Heart Rate Monitors

hmhteacher
hmhteacher Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm looking to get a dependable heart rate monitor. I've been looking at some of the polar models but can't make up my mind. I want to watch my heart rate and track my calories burned. What do you use??

Replies

  • bawalker11
    bawalker11 Posts: 78
    I have a body media armband, which isn't a hrm, but 100 times better. I am in love with it, it knows exactly how many calories you are burning, steps you are taking (and I have tested it a dozen times), when I am sleeping, working out etc. It even captured my 30 second breaks between insanity intervals and knew I was resting. When I look at my activity for the day it knows when I am lying down vs. sleeping and when I am walking to work, sitting on the train etc. It is great and I cannot recommend it enough! I love it! They are expensive but I got mine on ebay. It can even tell when my workout is moderate vs. vigorous and it syncs with mfp so my food from mfp syncs to my body media dashboard and my bodymedia armband tells mfp what sort of exercise I have had. My calorie deficit on the bodymedia armband seems to correlate with my weighloss pretty closely as well. I love it!
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I have a New Balance N4 and it works great. I actually bought it on eBay, and had both the New Balance and the Polar models on my watch list - the NB just happened to come up first at a great price. There are many Polar users here too, who swear by their HRMs as well. :smile:

    Check reviews on Amazon - lots of good info there on the various models, and it helped me narrow down my choices.
  • faceoff4
    faceoff4 Posts: 1,599 Member
    Polar makes the best one out there in my opinion and I have tried every brand as well as the non HRM types. Again just my opinion, but the non HRM's don't really have the accuracy I have found. You need a chest strap or something that is continually monitoring your heart rate during exercise. I have tried the fitbits, etc and they really don't add value in truly telling you your accurate calories burned. The polar ft4 or fr7 are great entry level models and lots of mfp people swear by them.
  • shrinking_me
    shrinking_me Posts: 207 Member
    love my polar ft4!!!!
  • Nikusz
    Nikusz Posts: 69 Member
    if you're thinking of one with the gps (for outdoor running/cycling), consider also garmin - very popular among my running friends. many gym goers use polar HRMs and are happy with it. but if you want to go for combo smartphone+HRM belt (+maybe an app connected to MFP), in my opinion zepyr hxm is much better and more durable than polar wearlink+.
  • FitnessBeverlyHills
    FitnessBeverlyHills Posts: 189
    After looking at some various HRM I went with a PolarFT7 and its also reasonably priced.

    I'm also a firm believer in the chest strap and using a tool that actually monitors the Heart rate, I just think its much more accurate.
  • nagniho
    nagniho Posts: 132 Member
    I had a Polar FT7 and loved it! It lasted me well over 3 yrs. When it stopped working I dished out the big bucks and bought the FT60. Unfortunately just after a month or so the HRM started misbehaving....providing inaccurate read outs and numerous "check your transmitter" and "link with the transmitter lost" warnings:-( I replaced the batteries on the watch and the transmitter but the HRM still did not work properly. Worst was the frustration that right in the middle of a sprint my HR read out would go to 40 bpm or when cooling down jump up to 190!!! I eventually gave up:-(

    Since then I am debating which HRM to buy....
  • drop_it_like_a_squat
    drop_it_like_a_squat Posts: 377 Member
    I'm very happy with my Polar FT7, too. I've never had any issues with it.
  • ferggie322
    ferggie322 Posts: 14 Member
    Polar FT7. Easy to use.
  • angelfish257
    angelfish257 Posts: 81 Member
    bumping so i can find this topic again, been considering a HRM for a while - need to do some research!
  • jojojo909090
    jojojo909090 Posts: 205 Member
    I have a Garmin Forerunner 610 (GPS, HRM, cal count - the works) which is the touch screen model. Love it, love it, love it....
  • deepbreaths_strongmoves
    deepbreaths_strongmoves Posts: 54 Member
    I use a Garmin with a HRM strap. I absolutely love it! It motivates me to workout harder. I like to do outdoor activities so it's helpful that it tracks my miles and my average speed when I'm running or biking. I also use it in the gym and it does a great job at tracking my heart rate and calories burned.
  • fitgirl09jessica
    fitgirl09jessica Posts: 16
    I use the Polar FT4 & I love it! I know sooo many people who use various models of Polar and they all have the chest strap. Don't get one without the chest strap because you won't get an accurate count.
  • ruthrowlett1
    ruthrowlett1 Posts: 82 Member
    I have a body media armband, which isn't a hrm, but 100 times better. I am in love with it, it knows exactly how many calories you are burning, steps you are taking (and I have tested it a dozen times), when I am sleeping, working out etc. It even captured my 30 second breaks between insanity intervals and knew I was resting. When I look at my activity for the day it knows when I am lying down vs. sleeping and when I am walking to work, sitting on the train etc. It is great and I cannot recommend it enough! I love it! They are expensive but I got mine on ebay. It can even tell when my workout is moderate vs. vigorous and it syncs with mfp so my food from mfp syncs to my body media dashboard and my bodymedia armband tells mfp what sort of exercise I have had. My calorie deficit on the bodymedia armband seems to correlate with my weighloss pretty closely as well. I love it!

    With the Body Media, don't you have to pay for an online subscription?
  • xxhieixx
    xxhieixx Posts: 89 Member
    I couldn't afford a Polar so I bought a Pyle HRM with chest strap. You have to wet it every time you use it but it's worked fine for me, I love it
  • tamikawoodson
    tamikawoodson Posts: 185 Member
    How long have you had your Pyle HRM? I was looking at these on line, I can't afford a Polar but I want and need something that is going to last and works. I bought a Sportsline watch HRM from Wal-Mart and it's only been a month and its a piece of junk that will not take readings half the time and when it does the numbers are either extremely high or extremely low.
  • xxhieixx
    xxhieixx Posts: 89 Member
    How long have you had your Pyle HRM? I was looking at these on line, I can't afford a Polar but I want and need something that is going to last and works. I bought a Sportsline watch HRM from Wal-Mart and it's only been a month and its a piece of junk that will not take readings half the time and when it does the numbers are either extremely high or extremely low.
    I've had mine for about a month. There were some bad reviews but I don't think everyone was wetting their chest strap before using it. There was a review on amazon about it and she's had her's for two years. She posted about it a year after she had it and it still worked fine. I got this one
    http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Sports-PHRM38BK-Monitor-Walking/dp/B004RQWYDO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
  • bawalker11
    bawalker11 Posts: 78
    I have a body media armband, which isn't a hrm, but 100 times better. I am in love with it, it knows exactly how many calories you are burning, steps you are taking (and I have tested it a dozen times), when I am sleeping, working out etc. It even captured my 30 second breaks between insanity intervals and knew I was resting. When I look at my activity for the day it knows when I am lying down vs. sleeping and when I am walking to work, sitting on the train etc. It is great and I cannot recommend it enough! I love it! They are expensive but I got mine on ebay. It can even tell when my workout is moderate vs. vigorous and it syncs with mfp so my food from mfp syncs to my body media dashboard and my bodymedia armband tells mfp what sort of exercise I have had. My calorie deficit on the bodymedia armband seems to correlate with my weighloss pretty closely as well. I love it!

    With the Body Media, don't you have to pay for an online subscription?

    For some reason I have not had to yet, but honestly if they asked me to I would because it is that good
  • ruthrowlett1
    ruthrowlett1 Posts: 82 Member
    I have a body media armband, which isn't a hrm, but 100 times better. I am in love with it, it knows exactly how many calories you are burning, steps you are taking (and I have tested it a dozen times), when I am sleeping, working out etc. It even captured my 30 second breaks between insanity intervals and knew I was resting. When I look at my activity for the day it knows when I am lying down vs. sleeping and when I am walking to work, sitting on the train etc. It is great and I cannot recommend it enough! I love it! They are expensive but I got mine on ebay. It can even tell when my workout is moderate vs. vigorous and it syncs with mfp so my food from mfp syncs to my body media dashboard and my bodymedia armband tells mfp what sort of exercise I have had. My calorie deficit on the bodymedia armband seems to correlate with my weighloss pretty closely as well. I love it!

    With the Body Media, don't you have to pay for an online subscription?

    For some reason I have not had to yet, but honestly if they asked me to I would because it is that good

    Thanks Bawalker11!!!!

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