GPS Heart Rate Monitors

smit5269

Hey y'all. I've been running for a little over two years now, and have always thought about getting a heart rate monitor. I'm looking at two models: Garmin Forerunner 410 HR and the Polar FT80 with a G1 GPS sensor.

Things that are important to me:
I live in Minnesota and spend a lot of time in the gym during the winter months, so I would love a HRM that syncs with the machines at the gym (Lifetime Fitness).
I also do weight training, in the gym and like that the Polar has rest between reps based on your HR.
I run outside all the time during the summer and really want one with gps to track my runs, splits, intervals, etc.

If you have either of these watches and can comment, good or bad, please let me know.

Thanks!

Spamee

Im in MN too...And in the market for a HRM so will be watching for replies

dad106

I hear that Garmin is good but you have to be careful which model you get... I don't think all calculate calories burned and if they do then they may be a bit off.

Polar FT80, I haven't heard much about it... I personally use the Polar FT60 which you can buy a GPS sensor for. I use it for weight training and while it doesn't tell me to rest, I know enough to take at least a minute rest between sets so I don't need that feature.

DestructoTheMad

I have a Garmin 405CX. I've used other HRMs, and the Garmin works better than any of them. Once I put the (suitably moistened) strap on, I have a completely reliable record of my heart rate during my workout, with no breaks in the connection if I'm not sweating enough, or have contorted my body into a weird position by, say, having an epic wipeout while skiing.

The GPS is also dead solid. Quick satellite acquisition, and the record of your route and speed is detailed and accurate to within a couple of metres. The Garmin Connect website provides a good record of your workouts, and is easy to use. Also, with Garmin products, you can upload your workouts directly to strava.com where you can motivate yourself by comparing your runs with all of your previous runs, and the runs of every other strava user in your area.

Regarding dad106's post, I would guess the calorie calculations are about as accurate as they can be for two reasons:

1: The Garmin records (or asks you to input) both your resting and max heart rate, and calculates your calorie burn based on that instead of using an averaging formula.

2: Garmin cycle computers are the default data collection for most professional cycling teams in the world (In fact, they are the major sponsor of one of the premier teams in the world). If there were problems with the data collected by Garmin HRMs, Garmin would hear about it, and presumably refine their algorithm.

Being able to sync with machines at the gym was not a feature I was interested in, so I can't comment about that other to say that I've used my Garmin to record gym workouts.