HRM in the pool?

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Pizzagirl50
Pizzagirl50 Posts: 112 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone wear theirs in the pool? Mine says it's good up to 30m but I'm scared to try it because I don't want to break it. If you do wear it, how long after getting out do you start pressing buttons?

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  • dwightdegroff
    dwightdegroff Posts: 97 Member
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    my HRM (Timex) explicitly says not to wear the chest strap in the pool. I've heard a lot of bad stories of things never quite working right after wearing the chest strap submerged in water. I'd stay away.
  • muzmacol
    muzmacol Posts: 358 Member
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    agreed and mines polar!
  • benn1977
    benn1977 Posts: 34
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    Hey!I I researched it... there is no simple answer, use this watch for swimming and it will work... there is always problems and short circuits which prevents the info to be picked from the HR strap. Normally the good Polar watches would do the job, but in my experience the straps moves around and messes the reading. But for a girl it may not under a swimsuit... even the most expensive Garmin HR watch, the 910XT, does not pick up HR whilst in the pool. I guess technology isn't as developed in that area as it should be... I may be wrong, I'd love to know what works for swimming.
  • SwimTheButterfly
    SwimTheButterfly Posts: 265 Member
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    No, just use the second hand on the large pool clock. Just put your two index fingers to one of the largest arteries in your neck, find your pulse~count for 6 seconds & multiply by 10.
  • callikia
    callikia Posts: 226 Member
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    I have a Polar FT60 and have heard of other people getting an additional (more waterproof) chest strap and have had no problems using it in the pool. (IF the person who posted that would post it again, that'd be awesome...because I need one of those straps! *lol*)
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    I actually posted about this not that long ago, and received many responses from those who do wear one in the pool, or have done so. Mst of them seem to have the polar ft4 or the ft7. The main thing I was told is to keep the chest strap pretty tight.

    I don't have one yet to tell you about, as my birthday is Thursday and my husband is buying me one then. But I plan on using it on Friday and then again on Saturday when I run the triathlon, so I'll report back then.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I used to swim a lot more and therefore wore my old one in the pool. I never had an issue with it getting ruined, but I did have issues getting a reading. I changed the battery in the watch myself and the seal didn't seal properly and that was the end of that. My new one hasn't been in the pool yet and turned on as I just don't swim anymore, it has however been in the pool when I was playing with my son and there's no damage.
  • Amy_Lynn74
    Amy_Lynn74 Posts: 134 Member
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    I tried wearing mine in the pool but it didn't work right because of the chlorine. It kept saying it couldn't read it and to check my HRM. It warned me that it may not work correctly because of the chemicals in the pool. I bet in a lake it would be fine to use though.
  • rgunn02
    rgunn02 Posts: 169 Member
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    I have a timex hrm and I wear it EVERY TIME I swim! I swim once a week for an hour, and I've been doing that since september with no issues. I just make sure that when I'm done I rinse it off in the shower, and get it out of my bag to hang dry as soon as I can.

    Edit - if you decide to you'll have to tighten the strap up A LOT in order to get it to read properly - my is done up as tight as it can go when I'm in the pool.
  • tammyclair
    tammyclair Posts: 38
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    I wear my polar ft4 every day in the pool for an hour. i rinse the chest strap after. I have been doing this for a few months and all is well.
  • Pizzagirl50
    Pizzagirl50 Posts: 112 Member
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    Thanks for the advice. Mine's a Timex and says it's ok but I think I'll just use MFP cals for swimming. Took me a long time to get the stupid thing in the mail and don't want to risk wrecking it just yet. When I'm in the market for a new fancy one with GPS then I'll try this one in the pool.

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