recommendations for HRM

blen85
blen85 Posts: 77 Member
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
My friends are telling me that I need a HRM for my workouts to get an accurate calorie amount burned.. what's the best one out there.. where did you get it and how much?? I'm trying to not spend a whole lot of money..

Replies

  • I had to get one of these for my running class. They're pretty cool! I bought mine from the teacher, but I hear they're also pretty cheap on amazon.

    EDIT: Mine's a Bowflex, and it tells me my heartrate and how many cals I burned. Don't really pay attenbtion to all the other bells 'n whistles.
  • Trishkit
    Trishkit Posts: 290 Member
    My HRM is by Polar. They're fairly spendy, but I feel like you get what you pay for. I adore my HRM! :-)
  • I've just bought an Adidas 'micoach' and it is by far the best I have seen. If you get the pacer bundle, which is around £120 you connect it up to your PC after your workout and it gives you a detailed breakdown of what you have done. The 'zone' is just a watch that shows you your heart rate as you are working out so doesn;t really give you the calorie breakdown.

    I have to agree that you defintitely need a HRM to keep track of actual calories burned. I have been doing workout on the Wii and yesterday, the Wii said I had burned 90 calories when in fact I had burned 250 going by the HRM.
  • I recently--and by that I mean "I got it last week"--a Polar FT7 from Amazon. And so far I like it loads! It gives you a more accurate calorie burnt count than the exercise calculator on the site. My HRM tells you how long you were in the "fat burning zone" and "high intensity zone". It has a chest strap which is always better because the readings are more accurate. Believe me, I searched and searched until I settled for this one. Like I said, I got from Amazon and it was $84 and change, which is pretty good price for being a Polar HRM. Just do your research and see which one fits your needs and your budget. Good luck!
  • Lstrode
    Lstrode Posts: 51
    I got a Sportline watch at Wal-Mart for $28.00 that is a HRM, Calories Burned counter, alarm clock, stop watch, etc. Have used it for 2 days now, and I like it. You can time your workout while checking your HR and calories all together.
  • blen85
    blen85 Posts: 77 Member
    I'm gonna try that watch for right now.. I did wii biggest loser tonight for 18 minutes and it said I burned 30 calories?!?!? yea right I was sweating like crazy I know it has to be more than that. I hate that because I dont know how many actual calories I burned to plug into MFP
  • melanielockard
    melanielockard Posts: 114 Member
    i ordered an polar ft40 and it came today, i love it!! it was $150, though i researched and read many post, before i purchased.
    it has hrm, cals, fat cals, and what zone you are in. good luck!!
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    I wanted to bring up this topic again, cause I need some help please.

    I just bought the Sportline HRM from Walmart, and I don't think it's tracking calories burned through pulse. Like, if I stand still, it calculates nothing, and if I do Zumba for an hour, it would only calculate my burn based on the steps that I take, which would be inaccurate.

    Does the Polar model calculate burn based on heart rate? Are there any more affordable models that also do this?
  • amber_hanners
    amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
    from what i have heard from people on here and peopel at the gym u really need to use an hrm with a chest strap for the most accurate calorie count i heard polar is great im actually reviewing a few right now trying to decide which one to get
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    Thanks! I've gotten a lot of great replies from my MFP friends, and Polar seems to be the best bet! :smile:
  • TNAJackson
    TNAJackson Posts: 686 Member
    I used a polar in high school gym class (our teacher used them to make sure we were actually doing what we were told when she wasn't right there watching us)... sneaky (and smart) if you ask me! That's the one I want to get, but I'm not sure of the model or cost. The only feature I really need is the calories burned function...
  • TNAJackson
    TNAJackson Posts: 686 Member
    :happy:
  • amber_hanners
    amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
    i got my polar ft4 on ebay for $70 i love it well worthb the price
  • Minnie_Moo
    Minnie_Moo Posts: 239 Member
    I would suggest getting one with a chest strap as they are better to calculate an accurate HR.


    Don't know if this will help you any but...........Here is a link that was posted in another thread with a lot of information on HRM's.

    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
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