Who should get a HRM?

I'm not a runner - new knees so I can't do that kind of impact. I got my Polar FT4 just to make sure that when i'm doing cardio I'm getting my heart rate into the right zone and not over/under doing it. I got it about 6 months ago and was planning on wearing it a few times a week, but I find I wear it every time I work out now. I've also found that the MFP numbers are way off for calorie burn. They were fine the first few times, but whenever you change the time for a particular activity that's when the cals-burned numbers go crazy. My HRM was definitely a good investment for me.

Absolutely get a HRM.
Forget about using it for weight training. They're not made for that but any cardio you do, it's a must. You won't get anywhere near accurate results from MFP or the machines you're using.

Polar is the most popular brand and they're pretty affordable.

Get it.. My elliptical says I burn way more than I actually do..

The HRM will give you a more accurate reading on what your actually burning.

Yes; deffo buy one!

I got mine with my Wahoo Bike kit & wouldn't be without it!

I initially got a Polar FT7 just to track total calorie burn for long bike rides but the whole eat all your calories back thing didn't really work for me- I think with really high numbers it kind of skews the model. Now I use a Wahoo device that connects to my cycling GPS so I can keep an eye on my heart rate during the ride and also evaluate the entire ride on the computer later but I pretty much just use it as an energy management tool- not so much a calorie counting tool.

Anyone who wants to accurately measure calorie usage needs one, in my opinion.

Before I got one I estimated my work out at about 600 calories using the machine read outs. I got given my HRM at a cut price as I got to my second assessment (after so many visits to my gym your work out is assessed and changed to keep pushing what you can do)- I had my assessment with my favourite trainer- turns out she's a bit sadistic! Anyway, the new work is much more intense and has me doing longer harder cardio sessions- therefore I should burn more calories. According to my HRM my average burn is 650-750 calories. So my earlier estimation must have been waaaay over.

In short, machines and MFP database aren't accurate yet a HRM will be.

I love my HRM!!! It is well worth the money plus you can find some that are around $100. Not bad at all to know how much you are burning!!

I'm sorry this is so long.. I LOVE having mine! It inspires me to work even harder because I can see those cals burned that are based on my age, weight, height, pulse, etc. so I know it's more accurate. I am not an average sized person (short, small boned), so it helps to have this extra tool to help me lose weight. I have a polar ft4 and it was worth every penny! It shows you when you are not 'in zone', when you're in fat burning zone, which I love and over 'fat burning' zone. That way, if your goal is to burn FAT, you can speed up or slow down to get your pulse where it needs to be for ultimate fat loss. I also peek at it when I'm feeling nauseous or weak and notice that my pulse is too high. Now I know, even without the monitor, that I need to slow down then, when before I would have ignored it, thinking it was from food, lack of food, meds or water I drank.
I started out just walking and wasn't sure if I'd use it a lot but I use it almost daily now. I now use it for running, biking, gardening, hiking, etc. I have found out that a burn a lot more cals doing some things and a lot less doing others. For instance, fishing from shore burns a TON of calories and I thought that since I was basically just standing there, I wasn't. I knew I was exhausted after being out there all day but I had no idea. I think I burned 8-900 cals in 3-4 hrs. Also, I used it while I was sleeping to get an accurate bmr #. I found out that while I sleep, I only burn 72 calories per hour. That alone inspired me to get up off my butt and off my computer more often! It makes it easier for me to know how many cals I can have for the rest of the day and still lose weight or maintain, if that's what I want to do. (Soon, I hope! lol)
Also, I've had mine since late last winter and plan on using it forever! It's not something I bought and then just tossed into a drawer.

I'm sorry this is so long.. I LOVE having mine! It inspires me to work even harder because I can see those cals burned that are based on my age, weight, height, pulse, etc. so I know it's more accurate. I am not an average sized person (short, small boned), so it helps to have this extra tool to help me lose weight. I have a polar ft4 and it was worth every penny! It shows you when you are not 'in zone', when you're in fat burning zone, which I love and over 'fat burning' zone. That way, if your goal is to burn FAT, you can speed up or slow down to get your pulse where it needs to be for ultimate fat loss. I also peek at it when I'm feeling nauseous or weak and notice that my pulse is too high. Now I know, even without the monitor, that I need to slow down then, when before I would have ignored it, thinking it was from food, lack of food, meds or water I drank.
I started out just walking and wasn't sure if I'd use it a lot but I use it almost daily now. I now use it for running, biking, gardening, hiking, etc. I have found out that a burn a lot more cals doing some things and a lot less doing others. For instance, fishing from shore burns a TON of calories and I thought that since I was basically just standing there, I wasn't. I knew I was exhausted after being out there all day but I had no idea. I think I burned 8-900 cals in 3-4 hrs. Also, I used it while I was sleeping to get an accurate bmr #. I found out that while I sleep, I only burn 72 calories per hour. That alone inspired me to get up off my butt and off my computer more often! It makes it easier for me to know how many cals I can have for the rest of the day and still lose weight or maintain, if that's what I want to do. (Soon, I hope! lol)
Also, I've had mine since late last winter and plan on using it forever! It's not something I bought and then just tossed into a drawer.

Well said, it is amazing how much you can learn about your heart rate and metabolic response by using a HRM. After using mine for the last 5 months, I am starting to be able to feel where my heart rate is even before I look at the monitor. A HRM monitor gives real meaning to interval training and recovery time. It has been critical for me to learn to run. I used to immediately blow my heart rate way to high way to quickly and never could get a rhythm. With a HRM and a little patience, I have been able to not only start running but begin to progress nicely.

Everyone says HRMs are not good for weight training. WHY not? Does it say you've burned more or less? How do you know?

A HRM won't give you an accurate idea of how many calories you burn during strength training, because the relationship between heart rate and calorie expenditure is not the same during strength training as during cardio exercise, which is what the HRM's estimate is based on. Unless your weight training is very vigorous circuit training, the heart rate monitor will be overestimating your calorie burn by a fair amount.

The problem is a technical one. Calorie burning isn't determined by heart rate, it's determined by the number of muscle cells that are activated to perform a given activity. It's the working cells that actually use the energy (calories) and consume oxygen. When working muscle cells need more energy and oxygen, your heart rate goes up to deliver these things to the cells via the blood stream.

Any muscle that performs a high intensity or maximum effort (strength training) will trigger an increase in heart rate and blood flow. But if only a single muscle group is on the receiving end to utilize that extra oxygen (doing a strength exercise that isolates your biceps, for example), only a relatively small amount of oxygen (and calories) will actually be consumed.

So while a series of strength training exercises may elevate your heart rate like aerobic exercise does, you're not actually using as much oxygen and burning as many calories as you would be if you were steadily using several large muscles all at once, as when walking, running, swimming, or doing aerobics for example.

The heart rate monitor doesn’t know whether your increase in heart rate is due to several large muscle groups working (cardio), an isolated muscle group lifting a weight (strength training), or even if adrenaline or excitement is increasing your heart rate. It just knows your heart rate, and the formulas it uses to estimate calories are based on studies of aerobic exercise, not other activities. So, it's going to overestimate your calorie expenditure when the rise in heart rate is stimulated by using isolated muscles at maximum intensity, which is what occurs during strength training.

BTW... This article was written by Dean Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer

Get it.. My elliptical says I burn way more than I actually do..

The HRM will give you a more accurate reading on what your actually burning.

ditto

especially if you eat back your calories

Thank you for the article on weight training and HRMs! :flowerforyou:
Great explanation!

I love my Polar FT4. It's really easy to use, and it syncs to the machines at my gym so I can see the readout on my screen without having to grip the bars (which isn't always accurate anyway). This also means I can focus on the screen instead of trying to look at my wrist every so often.

Plus, it stores my workouts, so I can check and see if I'm improving over time. It didn't cost very much, about $60 on Amazon, and it comes in a few different colors.

Everyone says HRMs are not good for weight training. WHY not? Does it say you've burned more or less? How do you know?

A HRM won't give you an accurate idea of how many calories you burn during strength training, because the relationship between heart rate and calorie expenditure is not the same during strength training as during cardio exercise, which is what the HRM's estimate is based on. Unless your weight training is very vigorous circuit training, the heart rate monitor will be overestimating your calorie burn by a fair amount.

The problem is a technical one. Calorie burning isn't determined by heart rate, it's determined by the number of muscle cells that are activated to perform a given activity. It's the working cells that actually use the energy (calories) and consume oxygen. When working muscle cells need more energy and oxygen, your heart rate goes up to deliver these things to the cells via the blood stream.

Any muscle that performs a high intensity or maximum effort (strength training) will trigger an increase in heart rate and blood flow. But if only a single muscle group is on the receiving end to utilize that extra oxygen (doing a strength exercise that isolates your biceps, for example), only a relatively small amount of oxygen (and calories) will actually be consumed.

So while a series of strength training exercises may elevate your heart rate like aerobic exercise does, you're not actually using as much oxygen and burning as many calories as you would be if you were steadily using several large muscles all at once, as when walking, running, swimming, or doing aerobics for example.

The heart rate monitor doesn’t know whether your increase in heart rate is due to several large muscle groups working (cardio), an isolated muscle group lifting a weight (strength training), or even if adrenaline or excitement is increasing your heart rate. It just knows your heart rate, and the formulas it uses to estimate calories are based on studies of aerobic exercise, not other activities. So, it's going to overestimate your calorie expenditure when the rise in heart rate is stimulated by using isolated muscles at maximum intensity, which is what occurs during strength training.

BTW... This article was written by Dean Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer

FYI, Here is another article on the subject.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/hrms-cannot-count-calories-during-strength-training-17698

The overall gist of Mr Anderson's article is correct, but his basic explanation of why HRMs cannot be used for strength training calories is wrong.

The Polar FT4 is a good basic model with a chest strap that gives you calories burned.