Heart Rate Monitor - Advice

HeyGrlHey
HeyGrlHey Posts: 640
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
I was wondering if I should get a Heart Rate Monitor? I mostly want to monitor how many calories I am burning during exercises.

Do you think a Heart Rate Monitor is worth it? If so which brand?

M.

Replies

  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
    Definitely worth it. I believing in having the most information I can to be successful, and my HRM facilitates that.

    I had a Garmin and returned it. The software update killed it.

    I now have the Suunto T3d, and it is everything I need.
  • holli_walker
    holli_walker Posts: 109 Member
    i would suggest them!!!!! i don't know how i worked out without it before. i have a polar model and it is the best!!!!
  • HeyGrlHey
    HeyGrlHey Posts: 640
    Where did you buy them? Just a sports store?
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    SO WORTH IT!!!! My Polar FT4 is the best investment I ever made, no lie! You can get them anywhere, sports stores, wal mart even. Make sure you get one with a chest strap though or else it is uselss!
  • amandaelp
    amandaelp Posts: 1
    I absolutely LOVE my Polar brand monitor. got it at a sports store. definitely worth it!
  • brattyworm
    brattyworm Posts: 2,137 Member
    i got a new balance one at costco for something like $40. I like it. fairly inexpensive and it tells you cals and avg hr and highest hr for the time you were working out.. and i found out the machines at the gym i go to pick up the signal as well so i can watch my hr on the elliptical without holding on the the sensors.
  • holli_walker
    holli_walker Posts: 109 Member
    surprisingly i got mine at best buy. also paid 15 dollars(i think) for a warranty, i read online some of the monitor parts can go out. so i though was a great deal plus worry free for 2 years :)

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Polar+-+FT4+Women's+Heart+Rate+Monitor/9505412.p?id=1218116137468&skuId=9505412&st=heart&cp=1&lp=6
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
    Where did you buy them? Just a sports store?

    I ordered mine from zappos.com of all places. I used my VIP free overnight shipping.

    People have also suggested eBay, overstock, and amazon. I think best buy has one of the Polars on sale this week....
  • rebysue
    rebysue Posts: 136
    SO. TOTALLY. WORTH IT!! My HRM has actually been my motivation TO exercise. I can see how many calories I burn and then know exactly how many to eat back. I have heard that you can't go wrong with Polar. Mine is a Timex and I have loved it. My suggestion would be to do some online research and see other consumer reviews. Look for one that has high overall reviews with a large number of reviews. And read some of the negatives. I actually found one that the biggest negative review was that it wouldn't read if you have a lot of chest hair. For a woman, that is a non-issue.
  • bluecutipy
    bluecutipy Posts: 35 Member
    I think they are very worth it! I wouldn't dare exercise without mine. Polar makes the best kind. They even make heart rate monitors that can be linked by bluetooth to your android cellphone. They let you know if you are working out hard enough or not. And of course, it's always a good thing to know how many calories you are burning.
  • Charice
    Charice Posts: 188 Member
    I got my Polar FT7 on Amazon for $82 and I LOVE it! It not only tells me the HR and Cals, but it inspires me to work harder longer. I can see the calories burned at say, 350 and i tell myself I want to hit 400...then 500...then 600. I love seeing the numbers go up! Hi, my name is Charice and I am a geek!
  • remaho80
    remaho80 Posts: 126 Member
    I just recently bought a Polar FT4 off of Amazon for under $73 w/free shipping. That's the cheapest I've seen it anywhere! I'm hesitant of buying off of Ebay - especially something that costs a significant amount of money.

    Last night was my first time using it. I did 30DS and the calories I burned was spot on with what MFP said I burned (circuit training - general). Then I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and I actually burned over 25% less than the elliptical's estimated calorie burn.

    That being said, I think it's a great investment and I know I'll get tons of use out of it!
  • slyder432
    slyder432 Posts: 475 Member
    Yes, you should get one!! One of the best investments I have ever made. Polar FT4 is a great starter HRM. Dont' even bother with the others. U want a chest strap for accuracy. The one reply that stated that he got it for 73.. I would take a look at that. That is the best deal I have ever seen on a Polar FT4.
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
    Ok, I got a wrist hrm a month or so ago because I didn't want the chest strap, given that I'm in the water a lot. I don't know that much about them, but I do know that the one I have is supposed to be waterproof up to thirty feet, but when it gets wet, the HR function doesn't want to work, so I have no accurate way to measure calories when I do water aerobics and swimming, which are my two biggies over the summer months.

    Any ideas?
  • gtm124
    gtm124 Posts: 179
    Ok, I got a wrist hrm a month or so ago because I didn't want the chest strap, given that I'm in the water a lot. I don't know that much about them, but I do know that the one I have is supposed to be waterproof up to thirty feet, but when it gets wet, the HR function doesn't want to work, so I have no accurate way to measure calories when I do water aerobics and swimming, which are my two biggies over the summer months.

    Any ideas?

    Polars work just fine. You will need to wear the chest strap. Just don't push the buttons on the watch while in the water.
  • dixiech1ck
    dixiech1ck Posts: 769 Member
    I just took the plunge and bought a PolarFT7T off of Amazon for $78. I'm really hoping I like it. I'm training for two 5K's.
  • Kelblue1
    Kelblue1 Posts: 139 Member
    I have a MIO wrist watch HRM and I love it! I have compared it with a Polar and had the same results exercising. It's very easy to use too. I paid about $45 for it at Academy Sports. I do notice the same thing with mine that you can't take your HR in the water until you have a dry hand. But I just use a towel to dry it off and get a reading and then get back to what I was doing.
  • LadyKatarina
    LadyKatarina Posts: 28 Member
    I just took the plunge and bought a PolarFT7T off of Amazon for $78. I'm really hoping I like it. I'm training for two 5K's.

    Polar FT7T....That is what I have..I LOVE it. It tracks workouts, calculates your calories based on gender/age/weight/height, and is a great motivation to me..I want to see a certain number of calories burned in my workout, so I kick it up a notch! I hope you enjoy it.

    I say a HRM is TOTALLY worth the money....buy a decent one (I spent about $75 for mine) with a chest strap..it will be more accurate and last longer. As for the waterproof question...I don't know, I am not a swimmer. I know my HRM watch is waterproof but I'm not sure how well the heart rate function/chest strap works in water, if at all.

    Kat
This discussion has been closed.

Categories