heart rate monitors?

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tripodsmom
tripodsmom Posts: 95 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
need a cheap one, maybe with a pedometer, and stopwatch... any suggestions?
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  • Brittany3914
    Brittany3914 Posts: 258 Member
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    I could rave about my heart rate monitor all day.

    Instead of looking around for a cheap one, I'd save your pennies and wait until you can get a decent one. You get what you pay for.

    I've had the Polar FT4 for almost a year now and I have ZERO complaints. If you've researched HRMs at all, I'm sure you've read about the chest strap. DON'T SKIMP AND BUY ONE WITHOUT THE CHEST STRAP. Accuracy is important. The FT4 is pretty basic and doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles, but it does exactly what I need it to do - Calculate my calorie burns during a run, group exercise class, etc. You can input your age, weight, height, sex, etc, and you can update it as your numbers change. You can pause it between exercise. There's a back light if you're working out in the dark. A cake with candles pops up on your birthday (which surprised me and made my day). It also displays the time, how long you've been working out (minutes and seconds), and some random charts showing your total calories burned.

    The more I run, the more I wish my HRM was a little more techy. Maybe a GPS watch that calculated pace and distance, etc. But for now, the FT4 is perfect. Plus, it's pink...

    Hope this helps :) I bought mine on Amazon for $75 with free shipping. Keep your eyes peeled. I know some people who have purchased them for less.
  • tripodsmom
    tripodsmom Posts: 95 Member
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    awesome thank you so much!
  • ReclaimingSarah
    ReclaimingSarah Posts: 250 Member
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    I just bought the FT4 on Amazon last week for $62. I second everything Brittany said. I bought it after constantly seeing it recommended here on the forums and it was worth every penny!
  • riveraphx
    riveraphx Posts: 380 Member
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    This is the one I bought, I don't think it has a pedometer in it, but it has pretty decent reviews and it's at a price I can afford at the moment.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O18LEC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
  • blondie_girl14
    blondie_girl14 Posts: 198 Member
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    I bought a nice cheap one, from Sportline, got it at Walmart for only 28bucks
    works fine.
  • segooey
    segooey Posts: 24
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    I've been using the Sportline Cardio 660 which I bought on amazon for under $60. It comes with a chest strap and wrist watch. I use it mostly while playing ice hockey and doing yoga, and it stays in place throughout.

    I wanted something simple, didn't need it to track histories and make graphs, and it does a fantastic job of it. Features are pretty much the same as what Brittany spelled out for the other device.

    You can also buy stand-alone chest straps that sync to your smart phone, which can be a little cheaper. The app you put on the phone should have additional features like pedometer and GPS along with history tracking.
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
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    Ok, so I have been comparison shopping also, this morning (shhhhh! I'm supposed to be writing policies) and the chest strap kind of stresses me out. My girls are big, and I keep reading where the strap goes under the sports bra band, and mind always rides up. Is this a valid concern or does b00b size not matter?
  • RunningMannn
    RunningMannn Posts: 135
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    I could rave about my heart rate monitor all day.

    Instead of looking around for a cheap one, I'd save your pennies and wait until you can get a decent one. You get what you pay for.

    I've had the Polar FT4 for almost a year now and I have ZERO complaints. If you've researched HRMs at all, I'm sure you've read about the chest strap. DON'T SKIMP AND BUY ONE WITHOUT THE CHEST STRAP. Accuracy is important. The FT4 is pretty basic and doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles, but it does exactly what I need it to do - Calculate my calorie burns during a run, group exercise class, etc. You can input your age, weight, height, sex, etc, and you can update it as your numbers change. You can pause it between exercise. There's a back light if you're working out in the dark. A cake with candles pops up on your birthday (which surprised me and made my day). It also displays the time, how long you've been working out (minutes and seconds), and some random charts showing your total calories burned.

    The more I run, the more I wish my HRM was a little more techy. Maybe a GPS watch that calculated pace and distance, etc. But for now, the FT4 is perfect. Plus, it's pink...

    Hope this helps :) I bought mine on Amazon for $75 with free shipping. Keep your eyes peeled. I know some people who have purchased them for less.

    I've had my Polar FT4 for about 2 months now...Heart rate screen really helps during workouts..If it falls under 130, I know I need to pick up the pace. My in zone screen needs raised. I'm over the zone for 2-5 minutes during a 22 minutes workout. Calories burned screen on my treadmill are much higher then the polar FT4. I think the FT4 reading is to low and the treadmill reading is to high..The true number is probably somewhere in the middle..
  • riveraphx
    riveraphx Posts: 380 Member
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    Ok, so I have been comparison shopping also, this morning (shhhhh! I'm supposed to be writing policies) and the chest strap kind of stresses me out. My girls are big, and I keep reading where the strap goes under the sports bra band, and mind always rides up. Is this a valid concern or does b00b size not matter?

    doesn't bother me at all.
  • maryannelk
    maryannelk Posts: 707 Member
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    Hi! I have the Polar too, which I really love. I tried one without the chest stap and it didn't work well. My girls are on the larger size. I put the chest strap just south of the bra band against my skin, not under the bra band. It works fine. Once I have it on and get moving, the chest strap doesn't bother me. I do have to wet the fabric sensors that go against your skin...wait for warm water!!
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
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    doesn't bother me at all.

    Thank you! :smile:
  • ejwme
    ejwme Posts: 318
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    Ok, so I have been comparison shopping also, this morning (shhhhh! I'm supposed to be writing policies) and the chest strap kind of stresses me out. My girls are big, and I keep reading where the strap goes under the sports bra band, and mind always rides up. Is this a valid concern or does b00b size not matter?

    ok, if your bra is riding up, that's a sports bra issue. there have been a couple really good threads about decent bras for us larger girls. I'm a fan of the extreme impact Champion one, Enell and a few other companies make decent ones too - take proper measurements and invest in a decent and well fitting bra (double up on the old ones if that helps while you wait for it to ship from Amazon). The Girls will thank you for it.

    But you need a chest strap to accurately measure HR during a workout - the "touch" sensors only work when you're actually touching them, so you have to stop your activity and won't get a constant read. They're just a fancy (expensive) way of sticking your fingers on your neck and counting to a stop watch. It will get you what it gets you, but I don't recommend it at all (putting fingers on your neck is free!).

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator (and his reviews) are an awesome place to investigate the options.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 762 Member
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    Where can you get just the stress strap?
  • ittybittybadonkadonk
    ittybittybadonkadonk Posts: 11,634 Member
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    sears.com has the ft4 ladies for 45.00 plus 5 or 6 dollars for shipping I am going over to Sears today to see if they have them in the stores
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
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    Ok, so I have been comparison shopping also, this morning (shhhhh! I'm supposed to be writing policies) and the chest strap kind of stresses me out. My girls are big, and I keep reading where the strap goes under the sports bra band, and mind always rides up. Is this a valid concern or does b00b size not matter?

    ok, if your bra is riding up, that's a sports bra issue. there have been a couple really good threads about decent bras for us larger girls. I'm a fan of the extreme impact Champion one, Enell and a few other companies make decent ones too - take proper measurements and invest in a decent and well fitting bra (double up on the old ones if that helps while you wait for it to ship from Amazon). The Girls will thank you for it.

    But you need a chest strap to accurately measure HR during a workout - the "touch" sensors only work when you're actually touching them, so you have to stop your activity and won't get a constant read. They're just a fancy (expensive) way of sticking your fingers on your neck and counting to a stop watch. It will get you what it gets you, but I don't recommend it at all (putting fingers on your neck is free!).

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator (and his reviews) are an awesome place to investigate the options.

    Thank you! :flowerforyou:

    I know the bra ride up is bra issue, but I want to make sure that between that and the "girls" a chest strap isn't going to be a problem.

    I have a cheapy wrist HRM that I used a couple summers ago, and hated it for the very reason that you mentioned above..stop, touch, resume. And mine didn't give me a calorie count...Which is why I want to get a nice one with a chest strap. I had to ask because NOTHING ever really fits the way it's supposed to.
  • beautifulbeast11
    beautifulbeast11 Posts: 202 Member
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    Best Buy has the bronze colored Polar FT4 for like $50.

    I just bought the red Polar FT7 (replaceable battery and computer connection add on is a plus) and love it. I have only heard great things about both FT4 and 7. 4 is cheaper in price.
  • trigger2354
    trigger2354 Posts: 25 Member
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    The ideal HRM solution for me has been the Zephyr. It's a Bluetooth HRM that communicates with my Android phone via the Endomondo app. I paid $75 for the Zephyr on Amazon.

    I used to have an iPod attached to one arm and a dedicated HRM strapped to the other. And when cycling, I'd also have a GPS on my bike. Now with this setup, everything is combined, contained and controlled with my phone.

    Endomondo Pro, coupled with the Zephyr HRM, is easily the most effective (results and cost) training tool I've ever used. And it's a very nice bonus that MFP and Endomondo share data. All of my workout calorie burns are automatically uploaded to MFP which is very convenient. Endomondo utilizes the phone's GPS capabilities to track all workouts. In addition to your heart rate, you can track your speed, lap times, elevations changes, calories burned, steps taken (yes, it has a pedometer), pace and more. And all of this data is displayed in big, beautiful, living color on your phone's screen. A very nice upgrade over the tiny displays on dedicated HRMs.

    The latest release of Endomondo has greatly expanded the audio coaching capabilities of the app. You can now customize the app to provide exactly the information you would like to hear as you workout. It will tell you your heart rate, speed, pace, calories burned, elapsed time, etc. at whatever intervals you choose. This is very handy for me because my primary cardio in the winter is cross country skiing, and my arms are heavily involved in each workout. It's very nice to have all the vital information spoken in my headphones. I never have to stop my arm swing to see my heart rate or other data.

    All of your workout data is maintained in history files on your phone, and it's also automatically uploaded to the Endomondo website where you can analyze your workouts in much greater depth. Unfortunately, Endomondo recently locked out some of the analytical features on the free version of the website application, forcing you to buy a monthly subscription to get the full suite of tools. I use the paid version because I'm an analytical geek who scutinizes every workout to find clues for ways to improve my speed, fitness, etc.

    This combination of tools has been key in helping me dramatically improve fitness markers such as resting heart rate, recovery heart rate, lactate threshold, blood pressure, etc. I can't imagine every going back to a dedicated HRM.
  • Izabera
    Izabera Posts: 28
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    After reading lots of reviews on HRM i opted for the Polar ft7- Great piece of kit !! £75 , well worth it .
  • tripodsmom
    tripodsmom Posts: 95 Member
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    this all has been helpful. thank you!
  • trigger2354
    trigger2354 Posts: 25 Member
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    If you are asking about the Zephyr, yes, it has a chest strap. The actual HRM transmitter snaps to the chest strap. After a workout, I remove it from the chest strap and snap it into the supplied charger. This arrangement also makes it easy to wash the chest strap when needed.

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