heart rate monitors

SandyQ229
SandyQ229 Posts: 153 Member
edited November 10 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone. I am thinking i need to get a heart rate monitor. what does everyone have or want?? just wondering what is the best one to get..

Replies

  • coyoteo
    coyoteo Posts: 532 Member
    I have the polar ft4 and got it for a great price at www.bodytronics.com. It works great and is very easy to program and use! :)
  • xXKatrinaXx
    xXKatrinaXx Posts: 234
    I have the polar ft4 and got it for a great price at www.bodytronics.com. It works great and is very easy to program and use! :)

    yep me too! just got mine and love it
  • twiztedgrl69
    twiztedgrl69 Posts: 191 Member
    have the f4 also...love it!
  • Front_Runner
    Front_Runner Posts: 175
    I also have the Polar FT4! I found mine at a used gear sale at R.E.I.. They have a very generous return policy, and resell gear once quarter or so... anyway, I found it there. The person who returned it said it wasn't working... but I tried it and it works great! Been using it for 2 weeks, and I love it. Easy to navigate (I didn't have instructions, and I figured it out), comfortable to wear, and captures accurate HR. Also figures calories burned, based on HR, height, age, weight. I like it!
  • chelseaalicia
    chelseaalicia Posts: 164 Member
    I got a Suunto m4 about a week ago... love it! You enter height and weight and and change weight easily as you progress. It gives you a goal each workout for a target heart rate based on your minimum and max, for example: "45 minutes hard, heart rate 135-150". It logs your progress so you can track it over 1-4 weeks. Very easy to use in general and has a lock mode so you can't mess with it by accident while working out.

    Chest strap is very comfortable as well, I forget I'm wearing it... watch itself is stylish too!
  • brentsblog
    brentsblog Posts: 60 Member
    I will add my my opinion

    I feel it was the best thing I did getting a heart rate monitor I purchased a Garmin FR60 with footprod.

    I chose this over the Polar due to how easy it was to upload data to my PC and view graphs and information during my workout here is an example:
    Just view the attachments in this post :
    heartrate2.jpg
    heartrate1.jpg
    10km.jpg


    (Not sure if I can imbed images to posts?)

    I found the heart rate monitor made me work harder when I thought I was working hard in the gym and my heart rate was up round 170 but once I got the heart rate monitor i realised it was only around 155 so I knew I could go harder without any danger to my body.

    You need to ask yourself why you want a heart monitor? I can monitor all my runs and distance and workouts with it plus its good to know how hard you are actually working because even thou you might be swetting like a pig at the gym and feel like your working hard doesn't mean you always are.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Some good threads out there by just using the Search function.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/496098-heart-rate-monitor-advice?hl=heart+rate+monitor#posts-6894272

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/496047-heart-rate-monitor?hl=heart+rate+monitor#posts-6893419

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/495872-best-heart-rate-monitors?hl=heart+rate+monitor#posts-6891038

    Just a few of the many.
  • TLCLuvNLife
    TLCLuvNLife Posts: 17
    Is anyone out there using the FitBit? I'm going to be getting one. I have fibromyalgia, so I really like the sleep functions that it offers. Of course it also works as a heart rate monitor, a pedometer and a calorie counter for work outs. I've researched it quite a bit and I think this is definitely what I want for my tracking needs.

    If anyone else is using it, I would really love to hear how u like it.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Is anyone out there using the FitBit? I'm going to be getting one. I have fibromyalgia, so I really like the sleep functions that it offers. Of course it also works as a heart rate monitor, a pedometer and a calorie counter for work outs. I've researched it quite a bit and I think this is definitely what I want for my tracking needs.

    No confusion on that - it does NOT work as a HRM.

    If your exercise is mostly walking or slow jogging, the estimates will be very close, but anything more intense it will be more and more inaccurate, especially if you get away from swinging arm workouts.

    Both FitBit and BodyMedia/BodyBugg estimate your BMR, the foundation of all other calculations, from the same type of formula's as MFP uses.

    What they both give you as a MUCH more accurate estimate of daily non-exercise activity calories, much better than MFP or other sites selection of 1 of 4 or 5 activity levels.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I will add my my opinion

    I feel it was the best thing I did getting a heart rate monitor I purchased a Garmin FR60 with footprod.

    I chose this over the Polar due to how easy it was to upload data to my PC and view graphs and information during my workout
    I found the heart rate monitor made me work harder when I thought I was working hard in the gym and my heart rate was up round 170 but once I got the heart rate monitor i realised it was only around 155 so I knew I could go harder without any danger to my body.

    You need to ask yourself why you want a heart monitor? I can monitor all my runs and distance and workouts with it plus its good to know how hard you are actually working because even thou you might be swetting like a pig at the gym and feel like your working hard doesn't mean you always are.

    Since you are obviously a fellow data-geek, check out SportTracks, upload too, and make your own zones of everything, track equipment and your progress, analyze more than you'll ever use.
    Love it, donated before it was required payment. Stores data on computer like Garmin training center.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories