Heart Rate Monitor - Quick Questions

I have a HRM and I feel it’s the best thing I could have ever bought. Mine does not automatically convert my calories burned which I regret. Polar is a very good brand. I am not sure of the models right now but I am looking to upgrade mine soon. I recommend you get one that will calculate your calories burned based on your current weight, age and gender which most let you enter that. I feel it is way more accurate than the machines. My burns are higher than the machines. This is because most machines don’t track your HRM. They do an ok job if you enter your bio metrics but still is mostly and average…If I am pushing a 160 BPM which I can check on my HRM I burn about 551 calories for 30 minutes on the elliptical. With a HR of 130 I only burn 415 for 30 minutes. BTW it’s still a good burn…

In the end I think it’s a great investment. I tend to compare the HRM burn with the machines. Some machines are very close…once you have been doing this with a HRM for a while you start to just know what kind of burn your going to have no matter what machine you’re on.

I highly recommend the Zypher (available in both Android and Apple OS) - it is blue tooth to your phone and works on multiple FREE apps. I use it everyday. You can get it on Amazon for around $80 bucks. PM me if you have questions.

I use the Polar FT4 (the pink one). I thought I was burning WAY more calories than I was. If you use the Polar Training website as well--the website almost doubled my calories burned just by entering my height/weight/age/heartrate info. I thought that was interesting how the website and the watch didn't agree. I used the watch because it was lower and actually tracked all my heartrate movement.

I have a HRM and I feel it’s the best thing I could have ever bought. Mine does not automatically convert my calories burned which I regret. Polar is a very good brand. I am not sure of the models right now but I am looking to upgrade mine soon. I recommend you get one that will calculate your calories burned based on your current weight, age and gender which most let you enter that. I feel it is way more accurate than the machines. My burns are higher than the machines. This is because most machines don’t track your HRM. They do an ok job if you enter your bio metrics but still is mostly and average…If I am pushing a 160 BPM which I can check on my HRM I burn about 551 calories for 30 minutes on the elliptical. With a HR of 130 I only burn 415 for 30 minutes. BTW it’s still a good burn…

In the end I think it’s a great investment. I tend to compare the HRM burn with the machines. Some machines are very close…once you have been doing this with a HRM for a while you start to just know what kind of burn your going to have no matter what machine you’re on.

I am intrigued!!! I will have to check this out.

Great idea for a prezzie!

I use a Polar H7 with iphone 5 and Endomondo for exercise workouts. Works perfectly and syncs with MFP automatically.

The F7 lest you run a test also called "Own index" by polar the estimate your oxygen uptake which is a factor on how many calories you burn. Inputting it with the others like gender, age, etc. gets you a more personal estimate of calorie burn. Depending on your personal fitness your calories may very from a good machine that is only using a few factors. Adds a few dollars to cost but worth it IMO.

BTW if you start out unfit seeing you VO2 change over time is another sweet NSV

I'm another Polar FT4 user and I wouldn't be without it. The calories burned seems to be pretty accurate (ie, I'm eating them back and still losing weight!) so long as you remember to adjust your weight setting on it as you lose.

I have a Polar FT7. It syncs will with my spinning bike and elliptical. I always work out with it.

It is all a estimate but that being said the HRM can usually be trusted for a more accurate calorie burn number...... I have used a Polar FT60 for the past 3 years and love it for steady state cardio.... I don't have anything to compare it to because it is the only brand I have used... My wife has an FT7 and loves hers as well..... Best of Luck

I have a watch...I think it is Polar? Mine is the kind you have to put your fingers on to get pulse and honestly it can be a pain in the butt. I try to do it pretty often to get the most accurate calorie count and sometimes that is not convenient. I bought the chest strap with watch combo for my husband because his fingers would get sweaty and not register his pulse well. He loves it. I notice that if I my heart rate is rapidly going up or down (warm-up, cool-down) it takes even longer to get a pulse and I am stuck awkwardly holding my watch while trying to jog or whatever else I am up to. Recommend strap! Other than that....I burn more calories than the machine suggests because I am not as fit as it assumes I am. HRM is the way to go.