Heart rate monitor (wrist)

I posted the following in another thread. Since then, an update how come out for the Health App (what the Band syncs with) so you can now sync up with Strava.

I love my Microsoft Band for the following reasons -

1. Continuous HR monitor (sampling frequency varies on activity involved - run, bike, exercise, sleep, normal)
2. Tracks my sleep - it is very obvious I'm not getting enough sleep based on how often I get up and how infrequently I'm hitting deep sleep.
3. Exercise tracking - I know the calorie burn based on HR isn't super accurate for weight lifting, but tracking my HR throughout my workout (which includes jump rope HIIT) provides good information back to me on how hard I'm working and how long I'm working out in each HR zone. I keep my rests very short and intensity high, so get a very good cardio workout that I can see after the fact in my Health App.
4. Steps - yes it does that too. Sometimes it will get me to walk down to get the mail vs. picking it up next time I drive out somewhere, or run back upstairs to get something I might not have gone upstairs to get. Over the long run, these add up a bit (compound effect).
5. Run/Bike Tracking - I don't bike but plan to start running. The Band will track my run (GPS) and provide split information, VO2 information (new feature), and even sync up to compare my fitness/results to others at various sites.
6. Guided Workouts - I use this a bit now for cardio workouts. I downloaded an HIIT treadmill workout and the Band ran me through the paces telling me when to increase speed and counted down each intervals time. At the end it provided normal workout information including distance, calorie burn, etc. I don't use the weight training workouts you can download but there are bunches by Golds, and other well known authors.

Is there room for improvement in a second generation Band? Yes. But if you read honest reviews of the Band, it's rated one of the best ones out there, and it's only getting better. I wouldn't give it up for anything and I'm only using a few of the features.

p.s. I didn't even touch on text, email, and phone alerts that get sent to my Band from my phone while working out. Or all the other none fitness stuff it provides. But, being able to see who is calling or texting me in the middle of a workout to see if I need to stop and respond or not is great (i.e. is it work or my wife (j/k)

For every review you can put up saying it's inaccurate, I can find users who have compared their Band HR to other devices (Polar Bands, Elliptical hand HR, etc.) and find them almost dead on.

When I first got mine, I wore it while working out on our elliptical (with hand HR monitor), and over the 45 minutes I worked out, it was almost dead on. Yes it took a few seconds longer to respond to sudden HR changes, but then it was dead-on for the steady state periods. Overall, at the end of my workout, the average HR and calories burned were almost exactly the same. I know I posted it here somewhere, but I'm not going to track it down.

brianpperkins wrote: »

Fanboyism ... not just for Apple any more.

I see why you have so many posts. You just add useless comments to as many as you can. I'm surprised you didn't use your "willful ingnorance" quote here.

So it's Fanboyism when someone likes a product they bought and have had success with? Whatever.

If you want accuracy, you should stick with the chest strap. They are much more accurate than any wrist monitor.

Hi Brian!!! (Brian and I are buds)

Brian posts on every HRM thread about how they are the Debil.

I'm not sure why you fools don't recognize his superior intellect and end-thread

I feed my Garmin data to Strava. Powerful app, but a bit expensive compared to others.

Useful representation of HR data as well

Chest strap HRM supposedly are more accurate or reliable but I've nothing to compare them to myself having only used the chest type.

Oft-quoted DC Rainmaker likes this arm band optical over the wrist optical HRMs:

http://www.scosche.com/rhythm+

As for Microsoft Band, not my cup of tea. I'd rather have a Polar or Garmin running oriented device, with full waterproofing.

Can you track strength training on Strava? I'm looking for an app that can track all my workouts in one place.
Right now I have a running app, a lifting app, a hiking app, etc...

I use the Basis Peak and I LOVE it! It's very accurate with heart rate using your wrist on all things cardio (I do OrangeTheory so test it comparatively to the chest strap often). Strength training isn't quite as accurate, but from what I've read, nothing on the market currently is, so this is the best bet. It tracks cycling and swimming as well (so obviously waterproof), so could be a great fit for you!

annaskiski wrote: »

Can you track strength training on Strava? I'm looking for an app that can track all my workouts in one place.
Right now I have a running app, a lifting app, a hiking app, etc...

You can but the support is fairly minimal; it provides the ability to add a "manual activity" and within that you can select a type (such as Weight Training) and duration.

Strava is geared towards runners, cyclists, and tri-athletes ("multisport").

I have a ton of Garmin stuff including about 4 chest straps. I bought the Mio link as an alternative for running and I usually end up fighting with it several times a session to the point where I only use it when NOT running (recovery or biking on trainer).

I've played with it being really really tight so no light gets in, to relaxed, same arm as the watch, and it's crazy - will spike to 180 when I'm jogging, then stop reading for a bit, come back, etc. And if it's cold out it seems to get worse.

The chest straps can be wonky in the first 5 mins or so (even wetted) but usually steady out.

Now THIS is what I'm waiting/hoping for (a HR sticker that lasts about a week).

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/01/ampstripthe-sticker-activity.html

So far the Garmin HRM Run chest strap has been working perfectly for me, but I'm only 17 runs in. Ask me again at the end of the summer.

I have been using the Mio Alpha 2 for about two weeks now and am very happy with it. It seems very accurate, though I have not compared it to a chest strap. It is easy to tell what zone you are in with the flashing LED light. Zones are easily programed through the app. It is water resistant to 30 meters - looking forward to trying it on my SUP. It works with Strava.