Heart Rate Monitors

My current HR Monitor is a Polar F4 and I like it. Previous to this I had a MIO which is a HR monitor watch w/o a strap. I've found that the Polar w/ chest strap is much more accurate than the one w/o. I got the one w/o the chest strap because I didn't want the hassle of putting on the strap & attachment as well as the wrist band but it wasn't accurate and made me think I was doing better than I really was.

Now for the problem you are facing with your HR monitor. What brand is it? My polar has the chest strap and an attachment (about the size of a book of matches) that I have to snap onto the strap. I wear this attachment right in the center of my chest. When I put on my sports bra the chest strap is right under the bottom edge of my sports bra so it holds it in place while I'm working out. I don't have a problem with it coming off. Occasionally I might snap on the attachment and when I turn on the HR monitor it will say my HR isn't detected so I have to unsnap and reattach. It's been ages since I bought mine but have you checked to see if there are those little strips between the battery and the unit that you have to pull out so a connection is made (you know like for kid's toys etc.) Maybe try removing the battery and then putting it back in?

I have a Garmin Forerunner 110 with a chest strap and it is important to make sure the chest strap is on the right way. If it is upside down the reading it totally wrong. I made a little arrown (with nailpoilish, of all things) to make sure I wear it correctly.

I love my Garmin and the accuracy of a HRM for calories is great, but also helps me be sure that I am working hard enough, or indeed pushing to hard.

Good luck!

LOVE my Polar FT4

Polar Wearlink+, love it. Its the one for android and has Bluetooth for my running apps.

I wear an Adidas HRM paired with my treadmill which works great-even more impressed with Garmin's new HRM with the Forerunner 620 (calculates HR, VO2, cadence, stride length, etc). My old Garmin HRM I got with my 410 never worked so I share your frustration.

I've had a Polar T31 for YEARS!!!!! Recently had someone recommend the Polar 7 to me because it is waterproof and I can use it when I swim. Love min never had any issues with a Polar.

I have the polar F7 with chest strap & love it. I haven't had any issues with it at all but have had the rare occasion where while out for a walk it suddenly went to zero but always came back to normal again. I always wear the chest strap just under the elastic in my workout shirt, basically where the waist of my bra would be.

I, too, have a Polar FT7 and LOVE it. I've had it for over a year and wear it for every workout. I highly recommend their Polar Soft Strap, as I never feel it or that I'm wearing it. Some Garmin folks buy this strap because it's so comfy and keeps a good connection.

I have the FT4 and like it. I occasionally get two different errors to the same problem. I will sometimes get a HR of 00 and I will sometimes get a message that says HR not detected. This is always the same problem...poor coupling between the chest strap detector and my skin. It is always fixed by me wetting my fingers with some tap water or spit and rubbing that moisture onto the detector - once I have the "connection" made between skin and detector...no problem.

I have to wet mine as well and it doesn't seem to detect a heartbeat until I wet both the rubber AND the fabric side. Worth a try?? Also, maybe instead of strapping it in try pushing it into your chest at every angle first? That's what I did when I had problems and it seemed to fix it.. Aww hopefully it's not defective!!! That really sucks.