Heart rate monitor help
gray261013
Posts: 21 Member
Hello all. Im after a heart rate monitor for under £100 ish can be go a little higher. What do people recommend. A friend has a fitbit that she wears to our local bounce exercise class, she then bought a heart rate monitor which she wore last night and this gave her 500 calories more burn than the fitbit so now were wandering if fitbits measure accurately. Thoughts?? What is the best thing to buy to measure calories burned as i want to make sure im burning enough along with counting calories so there is a good calorie deficit.
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Heart rate monitors are sensors, they measure how fast your heart is beating. That's useful information for some types of cardiovascular exercise. It helps you pace yourself so you don't run out of steam too early, and your HR should lower as your fitness improves, so it can be a way to measure fitness gains.
What a heart rate monitor is NOT, is a calorie measurer.3 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Heart rate monitors are sensors, they measure how fast your heart is beating. That's useful information for some types of cardiovascular exercise. It helps you pace yourself so you don't run out of steam too early, and your HR should lower as your fitness improves, so it can be a way to measure fitness gains.
What a heart rate monitor is NOT, is a calorie measurer.
It may not be a calorie measurer but her one did tell her how many calories she had burned during her workout which it estimated to be around 500 more than the fitbit told her.0 -
@NorthCascades is spot on. HRM's only measure heart rate. The heart rate data they record gets sent to a paired device or app, which then calculates your calorie burn. Different companies use different algorithms to calculate burn, hence the different numbers your friend is seeing.
ETA: In answer to your original question, which heart monitor you decide to get will depend on what you plan to use it for. If you want to track your daily activities and workouts and simply get a number at the end of it all, something like a FitBit will probably be fine. If you'll be doing a lot of cardio work and want to see your heart rate in real time (very useful for people who train based on heart rate zones), then a chest strap HRM will better suit you.0 -
gray261013 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Heart rate monitors are sensors, they measure how fast your heart is beating. That's useful information for some types of cardiovascular exercise. It helps you pace yourself so you don't run out of steam too early, and your HR should lower as your fitness improves, so it can be a way to measure fitness gains.
What a heart rate monitor is NOT, is a calorie measurer.
It may not be a calorie measurer but her one did tell her how many calories she had burned during her workout which it estimated to be around 500 more than the fitbit told her.
Did she really burn 500 calories in her workout? You could roll dice to get a number, too, the question is how good is that number, and is it worth your £100?
What sort of exercise do you do?0 -
I agree above, to an extent, that HRM's are not good for measuring calorie burns. However, there are apps out there that will take heart rate into account if you wear an HRM, while calculating calories burned based on many factors such as height, weight, age, type of exercise, and yes, heart rate. For this I use Endomondo and trust it somewhere in the 85-90% range. It has not led me astray in the almost two years I've been using it. All apps/devices will be off to a degree, either under or over the actual calorie burn. Endomondo for me, with my HRM paired, is about 10% over. So I just keep that into account when eating back calories. Doing that I've been able to maintain my weight for over six months now leaving 10% of those exercise calories estimated at the end of the day. Matter of fact, it may actually be less than 10% off because over the period of three months or so I see a slight down tick in weight. I could not get that kind of accuracy from a fitbit, although I never tried one of the versions with the heart rate sensor built in. Those may be more accurate. Maybe. Like I said, they are all off one way or the other, you just have to figure out that for yourself and adjust. Doesn't necessarily mean one method/device is better than the other.0
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If you're walking (at a normal pace), heart rate data isn't useful. Plain old physics rules the day here. Mass, distance, elevation gain. If you walk the same route two days in a row, the kind of thing that will make one walk burn more calories than the other are if you're wearing a heavy backpack. Your HRM has no idea if you're wearing a pack or not.
Now look how different that is compared to riding a bike, where you can stop pedaling and coast, and also where your speed is affected as much by wind speed and direction as it is by your effort. Suddenly, plain old physics doesn't work at all for estimating calories, because there are all these confounding variables that aren't relevant to walking.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »gray261013 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Heart rate monitors are sensors, they measure how fast your heart is beating. That's useful information for some types of cardiovascular exercise. It helps you pace yourself so you don't run out of steam too early, and your HR should lower as your fitness improves, so it can be a way to measure fitness gains.
What a heart rate monitor is NOT, is a calorie measurer.
It may not be a calorie measurer but her one did tell her how many calories she had burned during her workout which it estimated to be around 500 more than the fitbit told her.
Did she really burn 500 calories in her workout? You could roll dice to get a number, too, the question is how good is that number, and is it worth your £100?
What sort of exercise do you do?
500 MORE than she previously thought... If you really want to eat 500 more calories then just do so, you don't need to purchase an inaccurate device. Basically that's what you're saying correct - you want the device that gives the biggest calorie burn without putting in extra effort?0 -
Ummm thanks guys some useful information there. I don't do alot of exercise. Just a bounce rebound class once or twice a week and walking. Im trying to do more and just thought it would be beneficial to see that i am burning calories and it is worth the effort. I think it would help to spur me on a bit. Maybe il get a fitbit then??0
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gray261013 wrote: »Ummm thanks guys some useful information there. I don't do alot of exercise. Just a bounce rebound class once or twice a week and walking. Im trying to do more and just thought it would be beneficial to see that i am burning calories and it is worth the effort. I think it would help to spur me on a bit. Maybe il get a fitbit then??
don't get a fitbit if you want to know activity calories burned for cardio.
here's my pick:
Polar: The ft1, ft4, ft7, loop 2, a300, and even a360 will all do what you want PLUS more and they are all relatively accurate. The cool thing about the a360 and a300 is that they look pretty good, have smart features, and combine daily activity tracking (like walking around) AND fitness tracking with a polar HT7 Heart Rate monitor strap.
Alternatively, you can buy JUST the polar ht7 heart rate strap or the garmin heart rate straps which will pair with your phone via an app directly.1 -
rainbowbow wrote: »gray261013 wrote: »Ummm thanks guys some useful information there. I don't do alot of exercise. Just a bounce rebound class once or twice a week and walking. Im trying to do more and just thought it would be beneficial to see that i am burning calories and it is worth the effort. I think it would help to spur me on a bit. Maybe il get a fitbit then??
don't get a fitbit if you want to know activity calories burned for cardio.
here's my pick:
Polar: The ft1, ft4, ft7, loop 2, a300, and even a360 will all do what you want PLUS more and they are all relatively accurate. The cool thing about the a360 and a300 is that they look pretty good, have smart features, and combine daily activity tracking (like walking around) AND fitness tracking with a polar HT7 Heart Rate monitor strap.
Alternatively, you can buy JUST the polar ht7 heart rate strap or the garmin heart rate straps which will pair with your phone via an app directly.
I use a strap for rowing and I love it. But given that the OP wants to use it primarily for tracking steps and 1-2 days/week of bounce class, a chest strap feel like overkill to me. I think a FitBit will suffice. If OP decides to seriously ramp up her cardio work, then an upgrade to a chest strap would be a great idea, IMO.1 -
gray261013 wrote: »Hello all. Im after a heart rate monitor for under £100 ish can be go a little higher. What do people recommend. A friend has a fitbit that she wears to our local bounce exercise class, she then bought a heart rate monitor which she wore last night and this gave her 500 calories more burn than the fitbit so now were wandering if fitbits measure accurately. Thoughts?? What is the best thing to buy to measure calories burned as i want to make sure im burning enough along with counting calories so there is a good calorie deficit.
As others stated, a heart rate monitor won't tell you how many calories you have burned. As far as I know, there is no such device. An HRM can estimate the calories burned, while doing cardiovascular exercises.0 -
double post
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gray261013 wrote: »Ummm thanks guys some useful information there. I don't do alot of exercise. Just a bounce rebound class once or twice a week and walking. Im trying to do more and just thought it would be beneficial to see that i am burning calories and it is worth the effort. I think it would help to spur me on a bit. Maybe il get a fitbit then??
I think if you are looking for a motivational device, a FitBit would be an excellent device for that.0 -
gray261013 wrote: »Ummm thanks guys some useful information there. I don't do alot of exercise. Just a bounce rebound class once or twice a week and walking. Im trying to do more and just thought it would be beneficial to see that i am burning calories and it is worth the effort. I think it would help to spur me on a bit. Maybe il get a fitbit then??
Calorie calculations on devices use a whole bunch of different data available from the device you are using. Polar and Garmin take into account a lot of data and variables, so they are "more accurate" at calorie burn estimations, especially for steady-state cardiovascular activities. However, if you need something to get you motivated and going, the FitBit community is one of the largest and the values are "good enough". But as others said, if are getting one to trap your calories burned, just so you can eat back all of those calories, you are in for a world of disappointment.
Personally, I like the Vivosmart HR ($150ish) more than most of the FitBit offerings, although the Charge 2 is pretty decent. But you should go with the device that people you know are using. It helps greatly with motivation. And when your goal is to try and be more active, there are few thing better than a good motivational group.0 -
gray261013 wrote: »Ummm thanks guys some useful information there. I don't do alot of exercise. Just a bounce rebound class once or twice a week and walking. Im trying to do more and just thought it would be beneficial to see that i am burning calories and it is worth the effort. I think it would help to spur me on a bit. Maybe il get a fitbit then??
A HRM is most useful to gauge calories burned during cardio. So a bounce class would be considered cardio in my book. Straps run about $50, Fitbits with HR built in probably run double that (some higher). The straps are bluetooth and need to be paired with a device or a phone. You can also just log it manually if you're not doing a lot of cardio. Just log it as cardio, Calisthenics and enter the number of minutes you performed the exercise. It'll be a rough estimate but as long as you put effort into it, raise your heart rate, and continuously exercise during that time period, you'd be surprised how accurate some of the MFP manual entries can be. The same estimate using a HR paired to an app will always be higher because it factors in your heart rate. The heart is a muscle, the harder it works the more calories you burn, so apps that use heart rate in their calculations factor that in. As in all things, you need to decide how accurate it is based on usage over time. I started, like many people, only figuring that 50% of the calories logged were accurate. I then adjusted that over a period of weeks to months based on my rate of weight loss, or in my current case, maintaining my weight.0 -
I do not use my fitbit to calculate my calories burned. I own a HRM watch with a band that goes around my chest. I think that is about as accurate as you are going to get. From what I have heard, Polar is a great brand, and they have several models varying in price. I will probably upgrade to that if mine ever dies. I have a new Balance HRM and I love it. I have not had one issue with it,and got it for under $100 on amazon. Good luck!1
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Spliner1969 wrote: »I agree above, to an extent, that HRM's are not good for measuring calorie burns. However, there are apps out there that will take heart rate into account if you wear an HRM, while calculating calories burned based on many factors such as height, weight, age, type of exercise, and yes, heart rate. For this I use Endomondo and trust it somewhere in the 85-90% range. It has not led me astray in the almost two years I've been using it. All apps/devices will be off to a degree, either under or over the actual calorie burn. Endomondo for me, with my HRM paired, is about 10% over. So I just keep that into account when eating back calories. Doing that I've been able to maintain my weight for over six months now leaving 10% of those exercise calories estimated at the end of the day. Matter of fact, it may actually be less than 10% off because over the period of three months or so I see a slight down tick in weight. I could not get that kind of accuracy from a fitbit, although I never tried one of the versions with the heart rate sensor built in. Those may be more accurate. Maybe. Like I said, they are all off one way or the other, you just have to figure out that for yourself and adjust. Doesn't necessarily mean one method/device is better than the other.
edomondo was giving me a calorie burn of one calorie per 5 seconds,which is not accurate.I had put all my info in as well. I even used it with my fitbit (charge HR)and it was basically the same. I am maintaining my weight at the moment with just my fitbit.1 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »edomondo was giving me a calorie burn of one calorie per 5 seconds,which is not accurate.I had put all my info in as well. I even used it with my fitbit (charge HR)and it was basically the same. I am maintaining my weight at the moment with just my fitbit.
I think the best thing is to find what works for you, and if you choose something stick with it and adjust as necessary. It works for me, but I tend to put a ton of effort into keeping my HR high during my workouts. If I rest, I pause the app and warm up again before I start it. I tried a Fitbit and was losing weight at a rate of 1lb per month while trying to maintain. Again, I did not have the HR version. I switched back to Endomondo paired with my H7 and can maintain eating back 80-90% of the calories it logs. It may simply be the type of exercise I'm doing, because I've noticed that if you try to use it for weight training (and this is the same with all apps I've tried) it grossly over estimates calories). Seems to work best, for me anyway, strictly for cardio at heart rates at or above 115bpm (that's where I try to stay as a minimum during workouts).0 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »gray261013 wrote: »Hello all. Im after a heart rate monitor for under £100 ish can be go a little higher. What do people recommend. A friend has a fitbit that she wears to our local bounce exercise class, she then bought a heart rate monitor which she wore last night and this gave her 500 calories more burn than the fitbit so now were wandering if fitbits measure accurately. Thoughts?? What is the best thing to buy to measure calories burned as i want to make sure im burning enough along with counting calories so there is a good calorie deficit.
As others stated, a heart rate monitor won't tell you how many calories you have burned. As far as I know, there is no such device. An HRM can estimate the calories burned, while doing cardiovascular exercises.
There actually are such devices. They're not really practical for most people to use, but they exist.
A power meter is a thing that measures the energy you put into a bike. Like in Newtonian terms. Their main purpose is for training and fitness purposes, but they're able to measure calories used cycling very accurately. The downside is they cost between $400 and $3,500, and add weight to the bike. They must be calibrated with every use.
Respiration masks are (supposedly, I've never used one) cumbersome and uncomfortable. It's like a gas mask. A scientist can use one to measure exactly how much oxygen you're using. Generally this is hugely expensive and used for short periods of time on a treadmill or in a laboratory.0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »gray261013 wrote: »Hello all. Im after a heart rate monitor for under £100 ish can be go a little higher. What do people recommend. A friend has a fitbit that she wears to our local bounce exercise class, she then bought a heart rate monitor which she wore last night and this gave her 500 calories more burn than the fitbit so now were wandering if fitbits measure accurately. Thoughts?? What is the best thing to buy to measure calories burned as i want to make sure im burning enough along with counting calories so there is a good calorie deficit.
As others stated, a heart rate monitor won't tell you how many calories you have burned. As far as I know, there is no such device. An HRM can estimate the calories burned, while doing cardiovascular exercises.
There actually are such devices. They're not really practical for most people to use, but they exist.
A power meter is a thing that measures the energy you put into a bike. Like in Newtonian terms. Their main purpose is for training and fitness purposes, but they're able to measure calories used cycling very accurately. The downside is they cost between $400 and $3,500, and add weight to the bike. They must be calibrated with every use.
Respiration masks are (supposedly, I've never used one) cumbersome and uncomfortable. It's like a gas mask. A scientist can use one to measure exactly how much oxygen you're using. Generally this is hugely expensive and used for short periods of time on a treadmill or in a laboratory.
My $399 4iiii Precision only adds a few grams to the left crank.
Interestingly, my calorie expenditure numbers went down when I added mine. The takeaway from that is that using heart rate alone was probably overestimating things.
Calibration only takes a few seconds, when I bother to do it.0
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