2 QUESTIONS RE: POLAR FT4 HRM WATCH WITH CHEST STRAP

Options
DeeDiddyGee
DeeDiddyGee Posts: 601 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am going to purchase the Polar FT4 HRM watch with chest strap as my first exercise monitoring tool. I have been using the Runtastic app on my Droid Phone and the phone only tracks the duration of the elliptical workout -- not calories burned.

I am really interested in ACCURATE calorie burning while at the gym. That is why I am not buying a FitBit.

From all the reading I have done on MFP regarding Fitbit vs. HRMs, and/or using them together, I learned that a person should use a chest strap when using an HRM watch so that your various heart rates ajudsts calories burned accordiingly -- that using the watch alone, it doesn't change heart rate until you touch it.

QUESTION:

1. When wearing the chest strap, are THOSE numbers the ones you are seeing on the watch (do they speak wirelessly), or do the chest strap and watch work independently of each other?

2. Does the info from the Polar FT4 upload to MFP?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to help me understand.

Dee :ohwell:

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
    Options
    1. The strap reads the heart rate and transmits to the watch which then reads your heart rate and calculates your calories burned.

    2. No, it doesn't.
  • oomalmal
    oomalmal Posts: 219 Member
    Options
    I have an FT4 and as far as I'm aware it only reads from the strap. There is no touch sensor on this model.

    It doesn't link with MFP, but after you've completed your workout it gives your calorie burn, and time completed so you can easily plug in the numbers from the site or the app.
  • anniemae225
    anniemae225 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    Everything they said. I love mine!! When I first started, I was using the calories listed in the search history of MFP. I was burning WAY more calories once I started tracking with my FT4. The watch beeps to let you know you are in/over the target heart rate for optimum weight loss. LOVE IT!
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    Options
    Agree with the above posts, and just wanted to add that your watch has to be within a certain range for it to pick up your heart rate. I have one and I took it off once because I was doing pushups and it didn't receive the signal from the chest strap because it was too far away.
  • DeeDiddyGee
    DeeDiddyGee Posts: 601 Member
    Options
    Agree with the above posts, and just wanted to add that your watch has to be within a certain range for it to pick up your heart rate. I have one and I took it off once because I was doing pushups and it didn't receive the signal from the chest strap because it was too far away.

    Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to reply. I found such great pricing...now I just have to decide Polar FT4 or Polar FT7. So many decisions! I like the men's colors better but am under the impression that I should stay with a Women's model (I am female) for accuracy.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,171 Member
    Options
    it doesnt really matter if you get a female or male model as far as i remember, would be silly if it did as you just set your sex in the settings. also add like an exercise to your mfp database such as "gym" or "hrm" and just put in the numbers yourself
  • susan749
    susan749 Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I just purchased the FT4 last Sunday. I had the F6 for about 5-6 years and it finally quit working correctly. The FT4 is great. Polar HRM'S are so easy to set up and use. I purchased the pink one!

Categories