Heart Rate Monitor: Anyone tried the wrist based Mio unit?

rickloving
rickloving Posts: 90 Member
edited November 10 in Fitness and Exercise
I have used Garmin Sports products for years, but I have always disliked the chest strap heart rate monitor. I find it uncomfortable and always get weird looks when running in the summer while wearing it with no shirt. I just heart about a new optical HR sensor that will pair Bluetooth or ANT+ and is built into a wrist strap. Before I shell out my $$$, I was curious if anyone has tried one and their experience with it?

Did it seem to work well? Any issues tracking calories burnt during workouts? Any other issues? I would be using it for running, cycling, and cardio/strength training calorie tracking....

http://www.mioglobal.com/Default.aspx

Rick Loving

Replies

  • rickloving
    rickloving Posts: 90 Member
    I should add, specifically the Mio LINK Heart Rate Wristband paired with either an blutooth APP or other ANT+ fitness device...
  • cutethang1
    cutethang1 Posts: 239 Member
    Following...
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    Look at dcrainmaker.com 's review.
  • rickloving
    rickloving Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks Brian, I already had, but still had reservations about purchasing. He paired it bluetooth to a phone app as well as a Garmin bike computer and just focused on the optical HR sensing for power output. I use my HRM with a Garmin 910XT via ANT and use it more for calorie counting during my workouts. I was looking for some specific feedback from other "calorie" trackers... especially if any issues were noticed. I don't want to spend the money and find out that it doesn't do exactly what I need it to do.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    No HRM tracks calories. They count heart beats ... period. If you participate in an activity with an established relationship between HR and caloric burn, and your receiving device has an appropriate formula to estimate calories, it might produce something close to what you burned.
  • rickloving
    rickloving Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks again, yes I am aware that HRM's track heart rate and manf. use calculations based on averages of steady state cardio (with age, weight, & fitness factors) to estimate calorie burn. I should have phrased that differently...

    Using my current HRM output to allow my Garmin device to "estimate" my calories burnt during running and cycling works very well with my current setup of chest strap HRM and Garmin 910xt.

    I would still like a real world review from someone using the product as a calories burnt estimator and tracker....to see if they have had a satisfactory switch from chest based HRM to wrist based HRM.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    I had a Mio that I had to touch two fingers to the transmitters on the watch to get a heart rate. That was hard to do while you were moving. I didn't like it because, unlike the chest strap on my Polar HRM, it didn't give me constant feedback. Presumably the one you are looking at does. Otherwise I find Amazon reviews to be pretty helpful for these kinds of things.
  • rickloving
    rickloving Posts: 90 Member
    Yes the Mio link provides up to 10 hours of continuous heart rate monitoring and transmitting to an external device (according to their ads).
  • royston_ashby
    royston_ashby Posts: 71 Member
    Using the Polar ft4 and it's brilliant. The chest strap automatically connects to the HRM on the machines, so there is no need to keep checking the watch and it's always in front of you. But for resistance training it's pretty accurate as well and keeps track of calories burnt and how much time in different heart rate zones!
  • daved71
    daved71 Posts: 65 Member
    bump
  • rickloving
    rickloving Posts: 90 Member
    Well, in the not too distant future I may be posting my own "review". I am currently bidding on a couple ( one for me and my wife) used units and if I win at least one I'll test it side by side with my Garmin HRM during my run sessions, bike sessions, Weight lifting, and cardio circuit sessions.
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