Heart Rate Monitor

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lauraldrum
lauraldrum Posts: 55 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is buying a heart rate monitor worth it? I'm just getting into fitness.

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  • pbondegard
    pbondegard Posts: 3 Member
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    I'm brand new too and I started with a $40 polar FT4. It has really helped me know where I need to be in my workouts and how hard I am pushing myself to keep in the zone. And I believe the calorie count is EXTREMELY more accurate than what MFP estimates. Also have a Fitbit charge HR my husband bought me for Valentine's Day and they both are usually within 5 bpm and calories of each other. Good luck!
  • javacofe
    javacofe Posts: 3 Member
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    It depends on what is "worth it" to you?

    I bought a £50ish Polar H7 which connects via Bluetooth to my phone. It's very convenient for finding out what your *ACTUAL* calorie excretion is during an exercise, but it's a tool at the end of the day, and tools are good for a purpose.

    What I found was really interesting is that MFP under-reports my weight lifting workouts, it says that for a 60min workout I excert around 300kcal but it's usually between 890-910 for the sort of lifts I'm doing (squat/dead/bench -- multi-muscle lifts). This I found after a while was as much information as I needed and stopped wearing for the gym.

    I still wear my HRM whenever I road cycling though, as I find it's a good meter of whether I'm actually "working" or if I'm just being lazy haha!

    Hope that helps :)
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    lauraldrum wrote: »
    Is buying a heart rate monitor worth it? I'm just getting into fitness.

    It depends on your expectations - what are you planning on using it for?
  • landfish
    landfish Posts: 255 Member
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    Yes.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    lauraldrum wrote: »
    Is buying a heart rate monitor worth it? I'm just getting into fitness.

    Probably not. Once you know what sports you enjoy and what your aspirations are then it might be useful.

    Personally I run and cycle, so for me it's very useful to be able to understand what my HR does in response to where and how I'm running/ riding. It helps me to optimise my training performance.

    For most people they're a novelty that doesn't add much to training value.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I have a Polar Ft4 and love it. It's not expensive and it had the features I needed. I already have various step counters and know I'm hitting 10k steps most days and the extra cash for a fitbit charge hr didn't really fit my needs. I did look for one because they are talked well about, but everywhere was sold out, and now I'm glad. Actually using a HRM, I realize I don't need extra features.

    I only use it for sustained cardio exercising. I've heard it can be wildly inaccurate for any strength training since there are pauses.

    I think even as a beginner, it can help you see if you are moving fast enough. At first, of course, if you are very out of shape, any decent sustained movement will get your HR up there.

    I'm not in shape at all yet, but already better than even last week because I can see when I'm slacking off during cardio exercise. I'm noticing I improve each week, and even if I have a time when I don't feel I'm losing, I know by this that I am improving and things are happening! What I noticed yesterday is that I have to walk faster now to hit the zone...even though my neighborhood is very hilly and I have a large german shepherd moving me along lol.

    I have found, for me, that it motivates me to move more, faster, and further. I also love being able to go back and see what I did on another day compared to what I do now.

  • jadior
    jadior Posts: 191 Member
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    I love mine. I'm not a fitness guru, I'm overweight and trying to get healthy. I love it because when I'm on my elliptical, I can see my heart rate, if I'm in a zone I should be in, and it motivates me to work harder. If you have the discipline to do that without a tool, go for it. I need the tool. Plus it is more accurate when entering my exercise here. I found MFP was much more generous with the calorie burned than my hrm.
  • DaveyNH
    DaveyNH Posts: 23 Member
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    I love mine. I have the Adidas Smart Run watch. Has HRM built in with no chest strap needed. Also plays music thru blutooth. Love this device but expensive.

    I think it depends what u do. I run so it is helpful to know when I'm at my max heart rate and when I need to sloe things down. Now that I have dropped weight and have months of running under my belt, I typically get nowhere near my max heart rate. I still like to know what it is at, however. I always try to increase my speed so it is still helpful.
  • lauraldrum
    lauraldrum Posts: 55 Member
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    Thank you for all of your comments. I'm curious about the "sweet spot". Is that just a super high HR? Like if my HR was too high Id have to slow down? If a "sweet spot" is just an ideal HR for burning calories - would that (without a monitor) just be working out as hard as I can?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    lauraldrum wrote: »
    .... would that (without a monitor) just be working out as hard as I can?

    Rate of perceived exertion is as effective as anything else for most casual exercisers. There are lots of variables around using optimal HR range to have a specific training effect, and not knowing some key information makes it all a bit moot.

    In practice, work as hard as you can for the session that you're doing.

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