best HRM/fitness gadget

ALH1981

I realize that MFP is not good at estimating calories burned, and i want a good monitor of this - what is the best to get? I don't have an iPhone so cannot use that - would like something all round that calculates calories, heart rate, etc etc

HELP

kendf60

I got the Polar RS100 for Christmas and it has done everything that I needed.

rhce40

i just got the Timex T5J031 Unisex Digital Fitness Heart Rate Monitor Watch from amazon 2 days ago and i like it so far. turns out i had been way under estimating my calories burned. this one calculates calories burned and you can replace the batteries yourself ($55)

MHunte

Any half decent HRM will come with a chest strap, if it don't have a chect strap don't even waste your money. Timex and Polar are good brands, you just have to fine the one that fits in your budget and has the options you are looking for.

OSC_ESD

I bought a Polar F4 and absolutely LOVE it ! Check Amazon .... great prices !

rhce40

Any half decent HRM will come with a chest strap, if it don't have a chect strap don't even waste your money. Timex and Polar are good brands, you just have to fine the one that fits in your budget and has the options you are looking for.

agreed, you definitely need a chest strap

Elle_Jamaicangirl81

i have the Polar FT4... got it for about $60 on Amazon.. totally worth it

cerrajean

I got a Pyle Sports HRM from Amazon recently, it was $25.69 and free super saver shipping, (but thanks to some amazon gift cards I earned through Swagbucks I only paid 69 cents!) (If you want to know more about this, please message me, I don't want to violate and terms or conditions!)

It's certainly not sleek or fancy, but it has the chest strap which transmits my heart rate to the wrist watch (which is ugly, and HUGE and takes some getting used to) or as I learned yesterday it also transmits my heart rate directly to the workout machines - i.e. the elliptical I usually use.

It also has a calories burned function which was the whole reason i got it. So far I'm happy with it. It took a little longer to set than I thought it would, but once you figure it out, you're golden.

shadowsz

I recently bought a polar FT4..i finally figured out how to really use it to get the most benefits..it comes with a chest strap and it really really helps me to push myself harder because i can literally see the calories ticking over and how hard my heart is working..totally and utterly reccomend it

shovav91

I bought a Polar F4 and absolutely LOVE it ! Check Amazon .... great prices !

I love my FT4! I got it on super sale for about $65. Best investment ever!

MsFat2Fit

I've been happy with Suunto T1c; the chest strap is good.

jassyjan1

I have a Polar F4 and is wonderful

ckehoe89

I also have a polar F4 and love it. I've had it over 3 years now and never had to do anything or get anything replaced including the batteries. It has a chest strap that isn't to annoying and it is really durable, I even accidentally wore it in the shower once. I can't remember how much I paid for it but I'm know it was less than $80.

preacher_lady

I teach Group Exercise and I have a Polar FT40, but the FT4 or FT7 are also excellent depending on what features you are looking for. The personal trainers at my gym recommend Polar above all others. I have had a couple of other makes before this one and definitely prefer Polar hands down. You couldn't go wrong. I'm glad you got responses to your post because I asked the same thing when I was looking for a new HRM and didn't get one response. I ended up doing research on my own and asking personal trainers. Good luck in your choice.

2fit4fat

Loving my polar ft4 :-) I got it on sale for 50 bucks

ALH1981

thanks everyone - it appears that the polar FT4 is the most popular... what i want to know is how does it com[are to that new on,e the FITBIT - it looks really good, so small and measures sleep asweel?

dad106

thanks everyone - it appears that the polar FT4 is the most popular... what i want to know is how does it com[are to that new on,e the FITBIT - it looks really good, so small and measures sleep asweel?

Fitbit is a totally different ball park. It's not even an HRM.. what it does is measures your steps, and heart rate(I think!) and then measures calories burned off of that.

If you want an HRM though, go with Polar. I know people mentioned Timex, and they are crap. They way overestimate calories burned, and the cheaper ones tend to assume you are a male.

Saftlad

thanks everyone - it appears that the polar FT4 is the most popular... what i want to know is how does it com[are to that new on,e the FITBIT - it looks really good, so small and measures sleep asweel?

As with dad106 - the FitBit is a totally different piece of kit. Effectively it's a fancy pedometer that will sync with a base-station to track your steps taken (and floors climbed). It will guestimate calorie burn based on your height and weight, but that can be a long way off.

Equally, the calorie burn shown on the gym machines is well out too as it's based on generic information.

Best bet is to get a decent HRM, and as others have said, Polar is one of the best to get given their range and price-points. I have Suunto which is also a great bit of kit, but also comes with a substantial price-tag. Too much for someone who just needs to gauge calories.

The other benefit of Polar is that they will "talk" to a lot of gym equipment so you can see your actual heart-rate without having to hold onto the special handles (not recommended if you're running on the treadmill, it disrupts the bodies natural movement and can cause injury).

Best combo would be a cheap Polar to track actual calories burnt, and a FitBit to track the exercise periods, then correct the indicated calories with those shown on the HRM. You will need to setup the HRM correctly with your current height/weight/sex & age to have it correctly calculate the calories. It's also worth checking the setup every couple of weeks if your weight changes so that the correct data is being used.

I'm a Personal Trainer, and have a few of my members working with this combo. The HRM keeps them honest in the gym, and the FitBit motivates them the rest of the time.

andrejjorje

If you afford I strongly recommend Polar FT80. This is a real gadget and for a long time you're going to workout only to discover the great potential of it.

ayshamc

I am keen to get a HRM also and was wondering about the actual chest strap that you have to wear - Are they uncomfortable?

I have to admit that this is the one thing that turns me off getting one, is having to wear the strap!

Saftlad

I am keen to get a HRM also and was wondering about the actual chest strap that you have to wear - Are they uncomfortable?

I have to admit that this is the one thing that turns me off getting one, is having to wear the strap!

The most comfortable chest-straps are the material based ones (like the Polar WearLink), which have the monitor/transmitter in the centre of the chest. The all-plastic ones (e.g. Polar T31) can cut in quite uncomfortably.

vjrose

I am keen to get a HRM also and was wondering about the actual chest strap that you have to wear - Are they uncomfortable?

I have to admit that this is the one thing that turns me off getting one, is having to wear the strap!

I started with a wrist only one, wasn't real happy with interrupting workouts to make sure my calories were accurate. So I purchased the Timex Fitness with chestband and I was very pleasantly surprised, I don't even notice it. I do rowing, strength training (machine circult) and treadmill and it is so not a hindrance or annoyance even when I get sweaty. Lol.

The Timex also is compatible with most gym equipment that can do that, love it for maintaining my heart rate on the treadmill.

snakesandladders2

I got this one recently:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pulse-Sonic-K920D-Heart-Monitor/dp/B005560PU4/ref=sr_1_63?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1326634648&sr=1-63

I can't feel the chest strap at all because it's under my sports bra, and it works really well! So far I've used it on runs, cycles, weight training, aerobics...and it never slips or fails to connect.

I was half expecting it not to work because it was so cheap, but I am so happy with it! Tells you everything you need to know and calculates calories based on your personal data you tell it.

Good luck! Mine has definitely motivated me to move more. x

Edit: this one also communicates with gym machines - I noticed this yesterday and was really impressed!

ayshamc

and it is so not a hindrance or annoyance even when I get sweaty. Lol.

The most comfortable chest-straps are the material based ones (like the Polar WearLink), which have the monitor/transmitter in the centre of the chest. The all-plastic ones (e.g. Polar T31) can cut in quite uncomfortably.

This is exactly what I was wondering, I do sweat quite a bit, and was imagining it being quite uncomfortable under my top!

Thanks for your comments

ALH1981

thanks everyone - it appears that the polar FT4 is the most popular... what i want to know is how does it com[are to that new on,e the FITBIT - it looks really good, so small and measures sleep asweel?

As with dad106 - the FitBit is a totally different piece of kit. Effectively it's a fancy pedometer that will sync with a base-station to track your steps taken (and floors climbed). It will guestimate calorie burn based on your height and weight, but that can be a long way off.

Equally, the calorie burn shown on the gym machines is well out too as it's based on generic information.

Best bet is to get a decent HRM, and as others have said, Polar is one of the best to get given their range and price-points. I have Suunto which is also a great bit of kit, but also comes with a substantial price-tag. Too much for someone who just needs to gauge calories.

The other benefit of Polar is that they will "talk" to a lot of gym equipment so you can see your actual heart-rate without having to hold onto the special handles (not recommended if you're running on the treadmill, it disrupts the bodies natural movement and can cause injury).

Best combo would be a cheap Polar to track actual calories burnt, and a FitBit to track the exercise periods, then correct the indicated calories with those shown on the HRM. You will need to setup the HRM correctly with your current height/weight/sex & age to have it correctly calculate the calories. It's also worth checking the setup every couple of weeks if your weight changes so that the correct data is being used.

I'm a Personal Trainer, and have a few of my members working with this combo. The HRM keeps them honest in the gym, and the FitBit motivates them the rest of the time.

WOW I am a bit confused... What i'm looking for is an accurate measurement of calories burnt when I'm exercising. Ideally whatever gadget i buy would track my time as well.... i liked the idea that the fitbit measured sleep but if it does not track calories burnt when exercising then thats not what i'm after.... I don't want to wear the thing all day, just during excersisie..

As small as possible would be great.

Help again - what of all these things will meet my needs best...????

ALH1981

also, i just looked them up,.... there are hundreds of POLARS!!! what to get?

lacroyx

http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/products/product_finder

stubbysticks

Bodymedia Fit activity monitor. My favorite gadget by far. www.bodymedia.com

I wear it 24/7 apart from when I shower & it does all the work for me. All I have to do is be active, then in the morning I can connect it to my computer & it tells me the total calories I burned the previous day. It doesn't matter if I exercised, went shopping, slept, cleaned house, or sat on my butt all day, it tells me how much I burned doing it.

It is small & although they tell you to wear it on your arm, I wear mine on my leg & I hardly ever even notice it's there. Nor does anyone else since I rarely wear anything above the knee.

If you only care about what you burn through exercise, then go with a HRM. But if your non-exercise activity varies & you want to know what you burn, you can't beat the BMF. I've burned more calories in a day of running errands than I have on a workout day, & I never would have known that without this thing.

It's a little spendy, ~$180-$200 up front, then after 6 months or so there's a $6.95 monthly fee to continue accessing the data via their website, but in my opinion the data I get from it is more than worth $7 a month.

I've been wearing it for a year & a half & am considering upgrading to a newer version since I love it so much.

ALH1981

wow thanks everyone! i think i just need an HRM - is there one that connects into MFP like fitbit?

dad106

wow thanks everyone! i think i just need an HRM - is there one that connects into MFP like fitbit?

No, none of the HRM's connect into MFP. You need to enter their info manually.

It's really not that hard or that much of an inconvenience.

Some of the Polars(FT7 and up I believe) do upload to their website via the optional flow-link adapter.

Redladystl

Bodymedia Fit activity monitor. My favorite gadget by far. www.bodymedia.com

I wear it 24/7 apart from when I shower & it does all the work for me. All I have to do is be active, then in the morning I can connect it to my computer & it tells me the total calories I burned the previous day. It doesn't matter if I exercised, went shopping, slept, cleaned house, or sat on my butt all day, it tells me how much I burned doing it.

It is small & although they tell you to wear it on your arm, I wear mine on my leg & I hardly ever even notice it's there. Nor does anyone else since I rarely wear anything above the knee.

If you only care about what you burn through exercise, then go with a HRM. But if your non-exercise activity varies & you want to know what you burn, you can't beat the BMF. I've burned more calories in a day of running errands than I have on a workout day, & I never would have known that without this thing.

It's a little spendy, ~$180-$200 up front, then after 6 months or so there's a $6.95 monthly fee to continue accessing the data via their website, but in my opinion the data I get from it is more than worth $7 a month.

I've been wearing it for a year & a half & am considering upgrading to a newer version since I love it so much.

Thanks for posting this. I was hoping someone would mention the bodymedia. Its the one I want and I'm glad you gave a positive post about it.