Heart Rate Monitor

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thebrock7
thebrock7 Posts: 24 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys,

I have never used a HRM or fitbit etc before. Have always logged exercise calories based on machines reading at the gym or MFP estimates. I want to get a more accurate reading and have been looking online. Seems that fitbits are not that accurate so I am thinking of HRM. Do they all measure calories burned? Will a wrist one work as well as a chest strap? If I get a chest strap then do i need to also get anything else to use with it? Sorry for all the questions but there just seems to be so many options out there.

cheers

Replies

  • patrikc333
    patrikc333 Posts: 436 Member
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    got a garmin chest HRM and a fitbit HR

    they measure your HR in 2 different ways, but pattern is similar

    in my experience, both burnt cal estimations are pretty accurate and similar for runs, not for walks, and I cannot really talk for other exercise

    I trust more my HRM, I use it with my garmin watch

    the negative side of the strap is that it really annoys me

    you also need to find the app that works better for you - for example, I use my garmin cal estimation, if I'd use strava (for cycling and running), I'll overestimate the cals burnt, and this can be only done practising it



  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    edited September 2015
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    The heart rate monitor is also an estimate. I may be more accurate than the machine, but it isn’t always convenient to have your HRM with you when you exercise. Pick an estimate (I usually cut about 20% off of what the machine says) and see how that works. If after about three weeks, you aren’t seeing the results you expect, tweak things.

    Allan Misner
    NASM Certified Personal Trainer (Corrective Exercise Specialist, Fitness Nutrition Specialist)
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 612 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Are you using your HR when using the cardio equipment? With the Polar H7 sensor, you can use an app on your phone, or purchase an activity monitor to go with it. It will also sync with most cardio equipment to control levels and incline while giving you your heart rate on the display. as far as calorie accuracy, everything is an estimate, even the calories that you see on your food package.
  • besee_2000
    besee_2000 Posts: 365 Member
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    I had a simple Chest strap with watch and it was pretty accurate until I changed the battery. The brand claimed error to 10% so if it said 100kcals you write off 90. I recently got the Polar H7 chest strap without a watch and struggling to find an app to use it properly with. Polar's app was miserable. Anyone have suggestions for say interval training where I can set up timers with it, too?
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I use Garmin Vivosmart and Garmins Premium Heart Monitor chest strap (soft strap). I ditched the fitbit.. My band tore up and the button fell off of three total fitbits...My husbands fitbit is doing the same thing.. it is only a matter of time before he swtiches to..

    But to comment on the HRM, love it, love it..
  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
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    I use a Garmin chest strap (hard one) and my Phone (Galaxy S5) running Endomondo. If you have the right phone, this is the cheapest way to go (~$45). Otherwise, you will need to by watch/HRM set. They start around $75.

    Endomondo is great b/c it auto loads to MFP>
  • jc30058
    jc30058 Posts: 22 Member
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    I use a Polar FT7, the chest strap, and I put Electrode Gel on the sensor part of my strap. When I bought the watch and strap on Amazon, they suggested the gel. Been using it for 3 months with no issues. I love it...and I think the monitor is accurate. When I'm on the treadmill and grasp the handles, my heart rate matches perfectly.
  • ECTexan
    ECTexan Posts: 195 Member
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    I have had my Polar FT60 for a few years now. At first I thought I would hate the chest strap but I just tuck it under my bra band and don't even notice it. Now I never work out without my HRM! Much more accurate of an estimate than MFP or the machines.
  • bwturner1951
    bwturner1951 Posts: 1 Member
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    I use the Garmin HRM chest strap with my Garmin FR 650 when running. With some other activities, like hiking or circuit training, I use my Wahoo TCKR HMR chest strap and Endomondo fitness app. Those two combos work great for me. Regarding the accuracy of the calorie burns, when I use either HRM and do cardio exercises on an elliptical, I have noted that the two HR measurements are within 1-2 bpm of each other. However, the calorie burns calculated by the machine are much higher than the app.
  • thebrock7
    thebrock7 Posts: 24 Member
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    Thanks so much guys. Heaps of info to go through. I guess there's no perfect system for all types of exercise so might delay until I get a better idea of what I'll be doing. Just getting back into the swing of it after a bunch of niggling injuries. Appreciate all the advice! :)
  • thebrock7
    thebrock7 Posts: 24 Member
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    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    Are you using your HR when using the cardio equipment? With the Polar H7 sensor, you can use an app on your phone, or purchase an activity monitor to go with it. It will also sync with most cardio equipment to control levels and incline while giving you your heart rate on the display. as far as calorie accuracy, everything is an estimate, even the calories that you see on your food package.

    Yeh I have a couple of minor but persistent injuries so for the foreseeable future I will be mostly doing cardio on the bike and elliptical trainer. This could be a good option then. Is that a watch or chest band?

  • GETU1N
    GETU1N Posts: 1,811 Member
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    Basis peak is a continuous HRM wrist watch.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 612 Member
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    thebrock7 wrote: »
    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    Are you using your HR when using the cardio equipment? With the Polar H7 sensor, you can use an app on your phone, or purchase an activity monitor to go with it. It will also sync with most cardio equipment to control levels and incline while giving you your heart rate on the display. as far as calorie accuracy, everything is an estimate, even the calories that you see on your food package.

    Yeh I have a couple of minor but persistent injuries so for the foreseeable future I will be mostly doing cardio on the bike and elliptical trainer. This could be a good option then. Is that a watch or chest band?

    It's a watch with chest strap, (I prefer the chest strap, as I only want to monitor my heart rate when I'm doing some sort of exercise activity), and pricey, but they have other options. If you want to monitor all day activity, the have the A300 (swimming) and M400 (GPS) with H7 sensor, they both monitor steps and give an estimated calorie burn for the day. If i't just your heart rate you want to monitor you can use the H7 sensor with an app on your smart phone. Here's the website to compare, but Amazon has better prices.

    http://www.polar.com/us-en/products
  • allbarrett
    allbarrett Posts: 159 Member
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    I'm bucking the trend: I prefer wristwatch-style HRM. I tried a chest strap and found it extremely uncomfortable. I looked up additional suggestions on how to wear it "properly", got some personal advice, used Bodyglide, and tried once more and it took a week for my skin to heal. So, I noped out of that. My Charge HR is accurate enough for me and it doesn't peel my skin right off.
  • catt952
    catt952 Posts: 190 Member
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    Hey guys.Is a resting heart rate of an average of between 50 and 55 normal for a 21 year old female. I walk often, but even brisk walking kicks up a sweat for me and feels like a workout. I can't run for more than a minute or two so it's strange i have the heart rate of an "athlete"
  • sprale
    sprale Posts: 117 Member
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    I have a unisex Timex that doesn't read accurate calories but was quite cheap. It gives average heart rate and time spent exercising from which I use online calculators to figure out how many calories I burned. It consists of a chest band and a watch. It was under $50 and the battery is replaceable.
  • mommarnurse
    mommarnurse Posts: 515 Member
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    Personally, I don't see the big deal with the HRMs, period. Take your own HR to see your % Max. If you can count to 15 and then times a number by 4, you can do it and it's free!

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