fit bit or hrm polar?

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sbear867
sbear867 Posts: 249 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Setting some rewards for my goals and my first big one is going to be a hrm or fitbit but I cant decide. They both seem to have perks. Any advice? I had my eye on the FT4 polar or the basic fitbit

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  • BokBagok
    BokBagok Posts: 345
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    I have both the ft4 and the fitbit one, and I like them both. As to which one you should get, it depends on what you're really looking for. The ft4 will make your workouts more efficient and give you a more accurate number of calories that you've burned for that specific workout, while the fitbit is more of a super-pedometer that gives you a general "how much did I move around today" type of outlook on your day.
  • bonestm
    bonestm Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't have the ft4, and recently traded my Fitbit one for a Withings pulse. I have to agree with Bok. The Fitbit is just a super-pedometer and sleep tracker as is my pulse. I use it in conjunction with a Garmin HRM & and foot pod combo. If I had to choose between one or the other for workout purposes, the HRM would be my hands down no question choice. It just gives you loads more data and accuracy.

    Good luck with whatever choice you make.
  • lvlupfitness
    lvlupfitness Posts: 46
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    Go with the HRM if you want to track your progress for specific exercises. I'm currently using Jarv bluetooth HRM I got from Amazon. It uses a chest strap for the most accurate reading. I sync it with an app on my phone and I can see a ton of data based on my workout on my phone.
  • OkSusan
    OkSusan Posts: 10 Member
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    What do you want to monitor? Fitbit is not a heart rate monitor. Polar is not a pedometer. I have both, I used my Fitbit for two weeks before buying the Polar F2. I haven't taken the Fitbit out of the drawer since, it's just an overpriced pedometer IMO.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Depends on how you track. I got the Fitbit because I really don't care how many calories I am burning while I exercise, since I don't do a lot of cardio anyway. I want to track how many total calories I burn all day. You can't do that with a hrm. Fitbit is what helped me figure out my TDEE and I can track how many calories I've burned so far, and how many calories I'm estimated to burn, so I can plan my eating.

    If you have specific exercise goals, however, or you are having trouble with your numbers when you eat back exercise calories and want to see if you are over/under estimating them... then a hrm may be more beneficial to you.
  • FrauMama
    FrauMama Posts: 169 Member
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    It really depends on your goals. If you just want to MOVE more and track how much you, well, WALK, then the FItbit might be best. I am going to paste a reply I wrote earlier today about the Fitbit, since it sort of compares both. For the record, I'd definitely go with the HRM, but--again--depends on your goals and workouts.
    Here's my earlier reply:


    I am returning mine.

    IMO, it IS just a glorified pedometer, and a not-entirely-accurate one at that. That said, it could be a very useful tool for someone who just wants to be motivated to MOVE more, or who is interested in only cardio or walking. But for someone who is already in decent shape, who does workouts that aren't straight cardio motions, it didn't seem like the best fit.
    I ended up wearing my HRM (Polar, love it, have used one of these for almost 10 years) and overriding the Fitbit exercise sessions because they were totally inaccurate. My workouts are plyometric/Crossfit(ish)/Bodyrock-type of things--heavier lifting, jumping, burpees, etc, where my heart rate gets up to the 180s at times....Fitbit would really underestimate those, but then would OVER-estimate a day of leisurely walking (sightseeing, specifically) where my heart rate would never get above 100 or so.
    I liked the Fitbit for tracking sleep patterns, but finally decided to return it when I noticed it didn't "notice" once night when I actually got up in the middle of the night. That made me question its entire accuracy even more.

    My main issue with it was that it doesn't take HR into account. I'll probably wear my Polar HRM for a few days straight if I want to get a more solid idea of BMR. Ideally, something that also takes body fat percentage into account will come along one of these days, too (If there is anything like that already, I'd love to know!). But, for me, heart rate is integral in estimating calories burned, and the Fitbit (Flex) didn't work out.
  • BokBagok
    BokBagok Posts: 345
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    It really depends on your goals. If you just want to MOVE more and track how much you, well, WALK, then the FItbit might be best. I am going to paste a reply I wrote earlier today about the Fitbit, since it sort of compares both. For the record, I'd definitely go with the HRM, but--again--depends on your goals and workouts.
    Here's my earlier reply:


    I am returning mine.

    IMO, it IS just a glorified pedometer, and a not-entirely-accurate one at that. That said, it could be a very useful tool for someone who just wants to be motivated to MOVE more, or who is interested in only cardio or walking. But for someone who is already in decent shape, who does workouts that aren't straight cardio motions, it didn't seem like the best fit.
    I ended up wearing my HRM (Polar, love it, have used one of these for almost 10 years) and overriding the Fitbit exercise sessions because they were totally inaccurate. My workouts are plyometric/Crossfit(ish)/Bodyrock-type of things--heavier lifting, jumping, burpees, etc, where my heart rate gets up to the 180s at times....Fitbit would really underestimate those, but then would OVER-estimate a day of leisurely walking (sightseeing, specifically) where my heart rate would never get above 100 or so.
    I liked the Fitbit for tracking sleep patterns, but finally decided to return it when I noticed it didn't "notice" once night when I actually got up in the middle of the night. That made me question its entire accuracy even more.

    My main issue with it was that it doesn't take HR into account. I'll probably wear my Polar HRM for a few days straight if I want to get a more solid idea of BMR. Ideally, something that also takes body fat percentage into account will come along one of these days, too (If there is anything like that already, I'd love to know!). But, for me, heart rate is integral in estimating calories burned, and the Fitbit (Flex) didn't work out.

    Quoted this to point out that the flex is notoriously inaccurate - if the OP ends up going the fitbit route, she should only pick up either the one or the force.
  • FrauMama
    FrauMama Posts: 169 Member
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    Yes, true! Sorry, I should have specified the Flex. Thank you!
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
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    I have both a Fitbit and a HRM, and the focus is really different for each.

    For me, I get more use out of my Fitbit, since I am not quite as dedicated as I ought to be when it comes to maintaining a workout regimen. The Fitbit keeps me accountable all day, though, and has been invaluable in helping me figure out exactly how active I am and what my TDEE really is on a day-to-day basis (I've had days recently where it was basically my BMR - thank you stomach flu - and days where it was more than double). It's really more of a daily activity level monitor.

    The HRM is for monitoring your burn during a specific workout. You can use them in conjunction - the Fitbit won't tell you jack about , say, a biking workout, but if you have the numbers from your HRM you can plug that into your Fitbit as an additional exercise you did. (or, into MFP, which will feed that back to your Fitbit account as exercise done).

    If you don't have the money for both, then it really comes down to "which is more useful for me" -- something that will tell you how active you are throughout the day, or something that will tell you what you did in a specific 30 (60, 90) minute timeframe. For me, it's definitely the former. For someone like FrauMama, it sounds like the latter. As for you - really only you can answer that one!
  • tkbuc
    tkbuc Posts: 66 Member
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    I am looking to really estimate the amount of calories I am burning while lifting weights. Based on the above comments, I assume the Polar HRM is ideal for this. Is this true and if so, which model specifically?
  • sbear867
    sbear867 Posts: 249 Member
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    Thank you all. I'm really looking more for accuracy in my cardio workouts. I appreciate the feedback. Ill be getting the hrm for valentine's day....I think a hrm is a great gift for vday

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