What is the best heart rate monitor?

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phlumpet
phlumpet Posts: 106 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm looking for a heart rate monitor that will give me an average heart rate so I can figure out calories burned. I'm having difficulty because my exercise machine, online calculators, and myfitnesspal calculators seem to vary widely! I'm also not trying to break the bank. Is there really a need to buy one for $200 when all I need is a heart rate? What's the difference? Thanks!

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  • crystalmichelle82
    crystalmichelle82 Posts: 249
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    I just ordered a Polar one that is bronze for women. I am waiting for it to get here but I asked the same question and that is what I was advised to order.
  • rabbit99_47203
    rabbit99_47203 Posts: 85
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    bump
  • ibbray04
    ibbray04 Posts: 227 Member
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    I have Polar FT4. LOVE It!! It shows the heart rate and the calories burned. I paid a little over $60 on Amazon.com
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
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    I suppose there are inexpensive ones that will just take a heart rate, but do you want it to also calculate your calories?

    If so a basic and very poular one is the POLAR FT4. This company is thought well by many and that particular one is about $70-$100 depending on where you buy and if you can find a sale, etc.

    What makes a heart rate monitors a good one, is if it has the chest strap that will constantly monitor your heart rate. the ones that you just touch the watch occassionally are way less accurate.

    Hope this can help :)
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    An HRM doesn't only track heart rate.. it also will give you a calorie estimation. How good that calorie estimation is, depends on the brand. No you don't have to spend 200 dollars.. You can get a decent one for under a hundred.

    Exercise machines, MFP and online calculators are all going to be off because they don't have any real idea of how hard your working. They may take all of your info, but it's still using a general formula that has to apply to a lot of people to figure out your estimated calorie burn. HRM"s on the other hand, are tailored to you.. and thus give a more accurate calorie estimation.

    The best HRM brand is Polar hands down. If your looking for the basics, the FT4 or FT7 should be just fine. Look on amazon.. they have really good prices on them there.
  • cnklapper
    cnklapper Posts: 14 Member
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    You can buy a very reliable one for around $50 (various brands) from Amazon. Like another person said, just make sure you're getting one with a chest strap.
  • ItsMeLori
    ItsMeLori Posts: 346
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    I love my Polar Ft4. Around 80 bucks!
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    we all tend to over-estimate how hard we work out, and under-estimate how much we eat. i use my heart rate monitor mostly to determine how hard i am working out. i use the calorie counter on my HRM, the MFP website, and the cardio trainer app on my phone. i use the calories burned number that is the LEAST.
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
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    Most people will tell you a polar FT4 or FT7. . . . I bought a Sportline from walmart with a chest strap for 47$ and it works great. .. love it. . :smile:
  • uhoh_billy
    uhoh_billy Posts: 94
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    I bought a Suunto M2 with chest strap a couple weeks ago and it works great. It's really a lot more accurate for my burns than the machines at the gym, and for workout-videos and the like. I got it from SportChek for like $130 Canadian. I know everyone says they like the Polar, and I considered that one.. but I liked the look of this one better haha. I can't do workouts without it anymore!
  • phlumpet
    phlumpet Posts: 106 Member
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    I bought a Suunto M2 with chest strap a couple weeks ago and it works great. It's really a lot more accurate for my burns than the machines at the gym, and for workout-videos and the like. I got it from SportChek for like $130 Canadian. I know everyone says they like the Polar, and I considered that one.. but I liked the look of this one better haha. I can't do workouts without it anymore!
    Did you find that the heart rate monitors on the machines at the gym were overestimating your HR or underestimating? I just don't want to think I'm burning more calories than I am, because I eat all my exercise calories (I exercise because I love eating...lol)
  • uhoh_billy
    uhoh_billy Posts: 94
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    I bought a Suunto M2 with chest strap a couple weeks ago and it works great. It's really a lot more accurate for my burns than the machines at the gym, and for workout-videos and the like. I got it from SportChek for like $130 Canadian. I know everyone says they like the Polar, and I considered that one.. but I liked the look of this one better haha. I can't do workouts without it anymore!
    Did you find that the heart rate monitors on the machines at the gym were overestimating your HR or underestimating? I just don't want to think I'm burning more calories than I am, because I eat all my exercise calories (I exercise because I love eating...lol)

    They were over-estimating by quite a bit. And even when I wear my HRM, the machines have a wireless HRM thingy in them, so they can read my HRM's heart rate, but they still over-estimate my calories by a lot, because the machine only asks for my weight, not my height or sex. I also exercise because I love eating (mmmm), and eat back most of my exercise calories, so before my HRM, I was saying I was burning 460+ for 45 minutes on an elliptical, when my HRM says I'm only burning like 330!

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