Heart rate monitor questions?

horseplaypen

Hey guys! I'm thinking about getting a heart rate monitor to get a better idea of how many calories I'm burning at the gym, since about half of it is strength movements and this site doesn't seem to keep track of calories burnt from that!

I'm wondering if there are any models WITHOUT the watch, or if you have to have the watch on for it to work? Could I just leave it nearby? I never wear a watch because I find things around my wrists really irritating, plus I think it'll impede certain movements I do at the gym.

Thanks!

cjransom

Bump - I also have the same quesiton

dlegros

The watch is the receiver for the system so it needs to be close. My Polar is OK if the watch is in my pocket, but it doesn't like being much further away.

An alternative is to use a logger instead of the watch part - http://www.oregonscientificstore.com/product.asp?itmky=34650

Alternatively, if you have an iPhone4, 4S or 5 (or presumably an Android phone with Bluetooth 4) then Polar make a BT transmitter (the H7) which is compatible with a few apps.

HTH

horseplaypen

Thanks, that logger actually looks very helpful!

I actually don't think I'm going to get an HRM after all... after doing more reading about it, it seems like they are not the most useful for stuff like cross-fit, since you do a fair amount of strength work where your heart might not be beating as quickly but is still pumping pretty hard. I know my exercise calories won't be super accurate, but with the HRM I don't know how accurate they would be anyway. But, if I reconsider, I will definitely look at that logger... I wonder if it works with a Mac?

cjransom - fyi - I found a few old threads from people with similar issues who had good suggestions like putting the watch around your water bottle and trying to keep that nearby (someone said some models work up to 6 ft away) - this may be more or less feasible depending on the activity you are doing. Or finding a watch with removable straps and keeping it in a pocket or tying it to your shoe laces. I couldn't find any models with removable straps, but I didn't look for as long as I could have.