I'm looking for a HRM in the UK

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paulyarwooduk
paulyarwooduk Posts: 109
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey :smile:

I live in the UK and I read somewhere on here that HRM's can give me an accurate figure of the calories I burn when I exercise. Is this true? I've looked on amazon.co.uk but the explanations on there don't say this. Also, can someone recommend one? I don't have much money so it'd need to be relatively cheap.

Thanks in advance for any help :flowerforyou:

Paul x

Replies

  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Firstly, nothing is going to be 100% accurate - a HRM can give you a BETTER reading than either the machine estimate or the database figures, but it's still only approximate.

    I got a cheap one in one of the big sports stores (Decathlon or similar) It's a Domyos, and was about £20. It's a bit fiddly to reset each time, and I dont wear it always - I wore it to the classes at the gym I use most to get a feel for what I burn in, say, a 45 minute Body Pump class, and then I just use those figures again.

    Good luck!
  • goodmanco
    goodmanco Posts: 8 Member
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    Hi, I did some research post-Christmas, having had an HRM from a gym for £20 before.

    So to share: I chose a Polar FT4 for £54 from Amazon, reason being, it gives you the calorie count for your exercise based on your sex, age and weight, and a training zone based on the same data to keep within when exercising for optimal benefit. The strap is textile not plastic, and you can change the battery on the watch yourself, unlike their cheaper models.

    Hope that's helpful.

    Andrew
  • paulyarwooduk
    paulyarwooduk Posts: 109
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    Thanks peeps that's really helpful :flowerforyou:
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Hi Paul,

    Further to goodmanco's recommendation, I have a Polar FT4... it's so easy to setup and use. Simple but very efficient and the chest-strap is not at all uncomfortable and almost undetectable under a t-shirt.

    However, what I would say to you is that the HRM's calorie burn is not 100% accurate (better for cardio than strength) but remember to subtract your TDEE/min from the total calories burnt.

    What I did was wear my FT4 on the train going into London one morning. 60mins of sitting, resting my eyes and according to my HRM I burnt 108kc. so therefore I use 1.81kc/min doing nothing.

    So now, when I go out for a ride on my bike for 60mins and my HRM tells me I've used 600kc, I first do 60 x 1.81 = 108.6 and subtract that from the 600kc advised by my HRM. Thus, I know I've burnt about 491kc extra from my bike ride.

    I then know I can bank about 50% of those calories if I fancy a treat :happy:
  • lohitverma
    lohitverma Posts: 161 Member
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    Hi Paul
    Let me know how it goes with the HRM, I too am inclined towards Polar FT7 but i am hesitating as dont want another "toy" lying on the shelf
    Thanks
    Lohit
  • MaudeBeige
    MaudeBeige Posts: 282
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    I have a 'SIGMA' HRM from Tesco... It was one that hubby bought and left 'on the shelf' for about a year before I found it.

    It's been REALLY good for me and getting my ar$e moving, It's been my saving grace for months now. (And you can change the battery yourself although the 'o' ring is finished!) I do however think that I need to move on and get something more accurate. Even been wondering about something that can count calories for me when I'm swimming!!! (Although I swim every other month at most!)

    I've heard that the FT7 is really good. A MFP sent me a link but somehow it's disappeared from my favourites - can scratch for it if you like?!
  • Frannybobs
    Frannybobs Posts: 741 Member
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    Hiya

    Saw that you posted this yesterday on my phone app, but very annoyingly you can't get on forums on Android app.

    A few months ago I bought an entry level Polar HRM. It was bugging me that I was doing calculations for food calories and deficits but only guesstimating the calories I burned. New machines at the gym grossly underestimate calories on the cross trainer only and that was annoying as I like to do 30 mins on the cross trainer.

    I got the Polar FT4, it was £50ish from amazon. When you get it you put in your sex, age, height and weight on the watch. You put the strap round your chest and it works through bluetooth automatically to your watch, but you can also get it to talk to fitness apps on your smartphone if you have one. Also it talks to the machines at my gym so I can see heart rate on the screen.

    Definitely get one with a chest strap - they are by far the more accurate (although as others have pointed out, nothing is 100% accurate), oh and also the Polar FT4 works whilst swimming - just don't push any buttons on the watch whilst under the water as it will break the seal and drown it!!

    Let us know what you get :)

    Fran
  • halfsizeheather
    halfsizeheather Posts: 45 Member
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    bump for later.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    Really tempted to get an HRM too so I can get a more accurate picture of exactly how hard I'm working. Some really good recommendations here. Thanks.
  • MissSpuggz
    MissSpuggz Posts: 155 Member
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    People do realise you'll burn calories sitting down, right? The HRM is not inaccurate because it noted calorie burn, everyone burns calories during the day even if they laid in bed for all of it.
  • paulyarwooduk
    paulyarwooduk Posts: 109
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    Cheers for the help guys, you've all been really helpful - I can't thank you enough :o) It's always good to get recommendations. I shall have to save up for it (stupid car!!) but I shall let you know what I plump for :o)
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    I have a Polar FT4, bought it from argos for £70 but as I've seen here you'll probably be able to find it for less on amazon etc :)
  • luvbwfc
    luvbwfc Posts: 107 Member
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    You can get a cheaper one and calculate your exercise calories on a website such as this

    http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/

    As long as you know your weight and the average HR from your session you're golden
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    it is great to have a HRM, I bought a cheap one from TEsco's. cost £20. Well worth it.

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