HRM and Activity Trackers

Hello,

My Polar FT4 died :(

I am now wondering do I get a new HRM or do I go for an activity monitor this time around? I really loved my HRM as it was a great motivator and tracker for me when I ran races and just to see overall where my heart rate was during exercise.

I am just not sure where to begin on research and what is really out there.....any help is greatly appreciated!

:smile:

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    It depends alot on what you do and want to be able to track.

    HRMs are great because they can accurately track how hard you are working and calories for all sorts of cardio. By activity monitor I assume you mean a fitbit or jawbone? I have a fitbit one and it is really great for tracking your calories burned all day but if you want something to aid you with training type stuff (you mentioned you ran races?) it will not really help you stay in a target zone and will not be able to tell you your pace while you are doing the exercise. If you are serious about running you might want to look more into garmins or things that can track your runs and your heart rate and display them while you are in aciton. If you are not as concerned about heart rate: I really like the runkeeper app (free)- it can be used for andriod or iphones- it will use the gps in your phone to track your runs route, your speed, distance, elevation climbed, and estimates calories burned off of that (so far for me it is pretty accurate too) and will sync with MFP if you want.

    There are lots of options out there so think about what the most important information is for you to know and then that will help you zero in on a certain type of device.
  • tbrancs
    tbrancs Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you for your response!

    So I loved my HRM but, I think I want more...LOL if that makes any sense....

    I am serious about running and I just signed up for a half marathon but, this time around I really want to start lifting and building more muscle and take my fitness abilities to the next level. I want to really drop my body fat percentage.

    The HRM kept me motivated and I love it and feel lost without it but, I was thinking maybe the Polar Loop and I think you can use a chest strap with it...not sure...

    Is there anything out there that you know of that I can use to track activity but, also wear the strap for HRM during workouts??? Or does it seem like I will need both an activity tracker and HRM for this?

    So many gadgets out there and I am so confused I do not know where to begin with it!
  • So, unfortunately there is nothing out there at this point that is an activity tracker and a HRM combined. I recently just ended up purchasing a Fitbit Force and a couple weeks later I also bought a HRM. Yeah it's a couple hundred combined but my health is worth it, and I'll just budget less for other things over the next month. I wear my Fitbit Force throughout the day, except I take it off during my Insanity workouts. I use my HRM during my workouts. I have MFP synced to my fitbit account and I enter my activity into MFP from the HRM, and it asks for the activity performed, calories burned, and time of the activity, so that it automatically adjust my fitbit account during that time period to not use any "expected" burned calories since I am already manually entering them in.

    Any activity such as weight training or HIIT like Insanity will not be accurately tracked by an activity tracker such as fitbits, jawbone, or nike flex, so HRMs will be most accurate for that. What fitbits are best for , are tracking calories burned based on steps taken- so walking and running. So basically, if you are only a runner/walker you can get just an activity tracker and be fine. But if you are going to be combining any other activity such as weightlifting, you need a HRM.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Any activity such as weight training or HIIT like Insanity will not be accurately tracked by an activity tracker such as fitbits, jawbone, or nike flex, so HRMs will be most accurate for that.

    Actually, HRMs are not very accurate for HIIT or weight training. With the exception of the few that use Firstbeat's technology, they are most accurate at steady-state, continuous cardio, and not very accurate for activities where your heart rate changes rapidly, such as HIIT or lifting.
  • tbrancs
    tbrancs Posts: 13 Member
    So...you are saying... neither HRM (other than First beat technology) nor activity tracker is good for HIIT or lifting?
  • jessicalgay79
    jessicalgay79 Posts: 2 Member
    G123Girl... How did you sync your fitbit account to MFP? MFP is a much better food tracking and didn't think I could sync the two. Thanks!!
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Jessica- I also have mine synced (which is wonderful).

    You should be able to link them under apps (at the top of the screen). When you click the fitbit app on that screen it should give you an option to link accounts.
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    Polar sucks. No, seriously......Go buy a Garmin device, it'll make the Polar look like the toy that it is.
  • G123Girl
    G123Girl Posts: 10
    I've been using my Polar FT4 for monitoring my weight lifting and HIIT workouts. It's way more accurate than an activity tracker, and most people use HRMs for workout such as these. Since the chest strap monitors are continuously tracking your heart rate, it should accurately track your burn imo...but I suppose others disagree with that. I'm loving my HRM and Fitbit force so far:)

    Not sure what the responder meant by saying HRMs are not accurate for weight lifting and non walking/running activities. If there are other alternatives out there go for it, I just don't know of any third option other than HRMs and activity trackers.

    I love my Polar and it was under $100 so I like that. Go for another brand if you want to try another one out, each individual has their own preferences. I basically just looked at a bunch of reviews online and looked at the message boards on here to see what people were using .

    In regards to syncing MFP and Fitbit:

    https://help.fitbit.com/customer/portal/articles/1179771-how-do-i-integrate-fitbit-with-myfitnesspal-

    I would suggest using your computer vs. your phone, and if you are already logged into MFP and Fitbit it makes it easier. Hope that helps.
  • handyandy9x
    handyandy9x Posts: 93 Member
    Intrigued by an earlier comment on your thread and Googled what Garmin have to offer... seems they have a new product called the Vivofit, activity tracker with HRM combined. Have not seen any reviews on this as I guess this is new to the market and is reasonably priced. The only thing it doesn'\t seem to have is a GPS.
    Might have to investigate further.
  • Vic_of_Steel
    Vic_of_Steel Posts: 570 Member
    Actually if you are a big polar fan they have a new device called the polar loop. It is suppose to do a bit of both. You can track your activity all day and you can get the strap for your work outs. I was about to invest in one but I went with the fitbit force because I could link it to this. Plus I kept seeing people talk about how inaccurate HRMs were. At the end of the day all these days do is add some motivation to move more. If by some chance you get the loop you must tell me how it is!!! :) Hope this helped some.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    So...you are saying... neither HRM (other than First beat technology) nor activity tracker is good for HIIT or lifting?

    Afraid not - activity trackers will underestimate lifting burns because they calculate energy use based on steps taken, whereas most lifting involes staying more or less in one place.

    HRMs will overestimate because they calculate calorie burns based on the relationship between heart rate and O2 usage, but lifting and HIIT are anaerobic activities and therefore not directly related to O2 consumption.
  • mitzimcb
    mitzimcb Posts: 2
    so how do I find out how much more food I get to eat after doing a HIIT workout?