Heart Rate Monitor

melissarmonroe
melissarmonroe Posts: 30 Member
in Getting Started
I think I am going to get one of these, to get a better accurate of calories burned and my heart rate during exercise. I have been doing insanity (until I got shin splints so bad I couldn't keep going) and am now doing Hip Hop Abs and walking. I don't really trust the calorie measures for some of these. Long story short, I am wondering if you all recommend one with the chest strap or without. I like that the chest strap provides a continuous monitor, but I am not certain I will like wearing it. How do the watch ones work if you only touch it every so often? Not sure then how it can get an accurate calorie read. Any helpful hints those of you who have used one can share would be appreciated. Plus, I don't want to spend too much, so what would you recommend under say $50?

Replies

  • roanokejoe49
    roanokejoe49 Posts: 820 Member
    I think I am going to get one of these, to get a better accurate of calories burned and my heart rate during exercise. I have been doing insanity (until I got shin splints so bad I couldn't keep going) and am now doing Hip Hop Abs and walking. I don't really trust the calorie measures for some of these. Long story short, I am wondering if you all recommend one with the chest strap or without. I like that the chest strap provides a continuous monitor, but I am not certain I will like wearing it. How do the watch ones work if you only touch it every so often? Not sure then how it can get an accurate calorie read. Any helpful hints those of you who have used one can share would be appreciated. Plus, I don't want to spend too much, so what would you recommend under say $50?

    $50.00 is a stretch. Spend the extra money and get a decent unit. Go to Polarusa.com and look at their entry level monitors. I've used Polar HR monitors for 25 years. You can't go wrong.
  • melissarmonroe
    melissarmonroe Posts: 30 Member
    I figured as much. I am just afraid I won't continually use it and don't want to spend a lot of money!
  • Deb_622
    Deb_622 Posts: 694
    I have the Polar FT4 which has a chest strap with it. I wasn't sure that I wanted the chest strap either, but in researching the monitors, the ones with the chest strap are more accurate and give continuous readouts - which I wanted for Insanity.

    Honestly, I don't even notice that I have it on, and I like that I can just look at the watch to see what my current HR is at any time without taking a break from the workout.
  • chele1028
    chele1028 Posts: 248 Member
    I want to say I paid $64 online for my Polar FT4, it has a chest strap, and I don't even feel it, not bothersome at all. It has been a wonderful gadget for sure.
  • jobean12
    jobean12 Posts: 99 Member
    I have a polar and love it!!
  • jobean12
    jobean12 Posts: 99 Member
    agreed! Love it!~
  • jeffininer
    jeffininer Posts: 204 Member
    I have a Polar FT7. I was worried about the chest strap too, but I don't notice it at all. No one can tell I'm wearing it either. I wouldn't let that dissuade you. If you can't have a continuous monitor of your heart, you won't be able to tell the calorie burn with any accuracy. Hence, the need for the chest strap.
  • dltp223
    dltp223 Posts: 28 Member
    I second the Polar FT4 recommendation. It's a basic unit and does exactly what I need it to do. I paid around $60.
  • loubidy
    loubidy Posts: 440 Member
    If you wear a sports bra, mine just sits underneath the bottom elastic bit of it so I don't feel it. It is my absolute favourite thing I own if you can stretch your budget get a polar FT7 (shop around I got mine for £60 GBP off amazon uk and its £95 in the sports shop).

    I wear it for any exercise I do and its great because it shows me my time spent on fitness or fat burning (the FT4 doesn't have this feature) I'm so glad I got one with a chest strap because I don't notice it at all and it gives me a constant accurate reading so now I am getting to know what heartrate I need to work at to be most effective in my workouts.

    Sorry about the shinsplints, they are killers I'm currently off running due to mine :(
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Heart rate monitors work best for steady-state aerobic exercise without a lot of variation in effort. Think running or bicycling at a constant speed, at a pace where you can talk, but it takes an effort to talk in complete sentences. Your heart speeds up and then reaches a plateau.

    They are not very useful for interval exercise, where the intensity is changing frequently, or for strength training.

    The exceptions are the HRMs that use Firstbeat, Inc.'s proprietary technology, which supposedly does a good job of measuring energy expenditure in interval exercise and other exercises where your heart rate is changing significantly. There are a handful of HRMs that use Firstbeat's technology, made by Garmin and Suunto, and they're fairly expensive.

    Here are some references on traditional HRMS: One study of the Polar F6 showed that, even calibrated with subjects' actual VO2max and HRmax, it overestimated energy expenditure by 27% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21178923). An earlier study showed that the Polar S410 overestimated energy expenditure in women by 12% (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15292754). Another study found that the Polar S810i overestimated expenditure when exercising lightly but not moderately (http://www.jssm.org/vol9/n3/21/v9n3-21abst.php). The research seems to suggest that HRMs are less accurate for women than they are for men.

    The study by Keytel et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15966347) that produced a widely-used formula found that it was reasonably accurate for groups when VO2max had been measured, but less accurate without measurement of VO2max - in the latter case, over 26% of the variance in energy expenditure was not explained by their equation, which uses heart rate, gender, age, and weight to estimate calories consumed.
  • Michelleh118
    Michelleh118 Posts: 42 Member
    I love my FT7, wouldn't be without it, I got mine from EBay.
  • SnowWhiteFanatic
    SnowWhiteFanatic Posts: 129 Member
    I have a FT7. Love it!! Wouldn't exercise without it!
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
    I have a FT7. Love it!! Wouldn't exercise without it!

    ditto. I got mine for $70 on Amazon. I also didn't think I would like the chest strap, but it really doesn't bother me at all. I forget it's there once the damp strap warms to body temp.
  • taravernier
    taravernier Posts: 12 Member
    If you have a smart phone, Polar now has a chest strap that connects to that instead of a watch. It is the H7 and I really like it. I have my phone with me anyway and since I like to work with kettlebells I was always worried I was going to break the watch with the bell hitting it.
  • VanillaSmile427
    VanillaSmile427 Posts: 45
    I have a polar! love it!! :D
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00EY4DGFE/sr=8-1/qid=1392769651/ref=olp_tab_all?ie=UTF8&colid=&coliid=&me=&qid=1392769651&seller=&sr=8-1

    polar ft7
  • sonjarogers72
    sonjarogers72 Posts: 110 Member
    LOVE MY POLAR FT4
  • oceanbreeze27
    oceanbreeze27 Posts: 66 Member
    I just started using a HRM and I love it! It's not the best one on the market but it was within my budget. Hopefully I'll be able to upgrade to something a bit more accurate in the near future. I love watching that calorie burned number go up and up and up!
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    I purchased a Garmin 310XT with a hard chest strap. It came with a soft chest strap....you get what you pay for...hence I ordered a "hard". Its great. I use it for any cardio (HIIT, Insanity, biking) and also walking, heavy yard work, etc. Not really use it for weight lifting. My main use is biking tho. It really helped me to see where my calorie burn was at when my energy level tanked (about the 1,350 burn mark). (I don't like running, but works for running, too.) This summer I plan to swim with it as it is water Proof (vs water Resistant).

    Don't look at it as a bunch of money spent on a HRM, look at is a long-term piece of equipment helping you to get to your fitness goals. You'll be glad you spent a bit more and got a better one than a cheapo.
  • misskb11
    misskb11 Posts: 16 Member
    Agreed! I thought I would hate having a chest strap but I dont even feel it. Sometimes I forget it is on now! Totally go with a Polar, you will love it.
  • TigAmv1
    TigAmv1 Posts: 6 Member
    Last year I had a Garmin to track my calories but it was super bulky because I got the one with GPS tracking on it for outdoor runs. A couple of months ago I bought the Polar FT7 from Amazon and LOVE IT. The chest strap clips on the side instead of the back so it's way easier to put on. I can't feel it when I wear it and exercise and the watch part of it is light and barely noticeable compared to the bulky Garmin one I was using before. It works great and I love it. Definitely helps me track my calories burned when I do my T25 exercise or use my treadmill. Hope this helps!
  • arheasn
    arheasn Posts: 26 Member
    Before buying a heart rate monitor, I have a few questions I haven't seen addressed here or on the websites I've checked.

    1) Do the electrodes use adhesive of any type to attach to the skin? Not interested in aggravating my adhesive allergies if this is the case.

    2) I have always had problems wearing watches; I seem to have something that kills the batteries or messes up the clockworks in a very short period of time. Believe me, I have tried many times over the last 35+ years to find a watch that will last longer than a couple of months when in contact with my skin. Is there anyone else out there with this issue and how have you found it to affect the HRM of your choice?

    Thanks for the discussions here and the links for researching the products.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Before buying a heart rate monitor, I have a few questions I haven't seen addressed here or on the websites I've checked.

    1) Do the electrodes use adhesive of any type to attach to the skin? Not interested in aggravating my adhesive allergies if this is the case.

    2) I have always had problems wearing watches; I seem to have something that kills the batteries or messes up the clockworks in a very short period of time. Believe me, I have tried many times over the last 35+ years to find a watch that will last longer than a couple of months when in contact with my skin. Is there anyone else out there with this issue and how have you found it to affect the HRM of your choice?

    Thanks for the discussions here and the links for researching the products.

    1 - No, not like lab monitors which is for different purpose. Though getting a good signal can be problematic if skin stays dry.

    2 - If you think there is something with your electrical field messes up watches, it ain't going to allow a HR sensor to read correctly either.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    If $50 is a stretch, forget it.

    Even the cheaper Polar's everyone is recommending (FT5/FT7) isn't going to be that accurate, especially as you get fit fast.
    Fatal flaw - no VO2max stat to self-test or enter in.

    They assume VO2max based on your BMI status (healthy to unhealthy, based on age and gender), and while some may luck out and fall correctly in that range, the majority won't, especially on a site about losing weight and getting fit.

    Guess which one happens first between those two?

    And besides, as one other poster mentioned above - wrong tool for your desired workout.

    The formula in HRM's for calorie burn is about steady-state aerobic, same HR for 2-4 min.

    Your planned workout is totally non-steady state, therefore inflated calorie burns, and dips in to the anaerobic zone often, also an reason for inflated.

    So for you stated reason of accuracy - forget it.

    Invest in a good scale for weighing your food.

    Log correctly for 1 month.

    Then your weight loss and your amount actually eaten on average will tell you what your TDEE, or total day maintenance is. Then you adjust your eating goal to stay reasonable from there.

    Just confirm you eat enough, more is better than too little, while still having a deficit.
  • arheasn
    arheasn Posts: 26 Member
    Thank you for taking the time to reply heybales. I think for now I'll just stick with counting my pulse as I have been doing for a long time and trying to make sure I'm at least moving every day.
  • Shell_1384
    Shell_1384 Posts: 80 Member
    BUMP - I'm considering buying a HRM, too. Thanks for all the info everyone!
  • DSTMT
    DSTMT Posts: 417 Member
    2) I have always had problems wearing watches; I seem to have something that kills the batteries or messes up the clockworks in a very short period of time. Believe me, I have tried many times over the last 35+ years to find a watch that will last longer than a couple of months when in contact with my skin. Is there anyone else out there with this issue and how have you found it to affect the HRM of your choice?

    Thanks for the discussions here and the links for researching the products.

    That used to happen to me all the time as a kid, I killed every watch I had within a few days, and they'd never work again after lol. Weird thing is, when I switched wearing them from my left arm to my right, it never happened again. Now I just have a tendency to turn overhead street lights on or off if they're flickering already when I walk under them lol

Categories