HRM advice

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fraggles1805
fraggles1805 Posts: 33 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, am looking for a cheap heart rate monitor as have kids and just after christmas the money is a bit tight. I am in the UK. I have seen the below on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FITNESS-PULSE-HEART-MONITOR-RUNNING/dp/B008HCUKQC/ref=sr_1_138?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1358530138&sr=1-138

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kinetik-Medical-Heart-Chest-Transmitter/dp/B003SX0UX8/ref=sr_1_59?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1358529969&sr=1-59

One is just a watch and the other has a chest strap, do you need a chest strap one really? And are the cheap ones any good?

Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • jabrock9
    jabrock9 Posts: 65
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    Ones with the chest strap are definitely more accurate. I had a Mio brand one a few years ago, without a chest strap, and I really was disappointed with it. I've been using Polars ever since and I'm very happy with them. A bit pricier but to me, well worth the money. Just my two cents. :)
  • Missmaggieann
    Missmaggieann Posts: 68 Member
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    HRMs with chest straps are more accurate. I have a polar ft4 and have been very happy with it. If you can spend the extra money it is well worth it.
  • MissKriss3
    MissKriss3 Posts: 117 Member
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    Compare prices, if you're able to get the Polar FT4 or FT7 for a few more $$ it would be worth it. I'm done buying cheap things, they break then need to be replaced, you've spent the money you would have on a good quality HRM. A HRM with a chest strap is more accurate.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,019 Member
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    Honestly, (and I have a Polar with a strap that I like) - but - since you have so much weight yet to lose, I wouldn't even spend the money on one right now. It's really easy to lose weight without knowing the exact calorie burn on exercise when you have a lot of weight to lose.

    For me, it makes more sense to just use online numbers (like this website) until you get to about 30-40 pounds from your goal. Then the smaller margin of error involved will be really important. Save your money up and buy a good one in a few months. You really can do this easily without one right now.

    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

    ^^He also has a lot of other good blog posts, you may want to read through some of them.

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