HRM what do you use and why?

A heart rate monitor will only record accurately the calories for steady sate cardio. If you want to record all day calories then you need to look at a fitbit

I use a polar FT7 but the primary use isn't for calories my main use is for pacing and monitoring my HR and exertion for Running. The calorie feature is just a useful add on to me

I use Garmin GPS devices (an Edge 800 for cycling, a Forerunner 620 for running and Nordic skiing) because I want to track where and how far I have gone as well as heart rate. Those products, and a few others from Garmin and Suunto, use a method developed by the Finnish company Firstbeat to estimate energy expenditure (calories burned); it's supposedly more accurate than the method used by most HRMs.

If you want to analyze daily activity, though, an HRM is not ideal. It's best for steady-state cardio that is at least moderate in intensity, and fairly useless for other activities. Plus you have to wear the strap all the time if you want to record your heart rate. For ordinary activity, a Fitbit etc. is better.

I have asked for the polar ft7 for my birthday on Friday after researching it seemed to suit my needs for price.

It is all about when you want to use it and what you want to use it for. I dont monitor the full day, only the exercise activity.

A long time ago a bought a cheap tesco HRM, but not understanding what I was looking at and how I was setting it up, I started getting annoyed because it kept beeping at me telling me my heart was going to fast. I threw it away, not realising that it was working fine, it was me that wasnt.

When I started looking into things properly and understanding what it was all about, I considerd the fitbit, the polar (my sister has one) and the Garmin, but It really is an individual thing, a Garmin wouldnt suit my sister as she does classes and indoor activity rather than outdoor so there is no need for the GPS, but as I go outdoors and indoors I wanted the GPS.

I now use the Garmin 220 with strap. When outside running, walking or cycling it provides a map, steps cadence, pace and heartrate including zones. If I am on the treadmill it still works as though I am outside but without GPS (so no need for a map) and if I'm doing other indoor activity such as the stationary bike, eliptical trainer, rowing marchine or just weights, I put it on training and still get my calories burned based on heartrate and can adjust my workout based on what zone I am looking to train in.

I was using a cheap one before (always with chest strap) stopping to take your pulse takes so much away so it's pointless to me...chest strap's a must here.... But cheap ones have the strap in thick rubber (oh god! so not fun to wear).

So I got myself the Polar FT4 (silver-grey one). It does EVERYTHING i need. The chest strap is in fabric, so so much more fun to wear. Easy to use too. (only thing was the beep sound but you can shut it off in the settings so lol).

It's very accurate too and not too expensive. (My opinion... Polar,Garmin and Suunto are the best ones). I have friends using all these different brand and they are all happy. But some are very high tech and expensive...which i don't need.

I use my my phone to monitor the HRM at the moment.

Did have a motoactv and tempted to get one again.

Polar FT7 user here too. I love it. It allows you to put in your age/weight/sex etc so it gives you a more accurate calorie burn when exercising. You do have to wear the chest strap with the module, because that is how it communicates to the watch. Unlike a FitBit, where you just wear it on your wrist.

I liked the FT7 because it had calorie tracking, a "heart rate zone", which tells you if you are in fat burning mode, or fitness mode. That was helpful to me. The only thing I wish it did have was a distance meter, so if I'm walking or jogging etc, I could know how far I have traveled. That to me is the only downside though. It's a fantastic tool for the price.

I have the Polar FT60. Works great.

I have a polar FT6 that I wear while cycling and when I am on an elliptical trainer. It is not perfect, but it is more accurate than the MFP database for me. It averages 150 -175 calories less than the database, and about 50 cals less than the elliptical trainer.

I'm another Polar FT7 user and flip flopped back and forth about getting one for at least 18 months (mainly due to price and the fact that we live in a constant state of broke) but then my mom finally got me one as an early valentines day present and I love it. It's so simple to set up and use and the calorie counts are so much lower than what MFP has been telling me for years that it's no wonder I've been stalled for awhile, I've been eating too damn much! However, I do still want a fitbit or Nike fuel band to help me better track overall daily movement to help remind me to not be so lazy the rest of here day.

I use a Mio Alpha wristwatch HRM (I don’t like messing with the chest strap), linked through Bluetooth to the Digifit app. I have been happy with it so far (it was a Christmas present so I haven’t had it long).

I use it for all exercise, even non-steady state. It is less reliable for things like strength training, but it does give me roughly the same calories per minute burn rate as tables I’ve found online, so it is as good a method as any for figuring out my calorie burn.

I have both a FitBit One for daily activity and a Polar FT4 for cardio. Most of my cardio is indoors - swimming, stationary bike, etc so I didn't need one with a GPS. When I do walk outside I use MapMyWalk on my phone. It uses the phone GPS to map where I'm going and calculate pace, etc.

My MFP activity level is set to sedentary because I have a desk job. However I'm making an effort to be more active by taking the stairs, parking further away, etc. The FitBit tracks that extra activity, and when appropriate gives me extra calories in MFP.

I have found the MFP calorie burns for cardio to be much higher than either the FitBit (for walking) or the HRM. The HRM still may not be perfect, but I think it is closer than the default MFP numbers. I use the HRM for activities like biking or swimming where the FitBit isn't any good.

For the Polar FT4, do you need to wear the watch, or is all of the biometric sensing done by the chest strap?

I am looking to get a monitor, but I want to use it for my boxing workouts, and fear the watch will be too uncomfortable under the boxing glove.

Thanks

For the Polar FT4, do you need to wear the watch, or is all of the biometric sensing done by the chest strap?

I am looking to get a monitor, but I want to use it for my boxing workouts, and fear the watch will be too uncomfortable under the boxing glove.

Thanks

clip it to your belt

I bought the Polar H7 because it links to my iPhone and using an app will sync with MFP after each workout so I don't have to log anything.

Same but I use mine with my Galaxy S3. It's fantastic.