Garmin? Polar?

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gadenni34
gadenni34 Posts: 294 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Looking to get a fun fitness tool for my birthday in January. I lift three times a week but also love to get out and run. I will also start participating in mud runs and other races once the weather permits around here.

I want to get not just a heart rate monitor but also something that can monitor pace and distance as well. Help me out here...I get so confused. HRM strap, foot pod...watch...what do I need? what do you use?

Replies

  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
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    I have a Garmin and Polar and love them both. I have the older Forerunner 305 which is perfect for outdoor activities but the watch face is a little large and i bought it strictly for running, hiking, etc., which makes it nice when you are glancing and moving at the same time. My Polar is about six years old and I use it for indoor stuff and bootcamps. If I had a choice today I would probably go with the Garmin 410 as the new watch band is smaller and by what I can glean from researching it would be good for a mix of activities. They both have chest straps and upload to the internet to track.
  • tomdVT
    tomdVT Posts: 30
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    I have the Polar and it seems to work pretty well. I like the Polar because the cardio machines at the gym can read the pulse from it too. I've heard good things about the Garmin too.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Read this for product reviews and comparisons. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews

    I have a Garmin and it's great for running or biking. Then newer Garmins use an algorithm for calculating calories with the HR monitor that gives significantly lower (20 to 30%) calorie burns than other heart rate monitors. I don't know if that is more or less accurate than the others but it allows me to eat all my calories back without worrying too much about going over.
  • gadenni34
    gadenni34 Posts: 294 Member
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    so those of you with a Garmin do you have a foot pod to measure pace or does your *watch* do that? I want my heart rate but also want my pace recorded and that is what is hanging me up and confusing me.

    thanks for the link though...will check that out!
  • czmmom
    czmmom Posts: 236 Member
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    I have a foot pod however, I do all of my running outside and have always had good gps signal and have never had to use the foot pod. It looks like starting with the garmin 410 that they have used a slightly different algorithm for calculating calories based on your heart rate.

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/01/garmin-forerunner-410-in-depth-review.html

    Here is a link to a review of it. I have a 405 and love it. I will probably look into upgrading in a year or so.
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    I have a Garmin Forerunner 110 no footpod. I love it and am obsessed with using it!!

    I used a Polar for a while when I first started running a couple years ago but never was consistent. So it would be hard for me to really compare.

    I really love my Garmin!
  • gadenni34
    gadenni34 Posts: 294 Member
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    ok...so the footpod is for use indoors? I don't think I would need it then.

    The DCrainmaker blog is awesome. I have been reading reviews for about an hour now. lol thanks again...I am excited to get something I just want to make sure my money is wisely spent. :glasses:
  • TiniTurtle
    TiniTurtle Posts: 595 Member
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    my polar is pink :o) that makes it the winner, hands down!
  • Vansy
    Vansy Posts: 419 Member
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    I have the Garmin 405cx and love it for both indoor and outdoor activities. I believe that a major difference between Garmin and Polar (and this may have changed in recent years) but Garmin's satellite/gps tracking for miles is a lot sharper and more accurate then Polar.

    Good luck. They both make great HR and tracking devices; I think you'll like it either way you decide to go.
  • czmmom
    czmmom Posts: 236 Member
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    ok...so the footpod is for use indoors? I don't think I would need it then.

    The DCrainmaker blog is awesome. I have been reading reviews for about an hour now. lol thanks again...I am excited to get something I just want to make sure my money is wisely spent. :glasses:

    I want to say that the footpod is for either indoors or when satellites are iffy.... anyone can feel free to correct me though :-) Glad you enjoyed the link!

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