Heart Rate Monitor Questions

niightwind
niightwind Posts: 81
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there. I'm considering getting a HRM and I have some questions...

1. How exactly do they work?
2. What is the approximate price? Is pricier better?
3. If you use one, which brand/kind do you use?
4. Has anyone heard of the BodyMedia FIT Advantage Armband Weight Management System? Anyone used it? Does it work well?

Thanks in advance. :smile:

Replies

  • niightwind
    niightwind Posts: 81
    Bump
  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
    I don't have a lot of knowledge on this subject, but I am also in the market for a HRM and I have heard really good things about Polar (which range but are around $60-$80) and FitBit, which is a heart rate monitor, pedometer and sleep tracker and I believe it syncs automatically to MFP. Those are $100. That's what I really want, but I'm still learning more.
    Hopefully that helped!
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    I got a Timex HRM off Amazon for about $50. Make sure you get one with a chest strap, since it's more accurate.

    Run through the set-up first. It will have you input your height, weight, and age. Then it asks you which "zone" you want to be in. (The instruction book will have them listed.) You can choose anything from "maintenance" to "fat burning" to "training for superathlete status".

    When you start exercising, you'll start your "split". When you stop, the HRM will track how long you exercised, how long you stayed in the optimal heart rate range, and how many calories you burned. If you go below your optimal range during a workout, it will beep at you (you can turn this off).

    For example, I am 341 pounds. When I do 41 minutes of Turbo Jam, I burn about 1037 calories. My friend, who is 134 pounds, burns half that much. That's why it is so important to use a HRM instead of the calorie count on MFP or a machine at the gym. The HRM is going to give you a more accurate number and keep you honest. (If you slack off during a workout, MFP has no way of knowing that when you log your exercise, but the HRM does.)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Hi there. I'm considering getting a HRM and I have some questions...

    1. How exactly do they work?
    2. What is the approximate price? Is pricier better?
    3. If you use one, which brand/kind do you use?
    4. Has anyone heard of the BodyMedia FIT Advantage Armband Weight Management System? Anyone used it? Does it work well?

    Thanks in advance. :smile:

    Would really suggest you use the Search button and discover all the great things already written about this often asked question.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
    Hi there. I'm considering getting a HRM and I have some questions...

    1. How exactly do they work?
    2. What is the approximate price? Is pricier better?
    3. If you use one, which brand/kind do you use?
    4. Has anyone heard of the BodyMedia FIT Advantage Armband Weight Management System? Anyone used it? Does it work well?

    Thanks in advance. :smile:


    I have an RS300X by Polar.
    1. It has a chest strap, which is quite comfortable, with a clip-on wireless transmitter that communicated your heart rate with the watch piece. Some varieties will use an inputted Vo2 value to determine approximate calories burned.
    2. Mine was $110, so I asked my family to contribute amazon gift cards for my birthday. 20 here, 40 there, and we only had to do the last bit out of our pocket."
    3. I use a RS300X by Polar, and absolutely adore it. It brought back my love of running, and got me off of the treadmill onto track running.
    4. Lots of people use BodyMedia, and I considering it, but in the end decided the polar was for me. It gives me real-time readouts, which appeals to my impatient side.
  • schpanks
    schpanks Posts: 468 Member
    I have a sigma sport with the chest strap. I only wanted something to accurately monitor my calorie burn during my workout, so it suits my purposes exactly. I've had mine for a year and a half and had to change the batteries once. I got mine from Amazon for around $60.
  • jaxxie
    jaxxie Posts: 576 Member
    Hi!

    I have the Polar FT4 and a Fitbit. Just to Clarify........THE FITBIT IS NOT AN HRM. I use them both and love them, FB does sync to MFP which really helps keep me on track.

    Good Luck!
  • thekacers
    thekacers Posts: 68
    Actually, Fit Bit's website doesn't state that it tracks heart rate. When I was in the market, that was the deal breaker for me. I decided to buy the Polar FT 4 and I love it!

    I don't have a lot of knowledge on this subject, but I am also in the market for a HRM and I have heard really good things about Polar (which range but are around $60-$80) and FitBit, which is a heart rate monitor, pedometer and sleep tracker and I believe it syncs automatically to MFP. Those are $100. That's what I really want, but I'm still learning more.
    Hopefully that helped!
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    I use a Garemin Forerunner 110 and love it. I think I paid around $225 for it online.
  • mrsminter
    mrsminter Posts: 2
    I use the Garmin Forerunner 110 as well and I never run without it.
  • johnhowson
    johnhowson Posts: 73 Member
    Currently I am using a Wahoo monitor which works with the iPhone - it is very good an I am pleased with it.
    Previously I used a Garmain Forerunner - very good product but more expensive. The Garmain is still the best as it has excellent GPS too. Depends on what you want it for. They work through two electrodes on a chest strap and they contain a chip which detects the electrical activity of the heart like an EKG. So long as the electrodes are moist it is pretty accurate.
  • spearfox
    spearfox Posts: 276 Member
    Interesting reading concerning HRM's
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21178923
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UponThisRock/view/much-ado-about-heart-rate-263994
  • Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington
    Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington Posts: 51
    It really all boils down to the features that u want to use it for. Being n the industry for a while, using many different kinds and brand, and selling all kinds, I would say that Polar products are the leading competitor. If u r someone that is going to use it for years and going to run races or triathlons, then go with a Garmin. However, my new favorite, the most cost effective and user friendly to come to the market is a Digifit component. Rt now it's best if u have a iPhone or iPad in order to utilize the component however that is changing soon. The only downfall to this component is u will run into little glitches here and there when they update their software but overall, it's my favorite!

Categories