Just bought my first HRM

HMDurham005
HMDurham005 Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm really excited that I finally have an HRM. I hate relying on what the average calorie burn is for each exercise as I don't find that very accurate for me. I've never really known how many calories I have been burning so this is a great step for me. I just bought the Polar FT4. Has anyone else used this monitor? Did you like it and did the strap stay on even during strenuous activity? I take turbo sport (modified kickboxing) on Tuesdays so I want to make sure it'll stay put.

Also, I need more friends if anyone wants to friend me. :)

Replies

  • StephyGetsHealthy
    StephyGetsHealthy Posts: 46
    I also bought the Polar FT4 recently, and I love it.
    Once I put the strap on I completely forget its there. I left it there for a couple hours after I left the gym this morning :embarassed:.

    I've never done kick boxing, but the strap has never moved on me!

    You can add me if you like. :smile:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Just so it's crystal clear - HRMs don't measure calorie burns. They measure heart rate, and then do MFP-style math on that to guess at calorie burns.

    Be very, very careful about taking at face value any numbers your HRM gives you. Especially if you do "home workout" type exercise.
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
    Hi! Sending you a friend request now. I have the Polar FT7, and it uses the same transmitter and strap as the FT4. I have never had any problem with it falling off, although I have had to adjust it occassionallly because it was not making good contact with my skin. I really like using the HRM - I usually subtract about 100 calories/hour because I would have burned those even if I was just sitting around.
  • fionat29
    fionat29 Posts: 717 Member
    I have the same model and love it!! It stays put through everything, even swimming. Just make sure you have the chest strap tight enough and moisten the sensor pads (I like mine! Ewww! ) Lol!! I've had mine for for a few years now and only ever needed one battery for the watch. It was easily bought from Amazon and changed by my hubby.
    Enjoy your new purchase!!
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Just so it's crystal clear - HRMs don't measure calorie burns. They measure heart rate, and then do MFP-style math on that to guess at calorie burns.

    Be very, very careful about taking at face value any numbers your HRM gives you. Especially if you do "home workout" type exercise.

    Yep, seconded. It could help you a bit, but they are designed strictly for walking/jogging/running. The more you deviate from those activities (strictly speaking), the sloppier the results.
  • KariQuiteContrary
    KariQuiteContrary Posts: 274 Member
    I have had the same one for 2 years now (FT4) and LOVE it! Yes it does stay put during crazy activities if fitted right (I've worn my with everything from insanity to running to lifting).

    As to what Mr_Knight said, yes it's still not 100% accurate but as you'll find out, a FAR better option than guesstimating with mfp's "average" calorie burn. (This is especially true for me because I lift). One piece of advice to help with the accuracy. If you are going to the gym and will have more than a few minutes between activities (say you stop to talk to someone), use the pause function so it doesn't ad calories burned for when you're essentially doing nothing. The only exception I make to this is the rest periods between lifts.
  • HMDurham005
    HMDurham005 Posts: 13
    Thank you all for the helpful advice. I agree Kari, it is a better option than guessing! I understand I'll have to figure the math myself but I do like the suggestion of subtracting 100 calories/hr. My workout routine usually involves one of the following per day: circuit training, kickboxing, HIIT, 20x20x20, Zumba, Powersculpt. Not always in that order though. All my classes are for one hour each with no interruptions in between. I normally participate 1 hour, 3 - 4 days per week.
  • jmeyer925
    jmeyer925 Posts: 326 Member
    HRM's are a wonderful resource compared to just the estimations on here.

    Here are a few tips from me on them:

    -You'll wet the strap to activate the electrodes before you work out (took me too long to figure that out when I got it)

    -Don't fall into the "every activity I do gets monitored" trap. Even with long cool down activities (light walking, stretching, getting water out of the fridge), people will keep their heart monitor going for too long, giving a false calorie count. Because the watch is assuming you're still doing the heart pumping activities. If you just keep it going during the main activity, the calorie count should be fairly accurate.

    -Male/female can be for anyone. I liked that the female was slightly smaller than the male, but it can be used for either gender

    -Unless you plan on doing major monitoring through their polar software (which isn't really that necessary) the FT4 ot FT7 is sufficient.

    -My strap wore out after about a year, so I ordered a strap to replace it, and didn't have to buy a whole new unit.

    Hope that helps :)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Thank you all for the helpful advice. I agree Kari, it is a better option than guessing! I understand I'll have to figure the math myself but I do like the suggestion of subtracting 100 calories/hr. My workout routine usually involves one of the following per day: circuit training, kickboxing, HIIT, 20x20x20, Zumba, Powersculpt. Not always in that order though. All my classes are for one hour each with no interruptions in between. I normally participate 1 hour, 3 - 4 days per week.

    Unfortunately, an HRM isn't going to be very accurate with those activities. It is my understanding that HRMs are for steady state cardio. I don't believe any of those activities qualify do they? Really just kinda curious.
  • HMDurham005
    HMDurham005 Posts: 13
    I understand that there will be some inaccuracy but I'm betting my guesstimates are much more inaccurate. I will keep that in mind though. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a runner so I prefer the classes.

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