRM for any cardio exercise, and it worked well with the elliptical. The machines at the gym can't be as accurate as you need them to be. The only thing it wouldn't be as accurate for is all day activity and strength training. Hope this helped!

cppeace

I love my polar ft4 as well. Yeah you just add new exercise or adjust the calories and time in a old exercise to register what the hrm says

mjterp

I love my fitbit one. I found it to be accurate on the eliptical. I LOVE that it does all of my walking through the day and I challenge myself to get my ten thousand steps in each day.

If I do the stair climber, it will register the steps, but not flights of stairs because of the altmiter used for that purpose. I just take it as bonus burn.

I LOVE that it counts flights of stairs wh en I am walking up the ramps to the rids at six flags! My step count is always awesome on those days and NO, it doesn't count when I am actually on the roller coasters or driving in my car.

I prefer the fitbit ONE because I can hook it on my bra no matter what outfit I am wearing...it is just a regular part of my wardrobe now.