Polar FT4 Worth getting?

YorriaRaine
YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was kinda looking to get a hrm, and the polar ft4 is within my price range. However I've read so many post saying heart rate monitors are not more accurate than anything else. I realize that they are not 100% accurate, and was sorta planning on taking a 1/3 off whatever calories it says I burn and then inputting that so I have a nice cushion as I plan on eating back the calories I burn off. (I'm using mfp default way of doing things, not tdee -20%).

Is it worth it or is it no better than using an online calculator that estimates it for you?

Also, if I'm just as well off using an online calculator, what is a good one. Currently my main form of exercise is doing jumping jacks on a rebounder (mini-trampoline), because it doesn't hurt my knees as much.

Replies

  • jscheuf
    jscheuf Posts: 25 Member
    I am currently looking for a heart rate monitor to get also to help with calories. I don't really know much about them and how accurate they are for calorie counters but I still would like to try one. When I was working out with a personal trainer she wanted me to get one so I could tell if I was in my target heart rate. I liked it so I knew if I was pushing myself hard enough or not. Sadly, my dog ate that one so I am looking to get a new one and am wondering what people recommend.
  • sunshine07611
    sunshine07611 Posts: 11 Member
    I just recieved the FT4 after my long time HRM (another polar) died (it was over 8 years old). I love it. I know nothing is 100% accurate, but to me it is worth it. I never eat back 100% of my exercise calories just as a buffer, but it helps me stay on track.

    I used my old Polar years before joining MFP and it helped me greatly with knowing more accurate calorie burns, etc.
  • ashzacher
    ashzacher Posts: 114 Member
    I have the Polar FT4F.

    The band fits fine around my waist. It fell off once, because I had it on up side down, haha.
    I find that it burns calories pretty well, but I do always compare with MFP just to be sure.
    For example, I will do 20 mins cardio, then 15 mins lifting, then repeat.. My HRM burns more than MFP does while lifting - this may be because I'm running beforehand so my HR is up? I'm not sure.

    Either way, I don't think it's a bad investment. :)
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
    I've had an FT4 for about 2 years now. It really helps motivate me to see my HR & calories burned during a workout. Having used it on many different types of workouts over that time, I have to say generally I think it's pretty accurate.
  • krm0789
    krm0789 Posts: 134 Member
    I love my FT4. The battery was too weak to pick up the heart rate signal yesterday. I felt lost without it - seeing the calorie burn gives me a nice push when I want to quit! I'm sure it's not 100% accurate calorie-wise, but I like tracking my heart rate as well & it has been totally worth the investment.
  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
    Thank you for your opinions everyone. I think I'm gonna end up picking up the ft4 and doing as I said and just take away 33% so I have a buffer in-case it is overestimating some of my calories!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    There's no need to take any % off as a buffer. I've been using a Polar FT4 for workouts for the last 3-4 years and eat back most/all of my exercise calories and have no trouble losing weight. If you're going to take a 30% buffer, you might as well go by what the cardio machines or MFP give you for burns.
  • ashzacher
    ashzacher Posts: 114 Member
    Since we are on the subject, and this could maybe benefit the OP: Do you all take off (or 'buffer' I guess) calories considering you would have burned some regardless of if you were working out or not? For example if you do cardio for an hour and your HRM says 400 calories burned, do you account say 100 or so for the fact that you would have burned them anyways? Just something I always think about when I use mine!
  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
    Thank you for that info Minnie, I had read some topic on these forums somewhere (it was a bit older), saying there was some study done where they found it wasn't accurate because it didn't account for vo2max or something and on women it was off by about 33% or something. Which is where I got that number from. However, I kinda took that post and that study with a grain of salt because the study didn't have that many people in it.

    ashhzach:
    I actually had not thought of that, but that would be a good reason to just give myself a buffer anyway I suppose. :P
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
    IMHO: any HRM is better than having no HRM.

    I have used Polar. Currently using a Timex. Both are great. While nothing is 100% accurate, both were/are 'directionally correct'.

    I find that my HRM gets me to work out harder and more honestly.

    Good luck.

    Best!
  • beastmode_kitty
    beastmode_kitty Posts: 845 Member
    I bought the Polar FT4 almost a year ago, and its the best investment ever! It's pretty accurate IMO. Like others have said, having a HRM is better than not!
  • abetterbrandi
    abetterbrandi Posts: 131
    Kind of a novice when it comes to HRM. How do you see accurately how many calories you are burning? Is it something that syncs with MFP or?
  • FunSizedK
    FunSizedK Posts: 144 Member
    I bought this and loved it but after 6 months it stopped working and changing the battery did nothing so I called and they send me a new piece that clips on the the band but again I have had it for about 6 months and this one stopped working also I don't believe I will be getting another one!
  • loveasunnyday
    loveasunnyday Posts: 11 Member
    The Polar is a great brand. It is very helpful when running. I would absolutely recommend it. :smile:
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    I was kinda looking to get a hrm, and the polar ft4 is within my price range. However I've read so many post saying heart rate monitors are not more accurate than anything else. I realize that they are not 100% accurate, and was sorta planning on taking a 1/3 off whatever calories it says I burn and then inputting that so I have a nice cushion as I plan on eating back the calories I burn off. (I'm using mfp default way of doing things, not tdee -20%).

    Is it worth it or is it no better than using an online calculator that estimates it for you?

    Also, if I'm just as well off using an online calculator, what is a good one. Currently my main form of exercise is doing jumping jacks on a rebounder (mini-trampoline), because it doesn't hurt my knees as much.

    HRM is a waste of money !!! At least any of them with straps and **** ... you spend tons of time fixing the strap and looks like your rocking a bra if your a guy ... just saying ...save your money!!! However ... my HRM is a fantastic watch now ;)
  • Dreya711
    Dreya711 Posts: 79 Member
    I have been using the FT7 for little over a week now (only chose 7 over the 4 because Best Buy had a one day sale on it for $69.99). It works exceptionally well, very easy to use and I definitely work harder when wearing it. I never eat all my exercise calories back, not because I am afraid to, I'm just not that hungry in the evenings (when I tend to work out and earn the extra calories). I also wear a Jawbone UP (fitness tracker) and wish I'd just bought the HRM and saved my money on the Jawbone. It's fun for about a week, but I don't see the usefulness in it like I do the HRM. For the poster who asked how to see calories, you just push a button once your workout is over and it displays time worked out, how many calories you burned, how many were "fitness" calories and how many were "fat burning" calories.
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
    I love mine, easy to set up.
  • taylor5042
    taylor5042 Posts: 2
    KristaSandquist, My FT4 did the same thing. You have to leave the battery out for a few minutes when you change it.
    This is according to Polar tech support. (Not well documented).
  • CristinAndrus
    CristinAndrus Posts: 6 Member
    Love mine! I also have the Polar Loop. That also works with a chest strap and bluetooth monitor.
  • feltlikesound
    feltlikesound Posts: 326 Member
    I love my FT4, haven't had any trouble or issues with it in 2+ years other than one battery change. It motivates me like nothing else, and makes me feel more informed when it comes to managing my weight/fitness.
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
    KristaSandquist, My FT4 did the same thing. You have to leave the battery out for a few minutes when you change it.
    This is according to Polar tech support. (Not well documented).

    FYI, I went to a Batteries Plus (pretty sure that is a nationwide chain store) and they replaced the battery in mine. It was a reasonable price to begin with but the best part is that they guarantee FREE battery changes in my FT4 for the life of the product. Great savings over time!
  • Diamond05
    Diamond05 Posts: 475 Member
    Thank you for that info Minnie, I had read some topic on these forums somewhere (it was a bit older), saying there was some study done where they found it wasn't accurate because it didn't account for vo2max or something and on women it was off by about 33% or something.

    This. And that's why I got the Ft60. I really doubt mine overestimate calories. Also often I see people smaller than me in my friends list who burns crazy calories with this hrm. And I have a much smaller calorie burn than them. I usually work out at a good pace so I don't know if it's because they work out super crazy or if it overestimate , but I'm happy I went with the Ft60.i am not an expert of any sort and this is just my 2 cents :smile:

    I can also change the battery by myself with the Ft60 and I don't need to go to a store.
  • tanagrl
    tanagrl Posts: 4 Member
    Not sure about the FT4, but I bought the FT7 last year and absolutely LOVE it.. seems very accurate and a great motivation while working out-I would be lost without it!! As far as I know the two models are virtually the same aside from a little more memory capability with the FT7..Good luck! You definitely will not regret it.
  • carlaandres
    carlaandres Posts: 2
    I have an FT40, which has some additional bells and whistles, but if you buy on Amazon, you'll be amazed at the deals you can get. Long story short, I bought mine about a year ago to reference for calorie burn only. I wore it intermittently. Over time, I used it more and more often. Now I use it more to gauge the level of difficulty of my workouts to get the most out of them. This is particularly true for interval running and spin classes. I found it to be very accurate for calories (and similar to MFP), and would not recommend an additional % reduction (except that eating that 20% less calories than you burn might be a good plan!). The Polar is based on your fitness detail specific to your height, weight, gender, and reported activity level. Now, the additional good news/bad news is that as I am in much better physical condition, unless I work harder, my calorie burn is lower than MFP reported. I love mine and use it several times a week. It also has a fitness test that measures your improvement.
  • Aeramis13
    Aeramis13 Posts: 135 Member
    I used to have a Timex IronMan HRM that I suspected was high on burns (I guessed that it was 25-50% high). I finally borrowed a friend's FT4 and wore it at the same time as the Timex one. Sure enough, the calories burned count on the Timex IronMan HRM were almost double the Polar FT4 counts. I've always heard good things about Polar's accuracy (as long as you're using it for steady state calorie only as that's when HRM's are accurate), so I decided to believe the FT4 and buy my own Polar HRM. I shopped on Amazon and found that the FT7 was only a few bucks more but had a couple features I like (you can compare them here: http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/compare), so I went for the FT7 and I LOVE IT! Having an HRM (regardless of how accurate) really is a great motivator. I set a calories burned goal for every gym session and push myself to meet or beat it every time.

    As for eating exercise calories back, I personally choose to use the TDEE method for counting calories, so I don't eat my calories back in the same way you do. Might be something worth looking into (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/fivethreeone/view/how-did-i-eat-the-basics-tdee-calories-macros-570878)

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