What type of Heart Rate Monitor does everyone recommend?

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rosita76
rosita76 Posts: 62
in Fitness and Exercise
Im on the hunt to buy one.

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  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
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    same here I am researching it atm.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    Polar. Love mine!
  • LiveLife73
    LiveLife73 Posts: 73
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    Polar brands are very highly rated... i went to buy one today for $109, i wanted to make sure the watch would fit comfy but they wouldnt let me open it up and try.. also no refunds or exchanges they told me... didnt feel to good after that.. left without it..
  • KadieA
    KadieA Posts: 167
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    I am too. There are a lot of topics on this.
    Unfortunately the good ones are out of my price range for right now. I may check out amazon and ebay though. I really want one now I'm going to start really working out.
  • BrentGetsFit
    BrentGetsFit Posts: 878 Member
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    I've got a Polar FT4, the watch strap is pretty darn big with closely spaced holes. I can't imagine it not fitting most people. I got mine on eBay for under $70 brand new. It's normally a $90-$100 model.
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
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    Polar F6. I love it. It's the only HRM I've ever had, but I wear it to run, bike, and even to swim, and I haven't had any issues at all. It's worth the money. And the chest strap is way more comfortable than I thought it would be.
  • Can75
    Can75 Posts: 13 Member
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    I just got an Oregon Scientific one marked down to $40. So far it has been fairly accurate.
  • kingnothing
    kingnothing Posts: 2 Member
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    I cycle about 200 miles a month and train mostly according to heart rate. I bought a timex road trainer, it's simple and also looks good as a stand alone watch. It is about $100. I have never had trouble with it. I bought my wife a Timex heartrate monitor at Academy sports for $50. It is very nice, not as cool as the road trainer, but works great. I don't like the Polar monitors, they look horrible as a watch for everyday use.

    Both Timex monitors have a chest strap and are very accurate and will store data from the previous workout so you can log lowest highest and average heartrate. It also has a lap timer and total calories burned for the workout.
  • LiveLife73
    LiveLife73 Posts: 73
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    @ BrentGetsFit .. the watch band is pretty big u say... whats the fiffernce with the FT4 and FT7.. thanks
  • BrentGetsFit
    BrentGetsFit Posts: 878 Member
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    @ BrentGetsFit .. the watch band is pretty big u say... whats the fiffernce with the FT4 and FT7.. thanks

    I just went and measured the band,from the very last hole to the latch pin is 9", should be plenty big. Just glancing at the Polar site, the FT7 has the ability to transfer data to your computer via an optional base station. It also breaks down the HR zone you're in a little finer than the FT4. Hope this helps :)
  • lculian
    lculian Posts: 313 Member
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    Polar FT7 I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! EASY to program works for swimming and any other sport you can think of, even heavy cleaning:)
    Having a heart rate monitor changed the way I work out. It challenges me and has given me a ton of confidence. Don't wait go...Shop, BUY and ENJOY!!!
  • KadieA
    KadieA Posts: 167
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    I cycle about 200 miles a month and train mostly according to heart rate. I bought a timex road trainer, it's simple and also looks good as a stand alone watch. It is about $100. I have never had trouble with it. I bought my wife a Timex heartrate monitor at Academy sports for $50. It is very nice, not as cool as the road trainer, but works great. I don't like the Polar monitors, they look horrible as a watch for everyday use.

    Both Timex monitors have a chest strap and are very accurate and will store data from the previous workout so you can log lowest highest and average heartrate. It also has a lap timer and total calories burned for the workout.
    I was just looking at the Timex ones on Amazon and have read some pretty good reviews. I was going to come back here to ask if anyone had tried them. Glad to see you've had a good experience with it. I may consider buying the Timex Zone Trainer as it's in my price range :)
    I agree...the Polars, at least the ones I've seen, are pretty unattractive.
  • stephanielynn76
    stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
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    thanks for the suggestions yall... I've been curious about this too and have researched brands but didn't know what to buy...
  • thehobbyist
    thehobbyist Posts: 23
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    I love my Polar F6. I can't compare it to other HRMs, but I can say that whatever you're considering, look at the reviews on Amazon, then just get one. There's something so encouraging about having an accurate number of calories burned available to you to compare one workout's effectiveness to another. I've also found if I put it on in the day, it encourages me to get moving and be active so I end up dancing around my apartment (particularly while doing dishes) to burn extra calories. Good luck!
  • kingnothing
    kingnothing Posts: 2 Member
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    Kadie, the Timex Zone trainer is the one I bought my wife and it is very nice. You set your weight and it gives a calorie expendeture based on that weight, time of exercise and heart rate. It is very light weight also. I have been using mine for over a year and I never notice the heart rate strap. I used heart rate training to lose 25 pounds.
  • traceysu
    traceysu Posts: 2
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    I like running and walking; the GPS heartrate monitor watch Garmin Forerunner 305 is pretty accurate for me.
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    If you're at all the type to exercise outside, and can afford to spend a little extra, I highly recommend investing in a Garmin HRM with GPS. I bought a few over the holidays on Walmart's site for $99 (the 305 model which is normally $199) and they are awesome. I own the 310XT but that's not an extra expense I'd recommend to everyone.

    Just think about the option of how nice it is to be able to go out for a run, and go anywhere you want and know at every moment, how far you've run, how many calories you've burned, where in your heart rate zone you are (e.g, 85% of your max HR), and what pace you're running at. Very motivating and the data uploads to the site where you can view your run on Google earth or on a street view. Also shows your heart rate on a graph that lines up with the elevation and speed graphs. And it keeps all of your runs, with tons of detail, in a diary form that lets you see your hard work over time -- plus it lets you set goals and also lets you race against previous runs or against an imaginary opponent for which you specify how fast they are, etc. Very cool.

    And if you opt only for a basic HRM, you can't ever put that purchase money toward a HRM with GPs. Its one of those things that none of my clients think they'll use and they end up LOVING it and putting their old traditional HRMs on ebay or craigslist to recoup at least part of that expense.

    Something to think about!!

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