Heart Rate Monitor?

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  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    Question about the Polar does it have a chest strap you have to wear? I have had one of those before and they are just so uncomfortable especially when your all sweaty! :)

    Yes, it does. But this one is made out of a soft material (at least the FT40 is), and to be honest, I can't even tell it's there under my sports bra. I love it. :)
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    I use a chest strap Polar Nike+ transmitter with my Nike+ Sportswatch. Quite a pricey combo because the watch has built in GPS. I believe you can get watch/strap combos for sub $100 price range. You can find them im running or sports supply stores or online of course. I tend to browse amazon for the reviews.

    They are pretty much plug and play and should start working right away. The benefits would be more accurate calorie burn tracking and you can physically see your heart rate which helps you determine what 'zone' you are in. ie aerobic, anerobic, max, fat loss.

    I was gonna get the pec strap. So I need a watch too?
  • lima013
    lima013 Posts: 80 Member
    I have the Polar FT7. It is a really HRM. I got it from Amazon.They have better prices compared to others
  • freyaheart
    freyaheart Posts: 220 Member
    I love my HRM . I have a Wahoo Blue HR. I use it to get accurate data on how many calories I am burning at the gym, I don't fully trust the treadmill read outs. Haveing it and my fitbit gives me a really nice picture of my fitness.
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
    When I first started running I wanted a HRM to see how many calories I was burning. I went to Best Buy not knowing anything about them to purchase one. They all seemed to have a chest strap which I didn't want because I didn't understand its purpose. I ended up buying a Garmin HRM that worked by simply touching the dial. It was okay for awhile until sometimes I'd touch the dial and get nothing. It actually died on me earlier this year and even after replacing the battery it wasn't really reliable because sometimes I'd touch it and get nothing.

    I really wanted the nike HRM but it's very expensive and so I did some research on the Polar HRM's. I run a lot and am getting ready for two half marathon's next year, plus I also do a lot of strength training, walking, Bikram Yoga, etc. and I wanted something to track my workouts and show me calories burned. I ended up buying the Polar FT60F. They have a male version as well. It's works great and I now understand the purpose of the chest strap. It gives you an accurate count of calories burned, tells me if my fitness level is getting better, let's me know when I'm burning fat and much more. I love it and highly recommend it.
  • steve2kay
    steve2kay Posts: 194 Member
    I use one, particularly for running. I bought the Garmin FR60 with chest strap and thing for my shoe - so it tells me how far and fast I run and my heart rate, calories etc. Then I bought the thing that goes on my bike so the watch can tell me my distance, cadence etc. when I'm cycling too.

    I recommend the book "heart monitor training for the compleat idiot" (it's spelled incorrectly). It helped me realise I was training in no man's land - I started running harder on my interval days and running much slower on my recovery days. Really helped me realise that the heart is a muscle that needs training too - sometimes it needs a recovery day.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I use one, particularly for running. I bought the Garmin FR60 with chest strap and thing for my shoe - so it tells me how far and fast I run and my heart rate, calories etc. Then I bought the thing that goes on my bike so the watch can tell me my distance, cadence etc. when I'm cycling too.

    I recommend the book "heart monitor training for the compleat idiot" (it's spelled incorrectly). It helped me realise I was training in no man's land - I started running harder on my interval days and running much slower on my recovery days. Really helped me realise that the heart is a muscle that needs training too - sometimes it needs a recovery day.

    Just to add - not all Garmin models base calorie estimates on HR even if it has a HRM.
  • ElliotM6
    ElliotM6 Posts: 7 Member
    Much like everyone else, I have the Polar FT4 and love it. Does everything I need.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    Thank you all for the info. I would like to have one for the Cardio that I do. I will have to do some research, I guess.
  • mrshudson813
    mrshudson813 Posts: 128 Member
    I use my HRM and love it! Myfitnesspal overexaggerates on the number of calories burned with exercises and I wanted to know just how much I was burning. Once I started using my HRM, I realized I wasn't burning nearly as many calories as MFP said I was. That kind of explained why I wasn't losing weight because I usually eat back my exercise calories and I was eating back way too much. So, I highly recommend buying a HRM. It's a great investment!
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    The thing is, apparently most of the heart rate monitors are not very accurate regarding calories burned, either.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    The thing is, apparently most of the heart rate monitors are not very accurate regarding calories burned, either.

    They aren't completely on accurate, but heart rate (assuming your HRM calculates calories based on this) is pretty much the most accurate at-home estimate you can get. It's definitely superior to formulas that just take into account your height and weight (like MFP) because it is basing the results off of how hard your body is actually working, rather than how hard the average person at X height and X weight would be likely to work.
  • wibblefps
    wibblefps Posts: 78
    I use a Suunto ambit 2 HR but mainly because I run outside and wanted the GPS for route tracking and way points. Great package and very reliable but not cheap and maybe overkill unless you enjoy going out and getting lost
  • tavenne323
    tavenne323 Posts: 332 Member
    I tested a few different ones. I decided to get the Polar FT7. The chest strap is a more accurate reading than some of the wrist ones. I didn't want an expensive pedometer (like a FitBit or Pear Sport). HRM are only really accurate in calorie counting if you are doing steady state aerobic exercise. I like to get an estimated calorie count because then I can get a feel for how much work I have to put in to burn a certain amount of calories. Sure makes that Twix bar not-so worth it anymore.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    Yes. If you look at "treats" as in how much exercise you have to do to burn them off, they are not worth it!
  • benjicloverdale
    benjicloverdale Posts: 92 Member
    Polar w/ a chest strap. You get it on their website, or other places online (I hear), or some gyms sell them and set them up for you if you get metabolic testing done there.
  • sybrix
    sybrix Posts: 134 Member
    Anyone have the Withings Pulse? http://www.withings.com/en/pulse

    It is an Activity Tracker/Pedometer/Heart Rate Monitor that I had my eye on. The price tag turned me off so I ended up getting a $35 Pedometer at (Oh c'mon really that's sensored? It's the name of a sporting goods store for goodness sake!) that had the features I mostly wanted (step counter, speed, cumulative time spent walking, distance, calories burned). I decided to hold off on getting a HRM because my primary form of exercise is walking. However I want to incorporate strength training into my routine, and I'm paranoid of MFP's inflated estimates throwing me off. If a HRM is inaccurate for strength training then how do you estimate calories burned when you lift?? Do you use MFP estimates which have a rep of being too high or consult another website for an estimate?
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    I am really struggling as to which one to buy. I don't feel I can justify spending much on one until I am sure I am even going to stick with this. However, the ones that have the features I want are over $50.00.
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