HRM? Chest strap or no chest strap?

mistyg07

Hi all,

For my birthday coming up I have wanted to get one of those Heart Rate Monitor watches. I am a very BIG girl and I really am worried about one with a chest strap. I know it gives a more accurate reading tho. I have been told it is the best one to use but I have been reading about the strapless ones that reads while you are working out.

I am curious if any of you have one of either one and how it helps you. Do you have a preference? Is there a site that I can go to to find out more about both and which is better. I want something that I dont necessarily have to stop to take my reading but I want to be comfortable with it. I want it to be acurate tho. Thats key. The Watch part I will work out.

Thanks all.

randrews0407

I have both, a New Balance HRT HRM (strapless) and a New Balance N4 (with strap). The strapless one has a touch sensor, so you put your pointer and thumb on the top/bottom of bezel for a reading. You have to stop to get a reading (even if only for a moment) and it calculates calories based on that reading. So if I touch the bezel and my HR is 147, it'll be calculating calories based on that reading until I touch again. I noticed because of that it can lead to miscalculation. If the workout is relatively constant strapless is fine but for doing HIIT the variance in heart rate can be significant - 170 one minute, then down to 130, then back up and you can't reasonably keep stopping to touch the bezel.

So if you plan on jogging or walking a strapless is fine, if you are doing Insanity / Boot Camp - HIIT then you are better with the strap.

Mokey41

Strap, the strapless are wildly inaccurate because you have to keep touching the sensor and hoping it's picking up your HR correctly.