HRM watches........I have questions

I started out with a "Sportline" (without a strap) that I got at a sporting good store for $100.00. It does a lot more than I really need for it to. I was trying to stay away from the strap kind because I thought it woul be uncomfortable.

A friend of mine upgraded her HRM and sold me her old one, a Polar F4. I LOVE it!!!! Not only am I looking for my calories burned I like seeing what percentage of my workout time was spent in my target heart range (this helps me to know to kick my butt into gear or relax a little via my range alert). This model has the chest strap and HIGHLY suggest you get one with a chest strap.....first it's not any more uncomfortable than my sportsbra and secondly it is so much more accurate. I found that I'm burning MORE calories than I realized.

Polar seems to be a very good brand to go with and trust us on the strap; it's a good thing! Shop around for a good price. I know Sears had some on sale not too long ago. Don't feel that you have to buy it from a sporting goods store (I think they tend to inflate prices). Good luck and enjoy!

I have a question about the HRM watches with the chest strap...For the people that have one...what is it calculating for say 30 minutes of working out for you? My sister bought a timex one and it said that she burned 584 calories for 35 minutes of doing the elliptical. That is absolutely not right, so she sent it back.

It is based on your heart rate, so who ever does 35 min on the elliptical but is going 2mph then calories are low, you do 35 min and doing more like 6mph then heart rates gonna be higher there for more cals. It is very possible the one she had was deffictive, i've been doing work outs all week with my polar and the other day it calculated after 1 hr on the treadmil 871 cals, i pushed myself harder today after a "bad" day yesterday and it got 1021

I know its based on heart rate and how hard you push yourself...she just found it confusing that the elliptical said she burned in the 300s(she imput her weight age and target heart rate,etc) and the watch said 584. She was just concerned with how much of a difference there was between the two.

I have the Polar FT7 and it is waterproof. It was about $100, but worth. One thing I noticed about the cheaper ones at WalMart is that you have to stop moving and put your fingers on the watch. This is not very convenient if you are running or doing aerobics. If you plan on working out regularly, I would invest a little extra and get a Polar.

COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY AGREE!!!

Also...you can take off the elasticized part of the strap and wash it with your bras. The portion that goes under your chest can be cleaned with Chlorox wipes or the like.

I have a question about the HRM watches with the chest strap...For the people that have one...what is it calculating for say 30 minutes of working out for you? My sister bought a timex one and it said that she burned 584 calories for 35 minutes of doing the elliptical. That is absolutely not right, so she sent it back.

It is based on your heart rate, so who ever does 35 min on the elliptical but is going 2mph then calories are low, you do 35 min and doing more like 6mph then heart rates gonna be higher there for more cals. It is very possible the one she had was deffictive, i've been doing work outs all week with my polar and the other day it calculated after 1 hr on the treadmil 871 cals, i pushed myself harder today after a "bad" day yesterday and it got 1021

I know its based on heart rate and how hard you push yourself...she just found it confusing that the elliptical said she burned in the 300s(she imput her weight age and target heart rate,etc) and the watch said 584. She was just concerned with how much of a difference there was between the two.

so the watch said she burned more?? mine says I burn more all the time 100-200 cals more... for the tradmil and elliptical they are meausreing from your hands where the hrm is right there by your heart much more accurate, plus on the treadmil and ellpitcals, at least i don't keep my hands on the sensors the entire time.

Yes, I take it to mean 30 meters down (which I would never do anyway, lol). Swimming laps and playing with your kids; you'll be fine.

As far as the other question about difference in calories and minutes. I noticed a difference too. I always start my "pedometer" at the beginning of my work out, stop at the end and get my total caloried burn. I go to cardio in my exercise tab and put in the number of minutes until I get a calorie count that is close to what I burned.

My Polar with the strap has been worth every penny I spent and I'm usually a tightwad. I'm mad that I wasted the money on the Sportline from Dunhams when I should have just gone with a Polar to begin with. It's so nice to just look down and see my HR without putting my finger on it while the result registers. It sounds like 3 seconds isn't bad but you're in the middle of a high-impact aerobics class it's a pain in the *kitten* :-)

:happy: just ordered the polar f6!

oh okay.....is the chest strap water proof? I would sometimes need to wear it during a 8 hour walk.....like zoo all day or something since I'm not sure my pedometer is 100% accurate. Or if I play badminton with the kids aka bending over 1 billion times to pick up the birdie I'd like to be able to record that as well.

I just phoned a local place about HRM and he told me waterproof ones for swimming are hundreds of $$???

My Polar F6 is waterproof for swimming and everything! The strap is not uncomfortable I sometimes forget I have it on lol. I got mine for $80.00.