Heart Rate Monitors

gdunn55

So give me the skinny.. Are they a good tool to have? If so why.

Bzbear2

I love my HRM. Reasons:

1) I get a much more accurate (if not perfect) calorie burn indication
2) When I am wearing my HRM, I work HARD because I know that I will get to "see" my results as opposed to just clocking minutes
3) It makes me feel kinda badass

I have the Polar FT40 and love it.

ahbach2005

It is a great tool. Decide what you want out of it so you don't spend a ton of money on it. My hrm was $60 dollars or so and it does everything I need.

One of the best features on mine is the ability to set in the heart rate that will give you the most efficient calorie burn. IT is dif. for your age and gender/weight etc. I think my target zone is 124-136 bpm.

It has lepled alot and it is nice for tracking becasue it is more accurate.

macjenkins

I don't workout without mine! I agree with the previous response, you get a more accurate calorie burn, can see your progress and feel bad *kitten* afterwards! Mine is a Sportsline watch purchased at Wal-Mart for under $30.

GetFitE

I agree with BzBear2; I have a heart rate monitor (watch version) from Bowflex. The reason I got it is so I could get a more accurate count of my calories burned. I got it soon after joining this site, and it's helped me lose 11lbs--which doesn't seem like much, but I'd been in a plateau for MONTHS!

So I HIGHLY recommend them! Like I do The Biggest Loser Wii game; the game says I only burn 50 calories for a 25 min workout, which I KNOW can't be right with as much as I'm working and sweating...but with my HRM I'm burning like 500 calories!

And knowing how many calories you burn will help you with your diet so you KNOW that you're eating enough calories back.

ukcavill

I wear a HR monitor and they can be great tools. The calorie burn is much more accurate (most cardio machines overestimate) and you get to know your work level and the way your body feels at various intensities really well.