heart rate monitor?

sonyabath

not sure if this has been done before, if it has, i appologise.
What different kinds of heart rate monitors are there? what are the more practical ones? What should i be looking for in particular when getting one?
all i know so far is i want one that will tell me what my heart rate is and how many calories i'm burning off. Is there anything else? what brands? what price range?

hilsidney

I have a Polar F4 or something like that.... it's pink. It's easy to use, it comes with a chest strap that is quite comfortable. It tells your heart rate and calories burned. It saves up your exercise time and calories for the week and gives you a report every 7 days. The only downside to this hr monitor is that apparently you can't change the battery yourself and have to send it to Polar to have it replaced. I've had mine for almost 2 years and the battery is still good, but I think it's kind of lame that you can't just change the battery!

jmijaressf

Get one with a heart rate strap. Those are the most accurate for counting calories. I highly recommend the Polar FT series. You can get them at either Amazon.com or www.heartratemonitorsusa.com.

MissMaryMac33

I tried 5 or 6 and finally decided to keep my Polar FT7 -- you can change the battery yourself, the chest strap is comfy and you can program your height/weight/gender/age/v02 etc. so it has accurate calorie burning details. (which is what I wanted). This one matches the tests they did for me at the gym so I'm happy. It was about $75 on amazon and well worth it --- I would avoid any type that does not have a chest strap as they are just about as inaccurate as the "guestimates" on MFP

audram420

I have a sportline duo 1010. It was $65 and comes with a chest strap. It too tells you cals burned, continuous HR, but doesn't keep a log like the Polar does!! I recommend the chest strap, I love mine

yeabby

I have a Polar F4 or something like that.... it's pink. It's easy to use, it comes with a chest strap that is quite comfortable. It tells your heart rate and calories burned. It saves up your exercise time and calories for the week and gives you a report every 7 days. The only downside to this hr monitor is that apparently you can't change the battery yourself and have to send it to Polar to have it replaced. I've had mine for almost 2 years and the battery is still good, but I think it's kind of lame that you can't just change the battery!

You can change it yourself. They say you can't because of the gasket inside. It's not big deal. Take the 4 screws off the back. When you take the back off don't lose the gasket. Replace the battery. Put the back on again and put the screws in again. I was nervous but watched a video on youtube and it was way too easy for all the fuss I keep seeing on this site.

TheYoungRetiree

I also have a Polar FT4. Just ordered it after some pretty extensive research. Found it on Amazon for about $65.

stc74

I have a Polar F4 or something like that.... it's pink. It's easy to use, it comes with a chest strap that is quite comfortable. It tells your heart rate and calories burned. It saves up your exercise time and calories for the week and gives you a report every 7 days. The only downside to this hr monitor is that apparently you can't change the battery yourself and have to send it to Polar to have it replaced. I've had mine for almost 2 years and the battery is still good, but I think it's kind of lame that you can't just change the battery!

why can't you change the battery? it looks like its easy to open?
Just wondering since I've got one.

stc74

ok, i must have skipped over the one post that explained my questions. sorry.

brocantrs

I have a Polar FT7 also and love it!

sonyabath

thanks for all the feedback guys and girls. One question in regards to chest strap ones... for us women, does it sit under ur bra (as in, between ur skin and ur bra) or below the bra (as in between ur boobs and belly)?

brocantrs

It would be under the bra underneath your rib cage.

dad106

It sits underneath the bra.. almost like a bra, which is why most women don't notice them.

I'd personally go for a Polar.. I have the FT7 and I love it! It's very easy to use/set up. I'd stay away from sportline, timex, mio as they can give inaccurate calorie burns and tend to break easily.

hilsidney

Awesome!!! Thanks.

sonyabath

thanks for the feedback everyone, will have to save up and see if i can get my hands on a decent hrm

Felesina1

I spent a little more on one - Garmin FR60. It saves 20hrs of exercise and gives read outs of many aspects of exercise - calories, avg & actual speed/pace/cadence, distance, time of excerise etc. It has a chest strap and a foot podometer. It can be used with a bike-thingy to deal with biking. Downsides - doesn't come with extensive owner's manual (have to download it) and its takes some time to get it figured out for use. But overall, I really like it!