whats the best heart rate monitor?

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blondie_girl14
blondie_girl14 Posts: 198 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I have posted about this before....
If you have a HRM what kind do you have and do you love it?
I want to get a new one that I can put my age, height, weight etc in for very close calorie burn.
I have one now, it was cheap, $28 at Walmart, and all I put in was my age and that I was a female.
Sometimes I wonder if the calories it says I burn are right???
For example I did 45 mins on the arc trainer last night and it said I burned 641 cals.....who knows!
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  • Novemayune
    Novemayune Posts: 11
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    I bought a Pyle Sports HRM (watch w/ chest strap) and I like it. I got it from Amazon for about $20 (give or take). My only complaint is that the wrist band broke, so I have to carry it with me now until I can figure out how to fix it permanently. It got high reviews, which is why I chose it. I went with the chest strap variety bc they are more reliable/consistent and bc I didn't want to have to stop what I was doing to place my fingers on two finicky sensors. I find that it is generally consistent with the estimated calories burned counter on different cardio machines, so I trust the readings I get with it. HTH

    ETA: If you want all of those things in your HRM (idk which ones would do that), I would peruse models on Amazon and check out the reviews.
  • blondie_girl14
    blondie_girl14 Posts: 198 Member
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    Maybe I should use one with a chest strap because I hate having to stop to check my heart rate, and sometimes the one I wear doesnt even pick up a reading if I am moving too much! ugh.
    Thanks :flowerforyou:
  • zooles
    zooles Posts: 93 Member
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    I agree with the watch/chest strap style. I have had my Polar for years. I have even used it in the pool. Got mine at Target for about $80 (I think) and I use it every day. The only down side to it is that when it calls for a battery change, I need to send it into Polar and am without it for about 2-3 weeks. However I have only sent it in once in five or so years.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    A Polar FT4 or FT7 are probably best for what you want to do. Definitely need a chest strap for accuracy and both of those models are very user friendly as well as reasonably priced. The new ones have a battery you can change yourself.
  • wannabtight
    wannabtight Posts: 187 Member
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    I bought a polar FT7 and I love it! But I had to return my first one as it was faulty and kept reading 00 on the watch. I switched the unit for a different serial number and it works fine! Its waterproof too! I don't even need to wet it to get it to work.
  • klyssamoore
    klyssamoore Posts: 31 Member
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    I have a Polar FT7 and I LOVE it. I haven't had any problems with it at all - and considering the brand name and what it does..it was a great deal.
  • TammyKeaten
    TammyKeaten Posts: 61 Member
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    I got a Polar FT4 from amazon(around $60) and I love it. I had to enter in all my info and it seems very accurate. It has a chest strap and is actually kind of cute! It is even washable and has a battery that I can change myself.
  • blondie_girl14
    blondie_girl14 Posts: 198 Member
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    do you know what the difference is between the FT4 and FT7?
  • blondie_girl14
    blondie_girl14 Posts: 198 Member
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    I found an FT4 on amazon
    http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Purple/dp/B005M1P85O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360780484&sr=8-1&keywords=Polar+FT4
  • katiekfloo
    katiekfloo Posts: 13
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    Polar ft7!!
  • tgrady20
    tgrady20 Posts: 9 Member
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    I also use a Polar FT4 everytime I workout. I love it and it seems pretty accurate. Purchased it online for about $70. You definitely need to consider the brand and one with a chest strap. From my ressearch, Polar has been a trusty brand for many years. Good Luck! :wink:
  • kg4ulu
    kg4ulu Posts: 39 Member
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    Polar FT4 all the way. I don't know the difference between the 4 and 7 but I've had 2 FT4's and can't rave enough about how much I love it. Just remember to update your weight regularly so that the burn is accurate. I do it around every two weeks depending on my weight fluctuation. Good luck!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    For your purpose of getting accurate calorie burn, you'll require one with a VO2max stat

    So that leaves the cheaper FT4 and FT7 out of the picture, as they assume that fitness level stat is bad if your BMI is bad.
    And that is an incorrect assumption.

    Polar RS300X, FT60, maybe FT40, are the required ones then for your purpose.

    Of course, have knowledge it can be up to 30% inflated even then.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    I seem to get pretty accurate results with my FT7. I like it.


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  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    do you know what the difference is between the FT4 and FT7?

    http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/products/compare
  • TammyKeaten
    TammyKeaten Posts: 61 Member
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    Ithink the FT7 does a little more but is also a little more expensive. The FT4 does everything I could possibly need or want.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    The FT7 stores more workouts on the watch....That was the deciding factor for me. And it's not much more $$
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Been using Polar and am sold on them.. My current one is the FT60 which I use in the Pool or Out on the trails or in the Gym... Works great, chest strap is comfortable.... Best of Luck....
  • maegmez
    maegmez Posts: 341 Member
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    I have a Garmin FR70 and it basis my calorie burn on age, sex, height, weight, resting heart rate, and fitness class. It's a great hrm with basic features. Comes with a chest strap and USB dongle to upload your workouts to garmin connect. You can also get a foot pod for it. $103

    I have a very low resting heart rate (53) for my weight (189) and if I just plugged my workouts into MFP, it would be way off. I don't burn anywhere near what MFP says so I'm very happy with my garmin
  • Ploogy
    Ploogy Posts: 115 Member
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    I have a Polar FT4M. The nice thing about the Polar ones is that most of the treadmills and ellipticals you find in gyms have Polar-made HRM built in, so they will autosync with your chest strap!

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