So tell me about HRMs...

ojell

Do I need one?

Why?

How do you use it?

etc etc.

Aviendha_RJ

I have friends that use them for running. They swear by them, but I don't know.

Do they keep track of Calorie Burn too? Should I get one to monitor how many calories I burn too?

Good topic!

Flyntiggr

Do I need one? If you want a better and more accurate count of how hard you are working (and better guidelines on how much you can eat), than yes, you need one.

Why? -- see above

How do you use it? I wear it whenever I work out. It tracks my calories burned based on my stats - age, gender, weight, fitness level, level of effort.

etc etc.

mummum2

I have one and find it great! log time/duration of work, calories burned, fat burn, fitness level.....would say yes should invest in one as certainly far more accurate than taking MFP numbers!

pauljsolie

YES, you shoul have one. It takes the guess work out of how many calories you burn, whether you heart rate is in the target zone, how long you've been exercising. Some will even tell you if you are gaining fitness or burning fat. I have noticed some MFP calorie burns are accurate but some are way off from what my HRM tells me. Get one with a chest strap, but if you can't afford the higher price you can get a wristwatch style where you put 2 fingers on buttons and it gives your heart rate. Alittle less convienient but works just as well. I have both cuz I don't like the chest strap model I have. It's kinda uncomfortable. Don't get just the heart rate monitor (usually the cheapest) cuz you'll have to do the calorie calcs. yourself. Make sure it tracks calories burned based on your weight and resting heart rate. I have a MIO sport, it is a lower end model but it does everything I need it to do (except for mowing the lawn).

kellyscomeback

I have one and find it great! log time/duration of work, calories burned, fat burn, fitness level.....would say yes should invest in one as certainly far more accurate than taking MFP numbers!

This!

On some cardio I under estimated my burn and for others I over esitmated. It helps he see if I pushed myself harder or less and I can get an accurate reading of the calories I burned.

I bought one off Ebay for $42 shipped, New Balance N4 and I love it, I can set 3 different intensity levels and it doubles as a wrist watch. Just remember to get one with a chest strap, those are significantly more accurate over just the watches.

ChantalGG

if you stop and take your pulse every 10 or 20 minutes cant you calculate your burn the same way. I remember in a class at the gym we were doing that we had to keep it up according to the chart on the wall.

ltf304

If you want an accurate amount of calories burned then yes, I would get one. The ones without a chest strap do not give an accurate reading so get one with a chest strap. Polar and Garmin are the best ones. Yes, they are expensive, but it is well worth it.

pauljsolie

If you want an accurate amount of calories burned then yes, I would get one. The ones without a chest strap do not give an accurate reading so get one with a chest strap. Polar and Garmin are the best ones. Yes, they are expensive, but it is well worth it.

I have both a Polar FT? and a MIO sport. To say that the wrist models do not give an accurate reading is not exactly true. The MIO models are very good products and they do give accurate readings, the models with chest straps give MORE accurate readings because they constantly monitor the heart rate than the wrist types. Just thought I'd throw that out there. If you can't affort the higher priced models, a wrist type will be much better than none at all.

ojell

You guys have convinced me. lol I think it would be a great buy.

dad106

I have a polar FT7 and I love it! I mainly got to use during my personal training sessions but now I wear it whenever I work out and it really is the best investment ever. It was so easy to use and set up, and I got mine for only 79 dollars.. which is pretty cheap considering they retail about 110-120.

pauljsolie

I'm looking at the FT7. Mine is very old and the strap is really uncomfortable. The new ones look pretty amazing in what they can do. My MIO is ok but it's a hassle to do the finger thing sometimes.