heart rate monitor question

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ddiestler
ddiestler Posts: 353 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've posted before and got some good info on HRM. My new question is..do you have to wear a chest strap? Or, are there watches that you can wear that will still calculate time, distance, pace and calories burned? If so.. what are the brand names.. I think I want one..LOL

Also, do they count all exercise like elliptical, walking, etc and calculate calorie burn for that too.

Thanks for any info,
Dawn

Replies

  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
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    You dont have to, but it is more accurate.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
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    Yes, you need one with a chest strap. The watch ones are virtually worthless if you want accurate calories burned.

    They count calories whenever you have them on and running. You could be gardening, or cleaning and it will count your calories burned.

    Next to my running shoes, my HRM is the best health money I ever spent. I bought the New Balance N4 for around $55 on Amazon, and love it.
  • Pickedlast4gym
    Pickedlast4gym Posts: 41
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    I love my polar hrm......yes, you need a strap....you will get used to it!
  • dannylives
    dannylives Posts: 611
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    I just got a Polar FT7. It was 109 bucks but well worth it! It gives me my heart rate throughout the entire workout and tells me how many calories I burned at the end.
  • DinaLKeil
    DinaLKeil Posts: 95 Member
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    I had a cheaper HRM that didn't have a chest strap...but it was difficult to replace the battery and didn't keep very good time (lost minutes) so I doubted it's ability to count heart beats, etc. For my birthday I got a Timex Ironman watch with a chest strap and I was able to compare them...and to tell the truth, not very different. Still experimenting with it though :) Hope this helps
  • akgrl1020
    akgrl1020 Posts: 179
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    You want the chest strap. They are more accurate. The watch only styles that I have seen have a sensor that you have to press and hold, which would mean stopping during your cardio workout to get a reading (at least it would for me, LOL) I had a friend buy one like that and ended up returning it. I have the Polar FT4 and love it. It syncs with the gym equipment, so I don't even have to look at my wrist. It tells me my heart rate, how many calories I have burned, and if I am my training zone, in addition to how long I have been working out.
  • wtbf
    wtbf Posts: 57
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    Do any of you have a problem with the heart rate being lost depending on the position of your body? Mine goes in and out and of course if it can't find a heart rate it's not recording calories burned. I have a Suunto brand one with a chest strap.
  • Sp1nGoddess
    Sp1nGoddess Posts: 1,138 Member
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    Definitely get one with a chest strap it's worth the money! I can't stand to run without mine. Also be sure you wear the strap correctly.... For some dumb reason I first wore mine above the tatas, around my chest... and could not get good readings until I wore it under the band of my bra. I have a Garmin which is great because it can track my routes, speed, elevation etc. You can also do other workouts with it.

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