Heart Rate Monitor

daniellejg

I've been contemplating getting one, but I'm not sure which is the best way to go. What brands are the best? Any advice for me before a spend a significant amount of money on one?

AngiMoss

I'm just one step ahead of you...I recently bought one & have used it 4 times now. I did my research and opted for the Polar FT7. I found it on amazon for $85 (normally priced at $109). So far, I love it!
There are cheaper models, but I decided to go with the popular vote. I was worried about the comfortableness of the chest strap on some of the cheaper ones. There is a reason the FT7 is so popular. It's pretty easy to use, it's comfortable enough that I will actually use it and it has just about all the bells & whistles without being so complicated that you can't make heads or tails of it.

I saw some at Walmart in the $30-$50 range. The price was more tempting, but I was worried about the longevity of them (as well as the chest strap thing).

AngiMoss

Also, when I was reading up on them, the Polar FT4 was a common favorite.
If you decide to go with the Polar brand, the user manuals were tiresome and I found that these set-up videos on their website to make it super simple to get to know my new little machine and make sure I was utilizing it to my advantage.

http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/tutorial_videos#

daniellejg

wow thanks! very helpful

suzannewong

I've just bought the polar FT40 from Amazon at half price (£69). Unfortunately, its gone up to just over £100! Its fantastic but probably more than I need. The cheaper heart rate monitors are too basic. What you probably want out of one is:
1. calculates and measures fat burning heart rate range
2. calculates and measures cardio fitness heart rate range
3. alerts you when you're not in the range you want (you can choose between fat burning and cardio)
4. if you're running outside in the dark, a backlight
5. comfortable well fitting strap
The FT40 has all of these features and more.

Have a browse of the different ones available. I also bought the book 'Heart Monitor training for the complete idiot'. It explains how to calculate your max heart rate and what % of this you should be training at with different exercise programmes. Mainly aimed at athletes but I'm gonna try this as I run outside as well as in the gym.

Hope this helps.

suzannewong

Thanks so much for that. I've just gone through all the videos. Really helpful and better explained than the manual.

JohnnyNull

I have no idea why you want to spend money on this gimmick.

tamiller93

My Garmin Forerunner is horrible. Don't buy one.

ykondo

is it even worth getting one? i really want to record the calories i've burned doing things like 30DS but i don't want to waste my money...

robertf57

It will estimate calories burned for you; but, it is also a great motivator. It keeps me honest in my workouts. I know whether I am pushing it or not based on my heart rate. I have one that also logs to Polar's website and keeps track of my progress. (More of a gimmick than anything really useful)

JohnnyNull

You can't tell if you're pushing yourself without a gadget telling you?