Polar, Fitbit, or Ironman???

morninglilli

Which HRM would you all recommend? It seems like the Ironman has the best reviews online, and I can get one at a good price, but I keep seeing the fitbit, and Polar ft1's and 7's come up.
I do like that the Fitbit has a sleep monitor on it. But I really just want to get something I can rely on for workouts.


What do you think?

neonemesis

from what i hear from most users the polar FT4 is one of the best choices. i plan on getting one myself

VoodooLuLu

i have no idea i dont have the money for any of them but let me know which one you get and how it works!

OccupyFitness

Is the Fitbit a hrm? I thought it was just a pedometer.

morninglilli

And for the Polar users did you have to buy a separate program to calibrate it with your computer?

I believe the Ironman comes with usable program. Any info on that would be great also!

Thanks

morninglilli

Is the Fitbit a hrm? I thought it was just a pedometer.

It collects and displays calorie burns so I am assuming it is pulling those numbers from a HRM.

barbiecat

polar ft7

sundaykl

Nope, the FitBit is not a heart rate monitor...just a 3-axis accelerometer so a pedometer + elevation change (aka stairs climbed).

Rachspo

I just order the mymio motiva ... and mine is coming with a pedometer, the deal for that isn't working anymore...
but this is the watch:
http://www.mioglobal.com/collections/all/products/mio-motiva-petite-pink

The fitbit is sooooo temping! I'm starting to believe it is less accurate for calories overall unless you are a runner because it is a pedometer. It can track your movements 3D but so can most pedometers. I want to track calories for my diary and I don't think the fitbit is going to work for me (zumba, elliptical, etc). I need something to measure my heart rate during activities where I don't step.

I might splurge on the fitbit some day because it looks like so much fun. Basically if you buy a fitbit get a heart monitor as well because I think you're going to need both.

jelezzierose

I bought a Polar FT4 a week ago and it is briliiant! Perfect for watching my calorie burn and pushes me harder and harder to keep my heart rate up and power through my workouts. Dunno how i ever lived without it!

kr3851

The Fitbit is a pedometer, that is designed to be worn all day. it doesn't get your HR at all, it just assumes your HR from the intensity of the stepping, and calculates a burn from there. It's very useful to increase your incidental exercise as it's worn all day and challenges you to increase steps, distance covered, and floors climbed each day. It also gives you an active score each day which is higher if you exercise more during the day than just you one workout (take stairs instead of elevator, park further away at the shops so you have to walk, or walk faster)

A HRM is to be worn only during workouts and measures your HR to calculate calorie burn. It's not effective at all if worn all day.

I have both, and use my Fitbit all day, then wear my HRM during a workout to get a more accurate calorie burn. The combo is pretty good, but it depends what you want your device for... My Fitbit is good because I am wayyy more sedentary than I thought, so it encourages me to be more active throughout the day at my desk job. My HRM (Polar ft7) encourages me to push harder in my workouts.

morninglilli

Nope, the FitBit is not a heart rate monitor...just a 3-axis accelerometer so a pedometer + elevation change (aka stairs climbed).

\

Ah I see, sorry about that. Thanks for the clear up....



I guess I should preface all of this with what I need.
I want something to track my calorie burns, Fat burn/ aerobic, Pedometer would be nice (but not necessary), and I would like something that came with compatible software, or at least a way to track and program on my computer.

morninglilli

The Fitbit is a pedometer, that is designed to be worn all day. it doesn't get your HR at all, it just assumes your HR from the intensity of the stepping, and calculates a burn from there. It's very useful to increase your incidental exercise as it's worn all day and challenges you to increase steps, distance covered, and floors climbed each day. It also gives you an active score each day which is higher if you exercise more during the day than just you one workout (take stairs instead of elevator, park further away at the shops so you have to walk, or walk faster)

A HRM is to be worn only during workouts and measures your HR to calculate calorie burn. It's not effective at all if worn all day.

I have both, and use my Fitbit all day, then wear my HRM during a workout to get a more accurate calorie burn. The combo is pretty good, but it depends what you want your device for... My Fitbit is good because I am wayyy more sedentary than I thought, so it encourages me to be more active throughout the day at my desk job. My HRM (Polar ft7) encourages me to push harder in my workouts.

So you feel like your Fitbit isnt as accurate when working out? I like all of the other qualities of the fitbit, like all day wear, and that it has a sleep tracker, but do you think it would work well enough at least for my cardio work outs at the gym? Say if I was using a stationary bike, or elliptical?

builtforlife

Polar. Polar will sync with most Precor cardio machines.

itgeekwoman

i find the fitbit to be quite accurate at the gym. I work out and start the timer. When I"m done I stop the timer. That signifies to the fitbit that it was a workout window and puts that into a physical activity log. It tracks everything. I've even used it at work to show the guys how many times I was woken up and had to respond to calls when I was on call.

It's great to get an idea of your sleep patterns and your activity patterns. I love it. I don't so much let it rule my activity anymore, but I do check to see that I"m on track for my days goals. It can be addictive.

dad106

Get the Polar FT7 and the optional flow link to download the data to your computer.

Whatever you do, do not get the Ironman if you want calories burned.. TImex's are very inflated when it comes to calories burned.

morninglilli

Okay, thank you all so much! I think the Polar Ft7 is going to be my winner!
I'll let you know how I like it once it comes!

Thanks again!

LatinaGordita

another vote for the polar ft7. I love it! I got mine on bodytronics for like $73 (that was with shipping).

missdimpley

does it give you accurate calories to eat? and does that help you lose wiehgt? I have polar ft7 and is thinking about getting fitbit. I work at deskjob too lol

morninglilli

another vote for the polar ft7. I love it! I got mine on bodytronics for like $73 (that was with shipping).

OH MY GOSH!!!!! Thank you for the tip! They have them at a great price!!!!! Thank you a million times over!!!!