HRM question from a noob

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Schnuddelbuddel
Schnuddelbuddel Posts: 472 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, fair warning, this question might prove the 'there's not stupid question' theory wrong.

How do HRMs work? Do they have a general 'you're working too hard/little' built in or are they designed to take in individual variations? I've a relatively low bp - usually 90-100/50-60 and that even with added 'stress' on my body like during pregnancies. So would a HRM tell me to work harder even if my bp rate doesn't go up as high as someone who might have 120 resting?

Does this question make sense? It does in my head.

Oh, and which HRM would you recommend, on a budget. I just started running and find the track sessions hard to log because they aren't just running but aerobic style warm ups and whatnot and I'd really like to know what I'm actually burning as opposed to guessing.

Thank you.

Replies

  • MorissaW
    MorissaW Posts: 95 Member
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    I have a Polar HRM. It allows you to enter in your age and weight. It records your HR from the beginning so it knows how many calories you are burning.
    It also tells me if I am working out too hard or not hard enough.
  • s0ready
    s0ready Posts: 99
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    you can set your HRM to what ever zone you want to be in and they will alert you (if you want it to) if you are over that zone...atleast mine does Polar FT7 on amazon for $80
  • noexcuses84
    noexcuses84 Posts: 100 Member
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    it goes completely off ur individual data. I have a polar ft4 and mine has an alarm if my Hr gets too high or low, it's called the zone. The zone is designed to target fat burning and a higher HR targets cardio. you can switch the alarm on or off in settings. The ft4 is super easy to use and i personally can't live without it! i got mine off an ebay company that sells for Polar. They are not recons or secondhand, they r new in box. the company is Highly Tuned Athletics and i highly recommend them! mine cost $84 aud. hope this helps and good luck!
  • orangetomato
    orangetomato Posts: 3
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    The Suunto T3 is a good one, but not cheap. :( It keeps track of how much you exercise AND how hard, and puts you in different training activity classes based on that. That way it can guess more accurately how many calories you are burning (as you get stronger, you burn fewer calories since your body becomes more efficient), and shows you how hard or easy a workout really was. It also sets an alarm for when you work out TOO intensely. I love it, but you're looking at about $150 on a good day!

    It was a 4+ year process though - I started with a Polar, then went to the entry Suunto (about $80-$100), and when that died traumatically I invested in the Suunto T3. Worth every penny, but took me a while to justify it.

    I don't know of any that keep track of blood pressure though.
  • ahubacek
    ahubacek Posts: 135
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    I have a Suunto M4 and I love it. It let's you set resting and max HR along with weight, hight, and fitness level. It can alert you to being too high or low both on the screen and through an alarm (but I turn that off) and will even recommend time/intensity for your workout based on your goals. And it keeps track of calories burned (which are often way different from MFP/cardio machines).

    ETA-- I found mine for $125 on zappos but I've seen them as low as $109 through the Sunnto Website.
  • p_barron
    p_barron Posts: 63
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    I just bought a polar ft4 from bodytronics.com I spent $58.79 on mine. It just came in the mail today and it was very easy to set up and use. I would reccomend it to anyone
  • wickedcricket
    wickedcricket Posts: 1,246 Member
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    yes a good HRM has settings you can set to beep when you're too low or too high. Mine is a sportline duo- seems most ppl here have polars. I've seen them $20 cheaper than I paid (D icks - LOL it bleeped it out) at Meijer. Can get one in any dept store now
    For mine, you enter your height, weight age etc. enter your low & high heart rate - I did it according to my age, you might want to ask your doctor or maybe you already know.
    They're pretty much customized FOR YOU. I personally don't set the beeper for low & high- all that beeping annoys me - I just look at it. I'm not training, just getting in shape so if I see I'm not high enough, I work harder (I seldom get too high, but if I do, just slack off) I've found it's easier getting & staying in your 'zone' doing intervals- this has been pretty consistent so that's what I do now- circuit training & intervals (not together LOL)
    I'm happy with my results. hope this helps you

    good luck! have fun with it!
  • geodee89
    geodee89 Posts: 1
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    If your resting heart rate is low, it doesn't mean that your maximum heart rate is low too. Most HRMs estimate your maximum heart rate based on age minus 220. It's better than using resting heart rate, but still not as good as finding out your threshold heart rate for the specific sport you're training for. If your heart rate really is different than most people all throughout the range, then the zones and calorie estimates it will give you will be useless.

    In other words, it's a lot of fun to learn about your body and how it reacts to different efforts, but without proper context (i.e. testing) they're just numbers.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
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    All heart rate monitors determine your actual heart beats per minute from electrical impulses transmitted through the skin. They do not check your blood pressure. Heart rate and blood pressure are two entirely different things. My resting heart rate is in the 60's, but I still have high blood pressure.

    The best type will have a chest strap transmitter and a receiver that allows you to input your gender, height, weight and age. These factors will give you the most accurate reading. There are lots of well-known brands out there. You just need to shop for the best deal.

    I personally use a Polar Bluetooth transmitter with an Android app called SportsTracker Pro. Cost was about $80, and it was well worth the price. Turns out I was burning more cals than I thought with my workouts. Now that I have accurate calorie burn calculation, my weight has started to move once again. I'm very happy with my HRM. :)
  • Schnuddelbuddel
    Schnuddelbuddel Posts: 472 Member
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    Great replies!!! Will have a look at the different suggested HRMs and see which one fits best for me and my budget.

    Thanks guys :flowerforyou:
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
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    One thing not mentioned above was that you need to estimate your max and min heart rates in order to determine the various zones. Loads of stuff on how to this - so i wont bother :)
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
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    One thing not mentioned above was that you need to estimate your max and min heart rates in order to determine the various zones. Loads of stuff on how to this - so i wont bother :)

    Depends on what type of HRM you have. The app that I use with my Polar bluetooth does all that for me. I don't use the alarms, since I'm more concerned with the cals and not so much staying in a zone, but it shows where I am throughout the workout. Usually, if you input your age on the HRM, it will calculate the zones for you. Not all receivers have that function, though.

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