Heart Rate Monitors? - Please tell me all I need to know!

AstyPasty

Before joining MFP I had no knowledge of HRMs now I hear about them all over the place!

Could you tell me what I need to know about them please and if it's worthwhile buying one.

What do they actually do and why are they so good? Do they tell you calories burnt when you're doing an activity?

Do they all have a watch and band that goes around your body witha monitor over your heart and (sorry guys!) how does this work with ladies that have a larger bust?!!

Lastly, (I'm in the UK by the way) I don't have much money to spend so, if you feel it's a worthwhile purchase, which HRM would you recommend that won't break the bank?!

Many thanks for any replies! :flowerforyou:

MTBrob

I'll try to answer your questions in line..


You can get heart rate monitors that show calories burned your heart rate ( duh ) and a whole slew of features.. Just depends on what you want to spend.

Most cases they are a band and a watch but you can get a band only that has blue tooth and can sync with your smart phone or Ipod touch.

Being a male I can't really relate to the whole large bust issue.. But just hike those puppies up and let them fall over the strap.. May be a little weird feeling but just go with it and when you are more focused on your work out you will probably forget its there..



Deciding on getting a heart rate monitor is going tobe up to you if you want to do it or not... A heart rate monitor will give you a very good estimate on how many calories you burned based on your heart rate.. Its all a simple math formula that the you could do your self on paper by taking your plus etc etc..

The main feature for a HRM is for monitoring your HR and keeping it in a optimal zone while exercising.. obviously having a HRM to quickly give you feed back on where your HR is while jogging doing other types of cardio etc is better than having to stop in the middle and try to take your pulse and so on..

They are not a magic tool but they are a useful tool. Up to you to decide if you need one or not.

RhonndaJ

But just hike those puppies up and let them fall over the strap..

Bumping for interests sake, but that like gave me my morning chuckle.

crimsoncat

Bump as I'm also in the market

_Elemenopee_

Most of what he ^^ said is right on the money. I've used my husband’s HRM and it fits perfectly under the bottom strap of my bra. It's the same placement for men or women so no worries there. It should be snug but not binding. I just ordered one from amazon.com. I asked all my VERY helpful MFP buddies and the clear winner was the Polar Fit FT7. I got the women's red watch for under $75, which was the max I wanted to spend. I should get it tomorrow and I'm SO excited to have one of my own!

neverstray

If you don't have much money to spend, save it.

Everyone thinks they are the holy grail, they aren't. They monitor your heart rate. That is all. If you find that info useful, then great. If you are looking for a calorie burn, MFP is fine. HRMs can be way off on their estimates for calorie burn. They actually have no idea how many calories you burn, they only know your heart rate. they use algorithms to guess your cals.

I have tested my HRM against MFP estimates, and I think it's. Waste of money. The important thing is consistency, not accuracy. So, always use the same method for you estimated calorie burn.

emmie0622

I tried 3 different heart rate monitors and did not like any of them including the prized Polar and was a waste of money as they are not returnable. I am investing in a FitBit. Having done weight watchers and trying the ActiveLink I found that wearing it all the time motivated me to move more and work out harder. Plus the FitBit syncs to MFP

clumsygermangurl

I use mine daily, and I put the HRM right underneath the bust and put my sports bra over it and call it a day.

I bought this one, and it was only 22 Dollars.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006QP069S/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00

It is basic but it does its job and it is very easy to find your calories burned and everything!

Good Luck!

marieautumn

i would definitely recommend one. I have the Polar FT4 and ever since buying it my work outs have been MUCH more frequent because I have actual data to back up my work out. Now if I’m feeling tired I can look at my HRM watch and decide if I’m just bored or being lazy if my HR is low and my cals are still low. My average calories burned now is 500 (based on working out 5 days a week), lowest I’ve burned since buying the HRM is 300, at least one day a week I push myself to 700 – 1000 calories.

rseuell

I love my heart rate monitor. I bought the Garmin FR60 and love it. I'm sure there are many features that I don't use, just because I haven't taken the time to mess with it. About the big bust thing......I was worried about that as well, but once you put the strap on and put a sports bra over it, you won't even realize you have it on. Hope this helps!

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

Mine is a Timex, it has a strap and a watch and it was about thirty five quid. It measures my average heart rate, my peak heart rate and my calories burned. The calorie burn estimate is a little high, but I use the heart rates to work out my calories burned according to the formula on livestrong. I do recommend them because I can calculate my calories more accurately, and see how many calories I burn with new exercise. The strap sits around your ribcage, no need to lift anything up or push anything out of the way lol :-)

Lina4Lina

HRM are a tool and a useful tool for many. The ones with the chest straps are the most accurate and are better than relying on some online calculator. Are they needed? No. Are they useful? For many people. If you find yourself laxing in a workout, you can pick it up. You can estimate calories and monitor your progress over time (many HRMs have ways to upload the data online).

It isn't a necessity but many people like them.

mcrowe1016

I like numbers and knowing exactly what my heart is doing during a workout, so I love having a HRM on during every work out.

The main thing you should know is that heart rate does not determine calories burned for strength training, so do not rely on a HRM for that.

cominupmilhouse

If you don't have much money to spend, save it.

Everyone thinks they are the holy grail, they aren't. They monitor your heart rate. That is all. If you find that info useful, then great. If you are looking for a calorie burn, MFP is fine. HRMs can be way off on their estimates for calorie burn. They actually have no idea how many calories you burn, they only know your heart rate. they use algorithms to guess your cals.

I have tested my HRM against MFP estimates, and I think it's. Waste of money. The important thing is consistency, not accuracy. So, always use the same method for you estimated calorie burn.

There is a different aspect to hrms than just this!!!

I actually find mine is an AWESOME motivation tool! (and during some activities yrs, MFP can be way off in estimates). I bought a timex HRM at first which turned out to be a waste of money. It doesn't take into account your age or weight so the calorie estimate is usually wrong. Then I tried the polar ft4 an it's WAY simpler, and cheaper.

It really motivates me to make my workout worthwhile when I'm wearing that chest strap (and your bust size doesn't matter, it fits under the bustline). You can check your calories burned AS your working out, which I find often pushes me to workout longer, an you can check your heart rate and heart rate zone as well which usually makes me go a bit harder.

I think it really gives me a much better workout than I otherwise would get, plus I feel good knowing the accurate amount of cals burned. For me, it was definitely worth it!

You can get the ft4 on amazon.com, most ppl on MFP re co end it and Ive never seen a bad review.

Hope this helps!

sterphy

I love my HRM, especially on my days where I go over my calories, because it helps me bust my butt to exercise them off. I have the pink polar f4, I like that it tracks my time, target heart rate and cals burned. It's very simple to use and has really helped motivate me to exercise every night.

AZKristi

I like my HRM because it tracks calories and doesn't let me cheat myself out of a good workout. When I first started working out, just spinning for an hour without worrying too much about cadence or resistance was a great workout for me. As my fitness level and endurance capabilities improved, I found that I really had to push myself to get the same cardiovascular workout that I initially got just by showing up and getting on the bike. My HRM lets me know when I need to push harder to elevate my heart rate at the end of an interval and it lets me know if I'm taking too much recovery time before I begin the next interval. Its a great training tool for me and really pushes me to get the most from my workouts.

Paul_Hodge

Ok, here goes.

I use a Polar FT 4. It has a very comfortable strap that is machine washable and stays flat to my skin while working out. It also interacts with the dashboard on the clubs treadmills and eliptical machines. It counts calories and has the ability to let me pause the counting if I need to take a break for the restroom or something. Also, the strap and the watch have user replaceable batteries. I paid around $59 (90 euros??) for it and I absolutely love it. I would highly recommend the Polar brand as I have tried others (Timex and off-brands) and they have all died on me rather quickly.

Do you need one? Well, I suppose that is up to you. I look at it this way: everyone is different and everyone works out differently. If I took someone who is the exact same height/weight as myself and we both did 30 minutes of training on the eliptical machine at the same level, we would both burn different amounts of calories. Why? Because I may be doing it more intensely than he is. Or less. This can and will vary the calories burned. If you accept the fact that this is all about calories in < calories out, I want to know exactly how many calories I have burned.

Short answer, at least in my view, get a good one that tells you calories burned. You won't regret it. I recommend the Polar FT 4. Simple and easy to use and not a budget buster. Check www.amazon.com. I found one there for $59, free shipping.

ladyluch99

From what I have learned, there is nothing that 100% accurately measures calorie burn. However, I have both the Fitbit and the Polar FT7 and I have found that their calorie estimates are pretty much right on the money when I do workouts such as Zumba and Kickboxing, etc. MFP calorie estimates tend to be much higher than what the HRM and Fitbit give me. I would rather be underestimating caloric burn than overestimating. Just my opinion!

AstyPasty

Oh my, so many replies and so much great information - thank you so much!

Good to know that my ample 'puppies' won't get in the way, in my head the chest strap was some huge contraption but now I know it fits under a sports bra I feel happier!!

I'll have a look see at the various recommendations that have been given and seems to me that should I decide to buy a HRM I'm better off spending a little bit more than some of the real cheapie ones I've seen.

Many thanks all - much appreciated guys :flowerforyou:

taco_tap

ZONES anyone?!?! thats the confusing part for me.

I have a HRM. I think its more motivational to have than to not. I always try and burn more calories the next time around. I thought it was beneficial. I have the Garmin FR60. It came with a foot pod that can go inside my nike shoe and a chest strap. I got it for about 100 bucks on amazon. Im in the US...

Zones are still confusing though. Never know if zone three is more beneficial than zone four. Be cool to know that if anyone cares to answer..

geordiegirl27

I have a HRM, when I took up running 6 years ago my pal recommended I get one, to ensure I wasnt overtraining.

I was poorly at the time, waiting for an operation, I plodded with my training (I was training for my 1st ever half marathon) and I religiously wore my HRM and monitored what I was doing - some days I felt I could walk faster but kept with it.

I had an anaphylactic reaction to the anaesthetic when I eventually went in for my op, I was in a bad way & my mum said to the doctors that she'd tried to stop me running but I wouldnt listen. The response was had I not been so fit & my heart so strong I wouldnt have made it.

Left to my own devices I know I would have pushed myself harder I have my friend to thank for making my heart so strong.

Yes they give you your acurate calorie burn but its more than that, you will grow stronger properly and you will know when you can push a bit harder and when you cant. I think its invaluable.

There is a book called Heart Rate Training for the Complete Idiot - a bit cumbersome but explains it all in there.

good luck