Are Heart Rate Monitors worth it?

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Kelly_2013
Kelly_2013 Posts: 117 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been battling back and forth between getting a HRM. I'm trying to get everyones opinions if they are a good things to have or not or if it's just as good to stay within your calories and workout?

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  • shape_up4good
    shape_up4good Posts: 333
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    best thing I have purchased for my workouts. I really know how hard I am pushing myself.
  • HealthyWarrior
    HealthyWarrior Posts: 394 Member
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    I love my hrm. I love to look at the calories burned when I work out. Makes me smile.
  • Codefox
    Codefox Posts: 308 Member
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    Its hard to say if its worth it because it varies from person to person. They can give you a sense of how much effort you've put forth in a work out and some sense of caloric expenditure but you also should be careful. Even the very best HRMs only give rough calorie estimates if you've put all information in correctly. VO2 and max HR are numbers that most people don't know. Polar is pretty good if you have this information and can help you find it.

    The biggest benefit is if you're going to do HR training but most don't. I live having the numbers but just keep in mind that they're not precise at all.
  • mikee1216
    mikee1216 Posts: 24 Member
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    I had the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor and it works great, but I just couldn't use it. There's a band that goes over your chest and it felt awkward running with it. Felt like I was wearing a bra or something.

    Anyone have any suggestion for a watch type HRM? A pretty accurate one?
  • hatethegame
    hatethegame Posts: 267 Member
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    I have been battling back and forth between getting a HRM. I'm trying to get everyones opinions if they are a good things to have or not or if it's just as good to stay within your calories and workout?


    Assuming you get one that allows you to track calories burned, I say YES! At some point your goals may change. Say for example after you reach your initial goal and need to move to a maintenance mode or if you find you're not getting the results you want, you need to be able to make adjustments. Without data as to what you are eating and what you are burning that is more difficult. Checkout the Polar FT4. It's their basic model that tracks calories burned and costs about $70.
  • LittleMissNerdy
    LittleMissNerdy Posts: 792 Member
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    I love mine! I have a Polar. It's great to see how much I'm burning, esp. when running/hiking.
  • Kelly_2013
    Kelly_2013 Posts: 117 Member
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    Thank you all for your advice! I'll def look into the Polar FT4 right now :)
  • Codefox
    Codefox Posts: 308 Member
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    I had the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor and it works great, but I just couldn't use it. There's a band that goes over your chest and it felt awkward running with it. Felt like I was wearing a bra or something.

    Anyone have any suggestion for a watch type HRM? A pretty accurate one?

    A nice HRM might be more comfortable for you. Polar straps are hard to feel once you've got them on. The wrist ones don't work that well.
  • aswearingen22
    aswearingen22 Posts: 271 Member
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    I had a Polar for years and loved it! Once I became a distance runner, I switched to a Garmin (not only track heartrate, which I use for training, but also calories, distance, elevation, etc), but I just turn off the GPS when using it indoors. I know it's a rough estimate, but it's has to be more accurate than trying to estimate if my workout was "moderate effort" "hard effort", etc.
  • katmcq29
    katmcq29 Posts: 54 Member
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    My friend got me my HRM for christmas! its the best thing you can have when exercising!! i would have a very fast heart rate when i work out so it lets me know when to go slower. Plus fitness machines arent as accurate as a HRM and its a great way to record calories burned during your work out
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    I went from the Polar FT4 to the FT40 because the FT4 does not allow you to key in your own personal Max HR so the FT4 works out your calories on an average - which is ok for starters but not when you improve your own personal cardio fitness.
  • squashyhelen
    squashyhelen Posts: 143 Member
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    Polar FT4 is the best!! I'm a lot more motivated to do more exercises just because I can now track them. It sounds ridiculous, but otherwise you think you're getting tired for nothing. :D
  • haephestia
    haephestia Posts: 11 Member
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    I have both a Fitbit and an HRM; I use both and love both. They both have their own applications, so there's that.

    My HRM is a Mio classic that I got on sale from Amazon for $20 (down from almost $90, I think. Canadian Pricing FTFail). Anyway, I wore it and compared it with a chest-strap monitor I borrowed from a friend (can't remember the brand), and the HRM on the treadmill. The el cheapo little wrist one was bang on with the chest strap, so I use it exclusively to track my workouts now.
  • shape_up4good
    shape_up4good Posts: 333
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    I have both a Fitbit and an HRM; I use both and love both. They both have their own applications, so there's that.

    My HRM is a Mio classic that I got on sale from Amazon for $20 (down from almost $90, I think. Canadian Pricing FTFail). Anyway, I wore it and compared it with a chest-strap monitor I borrowed from a friend (can't remember the brand), and the HRM on the treadmill. The el cheapo little wrist one was bang on with the chest strap, so I use it exclusively to track my workouts now.

    How do you use them differently? I am not familiar with Fitbit.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    its a peak at emperical data. I really just use it to get a less subjective idea of how hard i am working at any given moment.

    I'm constantly questioning the accuracy of the BPM read out. And the calorie burn is most accurate for jogging or cycling or any sustained cardio where you don't stop much, not the kind of trianning i do.

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