Polar FT4 HRM

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13

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  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Have it! Love it! Super easy to use.
  • littlebuddy84
    littlebuddy84 Posts: 1,000 Member
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    I have one and i absolutely love it :-)
  • Angelie28
    Angelie28 Posts: 197 Member
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    Love my FT4 have had it for about 5 months now and I never work out without it. Somebody above mentioned hitting the buttons on accident while working out so they don't wear it on their wrist, easy solution is to lock the buttons when working out :)
  • Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel
    Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel Posts: 175 Member
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    I have it and love it. Use it for gym and swimming. Definately recommend it.

    Wait...hold up...you can wear it while SWIMMING? The instructions I read said not to get the actual monitor wet. I am definitely going to research this more...
  • Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel
    Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel Posts: 175 Member
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    I have it and love it. Use it for gym and swimming. Definately recommend it.

    Wait...hold up...you can wear it while SWIMMING? The instructions I read said not to get the actual monitor wet. I am definitely going to research this more...

    Just looked it up, and found it SUPER awesome! I was wondering how I was going to measure my burns in the pools this summer...now I know! Yay!
  • clocklady
    clocklady Posts: 111 Member
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    I have an ft4. It has me addicted to using a heart rate monitor while working out! The ft4 is a good starter model, but I'll be happy to get a better one before too long. Sometimes while working out the heart rate transmitter blinks 00 or gets stuck on a number. I wash the chest strap after almost every use and let it air dry, plus it's not low on battery so who knows what the issue is. But like I said, I don't workout without it, it gets the job done (for the most part). :)
  • phillbis
    phillbis Posts: 411 Member
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    I have the FT7 and love it. The FT7 may have a few other features than the FT4 but they are basically the same. They are easy to program and read. As someone posted the Polar brand is also compatible with some gym equipment and the chest strap will transmit to it.
  • StarCee
    StarCee Posts: 7 Member
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    Can you post your workouts from the Polar FT4 to the web? I would like to see and keep track of my workouts. For example, I use the Nike+ app on my iPhone and upload completed workouts from my iPhone to the Nike website.
  • daphnemoon
    daphnemoon Posts: 216 Member
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    Don't really understand why people would wear the chest strap and not the watch - for me the whole point of having the HRM is not only to measure cals burned (which is interesting both during and after a workout) but most importantly to ensure my heart rate doesn't get too high. I wear it during aerobics, dance, combat etc classes without any distraction - I mean, it isn't as if you're going to be staring at it the whole time, I just glance down between tracks or every now and again to take a reading and see what's what. If your calorie burn is low then it can inspire you to work harder (I always work harder when I'm wearing my HRM!!)

    Definitely recommend the FT4. But as with all HRMs you have to make sure it is fit snugly enough around you otherwise if you're really getting into your class it will fall down and pick up other bizarre rhythms from your body and tell you your heart rate was loads higher than it actually was lol.

    I don't think you can post the FT4 results to the web via any kind of programme. Some of the more advanced models enable you to do that but I looked at the online programme and some of the measurements it was taking seemed to only really be relevant for sports scientists or Olympians!! So I don't mind too much about not having this functionality....yet!
  • Kehaulani626
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    I'm so glad I found this thread because I was also wondering if I was supposed to wear the watch and chest strap at the same time. I got my Polar FT4 (Bronze) today and can't wait to use it during my workout tomorrow.
  • lnburcham
    lnburcham Posts: 11
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    i have the pink one and i love it. its my first time using one but it's very easy to use.
  • 2012Mich
    2012Mich Posts: 93
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    I don't think you can go wrong buying an polar product. I have a polar FT7 and I love it!
  • FitForLife81
    FitForLife81 Posts: 372 Member
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    I have one and love it =)
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,375 Member
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    I have the f4 and love it. No issues with it ever.
    me too

    Me too! 4 yrs and still going strong! I used to wear the receiver as my watch just to help me stay in that healthy frame of mind all day (and so I could brag to people about my workouts), but the strap is more of a gray than blue now, so I had to get a regular watch. :smile:
  • NHLove88
    NHLove88 Posts: 75 Member
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    I have the FT7 and love it. The FT7 may have a few other features than the FT4 but they are basically the same. They are easy to program and read. As someone posted the Polar brand is also compatible with some gym equipment and the chest strap will transmit to it.

    So they're pretty much the same? I've been researching HRMs these past few days, & pretty much narrowed it down to the Polar FT 4 or 7.

    Great thread topic OP, & thanx for the reviews everyone :)
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    After reading reviews, I went for the Polar ft4. It is working fine so far, though occasionally have to restart it as it stops picking up my heart rate, but it is a really useful tool for monitoring heart rate during exercise and getting a more accurate count of calories burned. I find the ellipticals underestimate my burn by a great deal, while the treadmills overestimate. I also use it when cycling, but don't think it would be any use for monitoring or even estimating calorie burn during day to day activities. I am getting the fitbit for that.

    Just remember to wet the nodes before wearing, so it picks up the heart rate before you start sweating it out. I do, anyway.
  • heather1lov
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    So I'm really interested in buying a polar, but am also curious about using it without the watch. My reasons for this are because I'd like to see my calories burned during a pole dancing class and I don't want the watch to get in the way of the pole. Is it possible to just wear the chest straps and then see my results after the workout?
  • LittleMissNerdy
    LittleMissNerdy Posts: 792 Member
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    So I'm really interested in buying a polar, but am also curious about using it without the watch. My reasons for this are because I'd like to see my calories burned during a pole dancing class and I don't want the watch to get in the way of the pole. Is it possible to just wear the chest straps and then see my results after the workout?

    I think you need to have the watch on so that the watch and the strap communicate.
  • maryam1987
    maryam1987 Posts: 9 Member
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    Just a quick question. I am doing the insanity work-out and as there are limited exercise options to choose from on MFP I am choosing 'circuit training general'. I thought the calorie estimate seemed ok until I saw other on MFP users with a much higher burn.

    I am right to assume that general circuit training is similar to an insanity work-out? Should I invest in a HRM and find out what my 'real' calorie count is?

    Thanks
  • staceywilk
    staceywilk Posts: 28 Member
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    Hubby bought me one for Christmas. Love it! I do boot camp so it's hard to figure out my calories burned. I used to think I was only burning 450 calories in an hour....now with the FT4 I can see I'm burning 500-650 calories!!

    Stacey