Favorite Heart Rate Monitor

polar ft40 because it breaks down my calories burned and fat percentage at the end of my workout.

If you have a smart phone, consider the Zephyr. It's a Bluetooth HRM that communicates with your Android phone via the Endomondo app. I paid $75 for the Zephyr on Amazon. You can download the Endomondo app for free, although I would recommend breaking the bank and paying $2 for the Pro version.

I used to have an iPod attached to one arm and a dedicated HRM strapped to the other. And when cycling, I'd also have a GPS on my bike. I looked like a science experiment. With the Zephyr, everything is combined, contained and controlled with my phone.

Endomondo Pro, coupled with the Zephyr HRM, is easily the most effective (results and cost) training tool I've ever used. And it's a very nice bonus that MFP and Endomondo share data. All of my workout calorie burns are automatically uploaded to MFP which is very convenient. Endomondo utilizes the phone's GPS capabilities to track all workouts. In addition to your heart rate, you can track your speed, lap times, elevations changes, calories burned, steps taken (yes, it has a pedometer), pace and more. And all of this data is displayed in big, beautiful, living color on your phone's screen. A very nice upgrade over the tiny displays on dedicated HRMs.

The latest release of Endomondo has greatly expanded the audio coaching capabilities of the app. You can now customize the app to provide exactly the information you would like to hear as you workout. It will tell you your heart rate, speed, pace, calories burned, elapsed time, etc. at whatever intervals you choose. This is very handy for me because my primary cardio in the winter is cross country skiing, and my arms are heavily involved in each workout. It's very nice to have all the vital information spoken in my headphones. I never have to stop my arm swing to see my heart rate or other data.

All of your workout data is maintained in history files on your phone, and it's also automatically uploaded to the Endomondo website where you can analyze your workouts in much greater depth. Unfortunately, Endomondo recently locked out some of the analytical features on the free version of the website application, forcing you to buy a monthly subscription to get the full suite of tools. I use the paid version because I'm an analytical geek who scrutinizes every workout to find clues for ways to improve my speed, fitness, etc.

The only potential negative is that you can't change the battery. Once it had been recharged to death, you will have to purchase a new transmitting pod at $50 to $60. I can't say how many recharges the thing will take before it dies, however. I have had mine for about a year and even with daily use, it's still going strong.

This combination of tools has been key in helping me dramatically improve fitness markers such as resting heart rate, recovery heart rate, lactate threshold, blood pressure, etc. I can't imagine every going back to a dedicated HRM.

Looking into incorporating a hear rate monitor into my workouts! What are some of your favorites and why?

Anythign from Garmin, Suunto, and Polar will be pretty good. Just pick the one with the features/price you want. I've got both a Suunto and a Garmin and have been very happy with both. Battery life on the Garmin does seem to be a little short though.

If you want to connect the HRM to your phone, I also recommend Zephyr HxM. I had to replace the belt (not the transmitter) after nearly 2 years of daily use., but otherwise it's great. I also tried Polar Bluetooth with my phone but I had a lot of problems with weak signal and short battery life, so out of those two I'd definitely suggest Zephyr.
Regarding the apps, I tried several Android apps with it, and I decided on Digifit apps (iCardio, Spinning, etc) mostly because it's rather simple in design and can be connected straight to MFP. you need to buy pro version of the app though to use it with HRM.

I used to have a Polar FT7. It did it's job....counted cals burned and kept track of HR.

Now I have the FT60 and I am so glad I made the switch. The FT60 gives me a workout plan based on my goals. It gives me a certain # of cals to burn and a time goal for each zone that I should reach each week...which is super motivating. It also has a VO2 max test that makes my cals burned a little more personalized than just putting in my height, weight, and age.

I have used the FT60 for years and it is rocks solid! Better than the FT80 in my opinion.

I recently ordered the RS800CX GPS G5 because I intend to take things to a whole new level, but FT60 is a hell of a machine.

I'm on Iphone and I did the Digifit / Polar H7 combo. Polar H7 is around $70 on Amazon and Digifit pro is $7.99. Digifit works with both iOS and Android and automatically syncs all your activity to your MFP account. with the HRM attached it shows metrics like FATcal burned, Fat%, Carb% as well as the typical distance, time and overall calorie burn. You can set specific workout routines in there for all your cardio workouts. So far I'm digging the combo...the HRM is a chest strap style. So far it seems to be pretty accurate.

Same as this...

I recently purchased a FT40 and love it as well. A question do you eat all the calories it says you burn? Also, do you try to stay in fat burn zone for certain period of time? Pro and cons of being in fat burning versus fitness zone as I find when i run or step I CANT get much time in fat burning zone?

Does anyone use one without a chest strap? I have a New Balance one that's ok, but I'd love to have something effective with just a watch/wrist strap.

Does anyone use one without a chest strap? I have a New Balance one that's ok, but I'd love to have something effective with just a watch/wrist strap.

Doesn't exist yet.

Does anyone use one without a chest strap? I have a New Balance one that's ok, but I'd love to have something effective with just a watch/wrist strap.

Yes, I have a Mio. It has two buttons on the face that you lay your first two fingers on and it gets your Hr it is accurate. It counts calories among other things. I am looking into getting a Polar though. Unfortunately I don't think the Mio is accurate with calorie count. I think this is because it only records your heart rate when you ask it to apposed to a chest strap which would continuously monitor it.

Does anyone use one without a chest strap? I have a New Balance one that's ok, but I'd love to have something effective with just a watch/wrist strap.

Yes, I have a Mio. It has two buttons on the face that you lay your first two fingers on and it gets your Hr it is accurate. It counts calories among other things. I am looking into getting a Polar though. Unfortunately I don't think the Mio is accurate with calorie count. I think this is because it only records your heart rate when you ask it to apposed to a chest strap which would continuously monitor it.

Right.. Chest strap HRMs are accurate.

I used to have a Polar FT7. It did it's job....counted cals burned and kept track of HR.

Now I have the FT60 and I am so glad I made the switch. The FT60 gives me a workout plan based on my goals. It gives me a certain # of cals to burn and a time goal for each zone that I should reach each week...which is super motivating. It also has a VO2 max test that makes my cals burned a little more personalized than just putting in my height, weight, and age.

I have used the FT60 for years and it is rocks solid! Better than the FT80 in my opinion.

I recently ordered the RS800CX GPS G5 because I intend to take things to a whole new level, but FT60 is a hell of a machine.

I love that this one offers a workout out plan!!!

I find it pretty motivating. And it's totally changed the way I train. I used to go 100% everytime and I'd burn myself out. The ft60 made me realize that I need to hit all 3 zones when I workout.

Zephyr now has a HxM Smart which is marketed towards the iPhone. Its presently $54 on Amazon instead of $74 for the "Android" version. The big difference is the HxM Smart is Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) and the fact it uses coin batteries. I have tested and can confirm that the Endomondo app running on my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100) on Android 4.3 works great. The mere fact that its low energy is supposed to greatly increase battery life (and the battery is replaceable by twisting off the back of the device). The packaging also came with a replacement battery. During one of my workouts I had some cutting out from my Bluetooth headset. I resolved it by keeping the screen on. My issues probably has more to do with running too many apps and "Battery savings" enabled than anything else. Also in a different app they recommended turning off WiFi while using the Bluetooth LE for better reliability of the connection.

The REAL big difference between using the HxM and the HxM Smart is... With the HxM, you pair the device using the phone's Bluetooth pairing software. With HxM Smart (Because its Bluetooth LE) the device never shows up in the phones Bluetooth pairing software. You have to use the specific app to connect to the Low Energy device. It varies from app to app. You can only connect the HxM Smart to one app at a time. For Endomondo its under Settings -> Accessory Settings -> Bluetooth SMART Sensors. You tap the Scan button and the Zephyr HXM20000xxxx device instantly appears in the list. You can tap it and it connects right up. With some applications, the "device profile" you have to use is the BLE Heart Rate monitor. (which is another Bluetooth LE hear rate monitor device) I've downloaded iCardio and it does in fact support the HxM Smart sensor for $2.99. You can purchase both Sensors and Fitness Assessments for $5.99 inside iCardio.

Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy appear to require Android 4.3 to work correctly.
Digifit has a small partial listing of compatible devices here:
http://blog.digifit.com/2013/12/androids-bluetooth-energy-compatiblity/

So perhaps this HxM Smart solves some of the problems you have against the HxM while adding some new problems to the mix! =D :happy:

If you have a smart phone, consider the Zephyr. It's a Bluetooth HRM that communicates with your Android phone via the Endomondo app. I paid $75 for the Zephyr on Amazon. You can download the Endomondo app for free, although I would recommend breaking the bank and paying $2 for the Pro version.

I used to have an iPod attached to one arm and a dedicated HRM strapped to the other. And when cycling, I'd also have a GPS on my bike. I looked like a science experiment. With the Zephyr, everything is combined, contained and controlled with my phone.

Endomondo Pro, coupled with the Zephyr HRM, is easily the most effective (results and cost) training tool I've ever used. And it's a very nice bonus that MFP and Endomondo share data. All of my workout calorie burns are automatically uploaded to MFP which is very convenient. Endomondo utilizes the phone's GPS capabilities to track all workouts. In addition to your heart rate, you can track your speed, lap times, elevations changes, calories burned, steps taken (yes, it has a pedometer), pace and more. And all of this data is displayed in big, beautiful, living color on your phone's screen. A very nice upgrade over the tiny displays on dedicated HRMs.

The latest release of Endomondo has greatly expanded the audio coaching capabilities of the app. You can now customize the app to provide exactly the information you would like to hear as you workout. It will tell you your heart rate, speed, pace, calories burned, elapsed time, etc. at whatever intervals you choose. This is very handy for me because my primary cardio in the winter is cross country skiing, and my arms are heavily involved in each workout. It's very nice to have all the vital information spoken in my headphones. I never have to stop my arm swing to see my heart rate or other data.

All of your workout data is maintained in history files on your phone, and it's also automatically uploaded to the Endomondo website where you can analyze your workouts in much greater depth. Unfortunately, Endomondo recently locked out some of the analytical features on the free version of the website application, forcing you to buy a monthly subscription to get the full suite of tools. I use the paid version because I'm an analytical geek who scrutinizes every workout to find clues for ways to improve my speed, fitness, etc.

The only potential negative is that you can't change the battery. Once it had been recharged to death, you will have to purchase a new transmitting pod at $50 to $60. I can't say how many recharges the thing will take before it dies, however. I have had mine for about a year and even with daily use, it's still going strong.

This combination of tools has been key in helping me dramatically improve fitness markers such as resting heart rate, recovery heart rate, lactate threshold, blood pressure, etc. I can't imagine every going back to a dedicated HRM.

I used to have a Polar FT7. It did it's job....counted cals burned and kept track of HR.

Now I have the FT60 and I am so glad I made the switch. The FT60 gives me a workout plan based on my goals. It gives me a certain # of cals to burn and a time goal for each zone that I should reach each week...which is super motivating. It also has a VO2 max test that makes my cals burned a little more personalized than just putting in my height, weight, and age.

I have used the FT60 for years and it is rocks solid! Better than the FT80 in my opinion.

I recently ordered the RS800CX GPS G5 because I intend to take things to a whole new level, but FT60 is a hell of a machine.

I love that this one offers a workout out plan!!!

I find it pretty motivating. And it's totally changed the way I train. I used to go 100% everytime and I'd burn myself out. The ft60 made me realize that I need to hit all 3 zones when I workout.

Ditto these two for the same reasons... glad I upgrade my FT7 to the FT60.
In all honestly, I usually just wear my fitbit these days.