Fitbit vs Polar hrm

amylouisem
amylouisem Posts: 38 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone have opinions on which is better?
I was looking into the Fitbit and I was impressed by what it could do, but then the other day someone mentioned a polarft7 hrm to me.
After reading reviews on the both of them I'm none the wiser over which one would be best.
With the Fitbit i would be using it on a daily basis and might try out the sleeping pattern feature too.
With the Polar watch I'd be using it just at the gym for a more accurate calorie burn during weight training and gym classes Itake part it in.
Or beg my fella for them both for Christmas! :-)
Any help or opinions anyone has would be great! Thanks in advance :-)

Replies

  • nabeelakram
    nabeelakram Posts: 10 Member
    No idea how good a fitbit is but can vouch for the polar HRM's.. I had at old F6 which has just been replaced by an RCX5 which I use for pretty much whatever exercise I do and in combination with the polar website allows me to keep track of what I'm doing over a period of time.

    Ideally if you are getting a HRM try to get one which fits your exercise profile as some offer more for cyclists\runners\general fitness etc.. and of course what fits your budget..

    There are also things like the Nike Fuel band but I really can't see how these can be accurate without actually taking into account your heart rate.. Its more just a very expensive pedometer.
  • Libby81
    Libby81 Posts: 734 Member
    a fitbit is basically a pedometer. If you're after a more accurate estimate of cals burned during exercise a HRM would be the better option. I have both, the fitbit to monitor general activity and the HRM for workouts
  • marinegirl92
    marinegirl92 Posts: 184 Member
    Thanks for posting... I'm struggling with this as well!

    I currenlty have one of those body media arm bands that I purchased at costco over 8 mos ago. It was nice to know on the first night that I slept through the night and didn't have sleep apnea however the arm band itself is what is a show stopper for me. I wear it during the day and off at night but after a week the thing just bugs the crap outta me.

    I agee with Libby81... it's nice to monitor general activity.. and walking 10,000 steps per day motivates me. So I may purchase the lower end fitbit to replace my broken pedometer.

    Today I just fished out my old polar HRM to quantify the caloric burn for when I am doing active exercise (weights/cardio) for entry into myfitness pal.

    Let me know what you end up doing!
  • marinegirl92
    marinegirl92 Posts: 184 Member
    The only concern I have with the fitbit is how to secure it to your clothes. Like most pedometers unless it has a "leash" sometimes these things fall off your skirt/pants ... often in the most unexpected places... like the dang toilet :( ... I'm still researching and not quite ready to pull the trigger!
  • Libby81
    Libby81 Posts: 734 Member
    my fitbit has never fallen off. I have the ultra. I also has a plastic cradle clip that it inserts on to so you don't over stretch the fitbit itself. I attach mine on the centre of my bra
  • Chrissiecurit
    Chrissiecurit Posts: 74 Member
    my fitbit has never fallen off. I have the ultra. I also has a plastic cradle clip that it inserts on to so you don't over stretch the fitbit itself. I attach mine on the centre of my bra

    ^^This is what I do too. I have the FitBit One and the clip is pretty tight when I wear it in the center of my bra.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    fitbit isn't a heart rate monitor and ft7 isn't a pedometer.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    It's like comparing apes with bananas. Fitbit is for daily activity and walking/running. HRM can be used for all types of exercise. Lots of people use both
  • bombedpop
    bombedpop Posts: 2,224 Member
    I use both and like. I even just upgraded my FB Ultra to the FB one - it is more than a glorified pedometer. I like the sleep track and have seen really good results on re-comping my body and muscle gains since I bought it since it gives me a better idea of my real cal burn daily. For me, I found I was not getting the muscle and definition I wanted because I was underestimating my cal burn daily and just not eating enough.

    I use the HRM for my workout logs, though I find FB is only off by about 100 cal, so it isn't necessary, I like to look at my cardio performance. Though and if you want more accuracy, both are good.

    My FB has never gotten lost, I clip to my bra, not on the center, but on on the cup, just below the strap.
  • amylouisem
    amylouisem Posts: 38 Member
    Thanks guys for all the help! Buying the polar ft4 tomorrow so will keep you update after Friday nights work out. :-)
    Can't wait! :-D
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
    Thanks for posting... I'm struggling with this as well!

    I currenlty have one of those body media arm bands that I purchased at costco over 8 mos ago. It was nice to know on the first night that I slept through the night and didn't have sleep apnea however the arm band itself is what is a show stopper for me. I wear it during the day and off at night but after a week the thing just bugs the crap outta me.

    I agee with Libby81... it's nice to monitor general activity.. and walking 10,000 steps per day motivates me. So I may purchase the lower end fitbit to replace my broken pedometer.

    Today I just fished out my old polar HRM to quantify the caloric burn for when I am doing active exercise (weights/cardio) for entry into myfitness pal.
    I have a Body media Fit. I really like it. I wear it on my leg. I just switch legs. Didn't really like it on my arm. It was making an indent on the arm.

    Let me know what you end up doing!
  • D3vAnge1
    D3vAnge1 Posts: 104 Member
    The only concern I have with the fitbit is how to secure it to your clothes. Like most pedometers unless it has a "leash" sometimes these things fall off your skirt/pants ... often in the most unexpected places... like the dang toilet :( ... I'm still researching and not quite ready to pull the trigger!

    The clip works like a champ. I've had mine for IDK a bit over 2 wks, maybe 3 now and haven't had any issues with it just falling off. OTH, I clip it to my bra more often than my waist/pockets (but haven't had a problem with that area either).

    I love the little thing :-) I do plan, however, to get a polar HRM in the mere future for training purposes. Planning to begin training for half marathons once I master the 5K ((May be reaching kinda high, but will see, LOL)).
  • Elia1107
    Elia1107 Posts: 1
    Hi there, and I bought the Fitbit....and it is an absolute unaccurate piece of &^%* for the money. Yes, I run on a treadmill and it was not even close to the distance recorded on the "Fitbit"....save your money and try out something else if your only need is accurate distance.
  • dnish53
    dnish53 Posts: 162 Member
    I have both the Fitbit Ultra and a Polar 300RX HRM. The Fitbit is easy to wear and keeps me motivated to walk stairs and just moving in general. The HRM I wear when I workout for a more accurate reading on how many calories I burn. I'd ask for both for Christmas if I were you or buy one yourself and ask for the other one. :)
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    Hi there, and I bought the Fitbit....and it is an absolute unaccurate piece of &^%* for the money. Yes, I run on a treadmill and it was not even close to the distance recorded on the "Fitbit"....save your money and try out something else if your only need is accurate distance.

    Have you set your stride step correctly. Step size on a treadmill is very different than that for walking and running outside.
  • JLS1890
    JLS1890 Posts: 5 Member
    I have both as well. The Fitbit has a clip and it has never fallen off during exercise or normal activities. I have the Polar FT60 HRM that I wear during workouts. It is not intended to wear all day long. I think that Polar does make one that does that though. You do have to wear a chest band too. Definitely not as convenient as the FitBit.
    Now for the real issue: calorie burn reporting. I feel the the Polar is far more accurate than the assumed results that the FitBit technology of tiny environmental sensors produce. For example, the Fitbit reports 215 calories for a fast walk/jog while the Polar reports 454 calories.
    I would love to hear if anyone has more info on the discrepancy.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Neither works for weight training.
    Fit Bit is a great little tool to evaluate total daily expenditure.
    The polar HRMs are great for cardio training and nderstanding the details of that type of effort.

    Weight training activity is poorly evaluated by either because neither evaluates actual effort. HR increases during WT not due to calorie burn.
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
    Neither works for weight training.
    Fit Bit is a great little tool to evaluate total daily expenditure.
    The polar HRMs are great for cardio training and nderstanding the details of that type of effort.

    Weight training activity is poorly evaluated by either because neither evaluates actual effort. HR increases during WT not due to calorie burn.

    ^^ This. I have an FT7 and love it, but neither it, nor a FitBit is going to help you calculate calories burned strength training. Polar does have a HRM that they market for Strength Training, the FT80, but I have no personal experience with it.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I have both as well. The Fitbit has a clip and it has never fallen off during exercise or normal activities. I have the Polar FT60 HRM that I wear during workouts. It is not intended to wear all day long. I think that Polar does make one that does that though. You do have to wear a chest band too. Definitely not as convenient as the FitBit.
    Now for the real issue: calorie burn reporting. I feel the the Polar is far more accurate than the assumed results that the FitBit technology of tiny environmental sensors produce. For example, the Fitbit reports 215 calories for a fast walk/jog while the Polar reports 454 calories.
    I would love to hear if anyone has more info on the discrepancy.

    What model is good for all day activity?
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    They're two completely different tools for two completely different purposes. The Fitbit is an all day tool for estimating calories burned for people who spend all day on their feet, and because it's based on a pedometer, can only accurately be used to measure forms of exercise that revolve around taking steps. Walking, running, stair climbing, etc... The HRM, on the other hand, actually measures your vitals. It can't effectively be used to calculate calories burned during strength training (except for when it's based exclusively on compound lifts with no isolation training), but for every other form of legitimate exercise, it's good.

    Basically you have to ask yourself what you're looking for: Something that measures all day calorie burn via a pedometer (doesn't track your vitals, only steps taken and converts that), or something to measure calorie burn during exercise.

    Personally I'd take the HRM and simply factor daily activity into my daily calorie requirements like MFP recommends.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I have both as well. The Fitbit has a clip and it has never fallen off during exercise or normal activities. I have the Polar FT60 HRM that I wear during workouts. It is not intended to wear all day long. I think that Polar does make one that does that though. You do have to wear a chest band too. Definitely not as convenient as the FitBit.
    Now for the real issue: calorie burn reporting. I feel the the Polar is far more accurate than the assumed results that the FitBit technology of tiny environmental sensors produce. For example, the Fitbit reports 215 calories for a fast walk/jog while the Polar reports 454 calories.
    I would love to hear if anyone has more info on the discrepancy.

    What model is good for all day activity?

    HRMs by nature aren't capable of giving accurate all day activity estimates. There's really no tool out there that you can use for this. Honestly though it's not a bad thing because the truth is there's no reason to take it to THAT level of obsessiveness. You can use MFP's built in ranges of "sedentary" "Lightly active" etc... and leave it at that.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I have both as well. The Fitbit has a clip and it has never fallen off during exercise or normal activities. I have the Polar FT60 HRM that I wear during workouts. It is not intended to wear all day long. I think that Polar does make one that does that though. You do have to wear a chest band too. Definitely not as convenient as the FitBit.
    Now for the real issue: calorie burn reporting. I feel the the Polar is far more accurate than the assumed results that the FitBit technology of tiny environmental sensors produce. For example, the Fitbit reports 215 calories for a fast walk/jog while the Polar reports 454 calories.
    I would love to hear if anyone has more info on the discrepancy.

    That's what I thought. Was just interested when someone suggested it.
    What model is good for all day activity?

    HRMs by nature aren't capable of giving accurate all day activity estimates. There's really no tool out there that you can use for this. Honestly though it's not a bad thing because the truth is there's no reason to take it to THAT level of obsessiveness. You can use MFP's built in ranges of "sedentary" "Lightly active" etc... and leave it at that.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    If your gym machines give you a fairly reliable calorie reading then I'd go for the FitBit if I were you. It's something you'll get day long use out of, you get to use their website and see it sync with your profile here and you'll generally feel you're getting more value from your gift because for the most part your HRM would live in your gym bag. If it's motivation to do more you are after then the FitBit is the toy for you.

    I've recently bought a cheap HRM which transmits directly to the gym machines but I feel the watch gives way too high a calorie reading so I'm sticking with the gym machine readings which are now more accurate because the chestband is giving it a constant reading of my heartrate without having to grip the sensors anymore.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    They're two completely different tools for two completely different purposes. The Fitbit is an all day tool for estimating calories burned for people who spend all day on their feet, and because it's based on a pedometer, can only accurately be used to measure forms of exercise that revolve around taking steps. Walking, running, stair climbing, etc... The HRM, on the other hand, actually measures your vitals. It can't effectively be used to calculate calories burned during strength training (except for when it's based exclusively on compound lifts with no isolation training), but for every other form of legitimate exercise, it's good.

    Basically you have to ask yourself what you're looking for: Something that measures all day calorie burn via a pedometer (doesn't track your vitals, only steps taken and converts that), or something to measure calorie burn during exercise.

    Personally I'd take the HRM and simply factor daily activity into my daily calorie requirements like MFP recommends.

    This. I have both - I love both and wouldn't give up either one, but they are for two completely different purposes.

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