I need HRM advice/help/suggestions!

chedeco

My birthday is coming up and I am hoping to get a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). I want one that monitors my heart rate (duh) but also one that counts calories and acts as a pedometer. I am looking for something that is $200 (USA) or less. I am not a serious athlete. I am using this for weight loss and personal fitness goals.

1.) Are there HRMs that incorporate all three of my specifications?

2.) Can I get a decent HRM for $200 or less?

3.) How necessary is the chest strap? Could I get away with just using the watch?

4.) What is the best HRM you know of...I'd prefer responses from people who have personal experiences with particular HRMs/models/brands.

Thanks in advance, MFPals!

TNAJackson

Not sure of one that acts as a pedometer unless you go the Bodybug route, but I don't know much about the Body Bug.

My HRM was about $60 on Amazon and I definately suggest it! It's the Polar FT4. Polar HRM's are definately the way to go, if you ask me!

Chest strap is EXTREMELY necessary! Anything else will only be slightly accurate at best.

Polar FT4 is my vote. :bigsmile:

ricochette55

bump

nafroese

I agree! You need the chest strap! i just bought the polar FT7 and I love it keeps track of my time calories burned and it is way more accurate then what MFp says in regards to calories burned! i bought mine on ebay for 107 including shipping, whatever you do decide on make sure that you shop around!

Charshel

Look into the Body Bug. I also don't know much about it, but it seems to calculate EVERYTHING!!! My friend uses it, it even tells her how much sleep she got!!! I thought I saw them for around $200, not sure. One downside, she just found out that she has 3 months free for it, then the program is $10/month. I guess the monitoring program is a subscribed computer program.

ErrataCorrige

I have the Polar FT7. I love it! It does not have a pedometer function. It does have a chest strap. In the research i did before purchasing, most of what I read said that the "watch only" kind are not nearly as acccurate. The chest strap is really very comfortable and I never have issues with it, even during my most strenuous workouts.

jellyfishjen

I have the Polar FT7. Chest strap is comfortable to wear so no problems. Does not have pedometer facility with it so when out walking I just wear my pedometer as well.

After 6 months of should I get one or not, am so happy i got a HRM. My best motivator and its honest with me and truely tells me how hard I have worked or not.

mmk137

I just ordered my polar ft4, it gets here on monday, it's to replace the crap hrm i have. It's the one that you touch with a finger. Don't bother with one like that, the read outs are extremely inaccurate.
so you are better to get something with a chest strap.

Have you had a look at the nike+ stuff?

tmorse7

My first HRM was a Polar FT4 and I liked it a lot. It is very accurate in tracking heart rate, calories burned and time exercised. The chest strap model is definetly the way to go if you chose a Polar. However, I decided that the Polar did not track what I wanted, which was my continuous calorie burn. I wanted something I could wear all the time and would keep track of all the calorie burn and steps, etc. So I went the BodyBug route and I love it! It does track everything - I can easily download it to my computer and get an instant readout of exactly how many calories I have burned so far, how many steps I've taken, everything. And the program is easy to use as far as inputting what you have eaten so you can always keep track of where you are. While I believe both are valuable tools, for me the BodyBug had exactly what I wanted.! Good luck!
Terri

shaj316

I really like my Polar FT7 but it doesn't do the pedometer thing. If you have a smartphone though, you can get apps for that. As for the chest strap, I used to have and old HRM many moons ago and the strap was very uncomfortable. I was pleasantly surprised by the one that came with the FT7...I think its very comfortable.

boku70

Starting with the disclaimer that I'm not a medical professional--I only have my experience (and results) to speak from.

I have the Polar FT60, which is a watch/strap set combination. I only use it at the gym.

I also have two Garmin units with heart straps, which I use when out cycling. (One of them lives with the bike I keep in my office.)

Finally, I have a "Calorism" pedometer/activity monitor from Tanita. It's Japanese, but I think you can order one overseas.

My HRM-related comments apply to all three: They're accurate and serve two important purposes: 1) They will help you get a more accurate (i.e., objective) picture of how hard you're really working. Perceived exertion is of limited value. 2) (following from 1) ) They will help you know if you're overdoing it. (Or, if you've room to work a bit harder.)

I've never heard anything good about strapless units. My own limited experience is that they're more-or-less garbage.

The Calorism monitor is designed to be clipped to you all day, but not when you're asleep. You start off by entering your weight, age, gender, and (if you know it) body-fat percentage. From that, it calcuates your BMR, and keeps track of your burn over the course of a day by keeping a running total of your movements along three axes. It also displays a graph, showing hour-by-hour what your burn pattern has been over the course of the day. (Do you really need a device to tell you how long you slept? Well, if you do, just look at the part of the Calorism graph that are a long flat line. :-) )

From what I understand, this is more-or-less what Body Bugg does. Calorism, though, is like $40 at current exchange rates. Body Bugg, by comparison, costs a bloody fortune. (Again, from what I understand, you have to pay extra just for an LCD display!)

Finally, on a separate but related note: You might be interested in a scale that tracks body composition, as well. Omron is probably the leading manufacturer of these. (I have the Tanita product, too, but the Omron has more body-contact points.)

With all these gadgets, I probably sound like a total ****ing geek. I am. :-) But a heavily data-driven approach has dramatically transformed my weight and physical conditioning in a scant eight months. (Recognizing, of course, that different approaches work for different people. ;-) )

Good luck to you. Hope this helps!!

b

akjmart2002

I have to jump on board with the Polar FT7 recommendations. I've owned two HRM previously (considerably cheaper), but this one works extremely well.

MikeInAZ

I have a Polar FT7 too. I feel it's pretty accurate. I paid about $100. The chest strap is comfortable enough. I think if you want to save a few $$ then the FT4 is a good choice, there's not much difference between them.

Polar has a new option which is BlueTooth, so it will send to your phone (with the right apps). It's a little less expensive. My theory on it is that I like to be able to glance at my watch and see my stats. If I'm out jogging, riding, whatever, I'm not going to stop and pull out my phone to look at it.

I like the Body Bug. My buddy has one and he really likes it. However, it measures activity based on movement, not heart rate. The only way I know of to measure calories burned is with age, weight, height, sex, and heart rate. I read a post here today where someone was complaining that the Body Bug didn't calculate properly when they do weight lifting. That their HRM showed more calories burned. I buy that 100% since you might not be moving too much in a bench press. I'm working on building my heart strength up, so knowing my HR is critical for me and the Body Bug doesn't tell you your HR.

Also, the Body Bug requires you to buy a website membership to even see the stats. So after your initial period you will have to shell out more money. This is why I chose the HRM instead, I just care about it when I workout. the rest of the time, it's a non-issue.

I had 2 Timex watches in the past, both DID NOT take a licking and stopped ticking. So I would steer away from that.

I know Garmin has a really nice GPS/HRM combo. I've seen their reports it gives and it's really nice. I don't know how much it costs, but it's probably not more than $200 or so!

Hope that helps!

boku70

I agree totally with MikeInAZ's comment about really only caring about HR when you're working out. Unless you're out there digging ditches or something the rest of the day, it's pretty much a non-issue.

I paid something like $150 for the Garmin Forerunner 305 wrist GPS/HR strap combination last January. It's a fairly old product (but a classic and popular, which is why it's still available), so it may not have come down in price since then.

MikeInAZ's comments about Body Bugg convince me all the more that Calorism is the way to go (at least if there's an English version--the buttons and display on mine are in Japanese). I thought maybe BB at least did HR, but if not, I kind of don't see the point to paying all that money...