Heart Rate Monitor - What's the scoop?

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Reama5
Reama5 Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm going to buy one of these for my birthday. Most of my exercise is on bike, which means a chest strap is recommended for me.

Any thoughts or hints? Any HRM you LOVE or one you've had a bad experience with?
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Replies

  • ColleenAtherton
    ColleenAtherton Posts: 230 Member
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    I've had a Polar FT7 for a couple of weeks now and I love it!
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    Polar is awesome.. TImex sucks.

    Most popular ones here are Polar FT4,FT7,FT40 and FT60.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I have a New Balance N4 - works great, I love it!
  • Reama5
    Reama5 Posts: 22 Member
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    Right now I'm thinking about the New Balance N4.

    I like that it's a watch and has the chest band.

    Is the chest band elastic? I'm thinking I'd rather wear it on my thigh.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    Right now I'm thinking about the New Balance N4.

    I like that it's a watch and has the chest band.

    Is the chest band elastic? I'm thinking I'd rather wear it on my thigh.

    I would research how the NB works. I know with my Polar, the chest strap needs to be on my ...chest. Go figure.
    I'm not sure if it would pick up your heart rate from your thigh.

    Mine is elastic and is adjustable, but it wouldn't go small enough to stay taut on my thigh. YMMV.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    Right now I'm thinking about the New Balance N4.

    I like that it's a watch and has the chest band.

    Is the chest band elastic? I'm thinking I'd rather wear it on my thigh.

    Uh why would you wear it on your thigh? that makes no sense what so ever.. It's a chest band, so it goes around your chest.. not your leg.

    I know the Polar chest bands are elastic.. and stretch pretty far. They are also cloth which makes them pretty comfortable.
  • Reama5
    Reama5 Posts: 22 Member
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    I'd wear it on my thigh because I don't like feeling constricted. Especially while I'm slaying it going up hills in Seattle.
    And because I can.
  • JayByrd107
    JayByrd107 Posts: 282 Member
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    I'd wear it on my thigh because I don't like feeling constricted. Especially while I'm slaying it going up hills in Seattle.
    And because I can.

    You can...because your heart is located in your thigh in your particular case?
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I'd wear it on my thigh because I don't like feeling constricted. Especially while I'm slaying it going up hills in Seattle.
    And because I can.

    You can...because your heart is located in your thigh in your particular case?

    Thats what I was thinking.. It's not going to pick up your heart rate on your thigh. You wouldn't be able to wear pants, and plus it would prob. slide around quite a bit becuase it's made for a chest.. and not a thigh.

    Thank of it this way.. it feels like wearing a bra. If you can wear that, then you can wear a chest strap.
  • anilyze
    anilyze Posts: 67
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    If you run, check out Garmin 610. Love mine. Have tried 3 Polars before this one.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I'd wear it on my thigh because I don't like feeling constricted. Especially while I'm slaying it going up hills in Seattle.
    And because I can.

    You can...because your heart is located in your thigh in your particular case?

    Pretty much this. It's a heart rate monitor, it's not really going to much good measuring your heart rate if it's no where near your heart.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    If you run, check out Garmin 610. Love mine. Have tried 3 Polars before this one.

    I had a Polar for 3 years, then got a Garmin, returned it to get a Polar because of the way it applied calorie burn. I hear they've improved my concern (it didn't apply burn to hr, but instead to miles, so unless I was road running it didn't get a burn count. Any even then it was not very accurate because it was based purely on miles). And then for treadmill or biking I had to buy a pod. They do, however, make a good product and I was sad when I returned it. I would look into it again if something tragic happened to my current Polar.
  • terraskye
    terraskye Posts: 370 Member
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    the chest band...at least the polar ones do not feel constricting at all.
  • itali614
    itali614 Posts: 53 Member
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    I was just looking into what a heart monitor is and what the need is to use it. I have never heard of these before. But, I am doing lots of exercise that I am not finding in the database. I have heard this is a way to tell how many calories your burning. Any informational advice would be helpful. Thanks!
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
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    Polar all the way....anything over the FT4 or higher.

    Reason being is that the models higher than the FT4 calculate calories burnt too.... and yes you want one with a chest strap.

    I have the FT7 and LOVE it !
  • crimznrose
    crimznrose Posts: 282 Member
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    I love the New Balance. The chest strap might be uncomfy at first but after a while you get used to and hardly know it's there when you're wearing it. It does need to be worn on the chest however, because it picks up the electrical signal from your heartbeat. The thigh is probably too far from the heart to get a good reading. Before I got the N4, I just had a wrist monitor and it would often lose contact with my heartbeat and not log my workouts right at all.
  • jjs22
    jjs22 Posts: 156
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    WARNING !

    I see lots of recommendations for Polar. Before you buy one, check to see if the battery in the chest strap is replaceable. Most of the Polar ones are not (unless they've changed lately) and you are supposed to send it in "to the factory" for replacement. IOW, throw it away and buy another. Keep in mind that there is no on/off switch. Any time the sensor detects moisture, it is on.

    Somebody made a non-specific negative comment about Timex. I have a Timex and I love it. Does exactly what it should do, no issues. Both watch and strap have replaceable batteries.

    NOTE :

    All a HRM can do is monitor the rate of your heart. Period.

    Using that information, plus your weight, plus your maximum heart rate, and ASSUMING you are doing aerobic exercise, it is possible for the HRM to make a guess how many calories an "average" person would have burned. So any time you read the calories burned number, keep in mind that it is only a ballpark figure, and is only meaningful if you are doing aerobic exercise.

    If you do resistance training (e.g., weightlifting) , for example, you *are* burning calories (your body gets warmer) during the session, and also afterwards as your body rebuilds itself. But the number produced by a HRM is pretty worthless.

    I think the best use of a HRM is for aerobic training purposes (as opposed to weight loss), where you can keep an eye on your heart rate as an indicator of how hard you are working. If I run/bike at 160-170, I know I'm doing a pretty serious cardio session. If I'm walking, and I'm down at 110-120, I know I should speed up. And so on.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
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    WARNING !

    I see lots of recommendations for Polar. Before you buy one, check to see if the battery in the chest strap is replaceable. Most of the Polar ones are not (unless they've changed lately) and you are supposed to send it in "to the factory" for replacement. IOW, throw it away and buy another. Keep in mind that there is no on/off switch. Any time the sensor detects moisture, it is on.

    Somebody made a non-specific negative comment about Timex. I have a Timex and I love it. Does exactly what it should do, no issues. Both watch and strap have replaceable batteries.

    NOTE :

    All a HRM can do is monitor the rate of your heart. Period.

    Using that information, plus your weight, plus your maximum heart rate, and ASSUMING you are doing aerobic exercise, it is possible for the HRM to make a guess how many calories an "average" person would have burned. So any time you read the calories burned number, keep in mind that it is only a ballpark figure, and is only meaningful if you are doing aerobic exercise.

    If you do resistance training (e.g., weightlifting) , for example, you *are* burning calories (your body gets warmer) during the session, and also afterwards as your body rebuilds itself. But the number produced by a HRM is pretty worthless.

    I think the best use of a HRM is for aerobic training purposes (as opposed to weight loss), where you can keep an eye on your heart rate as an indicator of how hard you are working. If I run/bike at 160-170, I know I'm doing a pretty serious cardio session. If I'm walking, and I'm down at 110-120, I know I should speed up. And so on.

    Those are the old Polars, the new ones you can change the battery at home....
    and although there is no on/off switch for the chest strap, you are supposed to detach the little black box/monitor when you are not using the strap, that shuts it off.... then snap it back on when you want to workout...
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Options
    WARNING !

    I see lots of recommendations for Polar. Before you buy one, check to see if the battery in the chest strap is replaceable. Most of the Polar ones are not (unless they've changed lately) and you are supposed to send it in "to the factory" for replacement. IOW, throw it away and buy another. Keep in mind that there is no on/off switch. Any time the sensor detects moisture, it is on.

    Somebody made a non-specific negative comment about Timex. I have a Timex and I love it. Does exactly what it should do, no issues. Both watch and strap have replaceable batteries.

    NOTE :

    All a HRM can do is monitor the rate of your heart. Period.

    Using that information, plus your weight, plus your maximum heart rate, and ASSUMING you are doing aerobic exercise, it is possible for the HRM to make a guess how many calories an "average" person would have burned. So any time you read the calories burned number, keep in mind that it is only a ballpark figure, and is only meaningful if you are doing aerobic exercise.

    If you do resistance training (e.g., weightlifting) , for example, you *are* burning calories (your body gets warmer) during the session, and also afterwards as your body rebuilds itself. But the number produced by a HRM is pretty worthless.

    I think the best use of a HRM is for aerobic training purposes (as opposed to weight loss), where you can keep an eye on your heart rate as an indicator of how hard you are working. If I run/bike at 160-170, I know I'm doing a pretty serious cardio session. If I'm walking, and I'm down at 110-120, I know I should speed up. And so on.

    Those are the old Polars, the new ones you can change the battery at home....
    and although there is no on/off switch for the chest strap, you are supposed to detach the little black box/monitor when you are not using the strap, that shuts it off.... then snap it back on when you want to workout...

    Took the words right out of my mouth.

    Plus TImex is notorious for over estimating calories burned... and Polar is one of the best.
  • MikeInAZ
    MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
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    3 Kinds I would recommend:

    Polar FT series, $75-150. These are good because most of the equipment in the gym will sync with it. They do have BlueTooth versions so you can sync it with your phone. I have a Polar FT7, works great, simple, comfortable. The FT4 is very capable too and a little less money. Any heart rate monitor that relies on you to press a button on the watch for accuracy is lying. You wear a chest strap, that's it, plain and simple. The battery in my watch and chest POD are both user replaceable, very easy to do with a quarter. They last me about 6 months before having to change them.

    Garmin - GPS with Heart Rate Monitor. These range from $150-300. You get the added benefit of a GPS with your HRM. The Garmin software is really good. However, if you bring your phone with you when you hike, bike, walk, etc, you can use any number of Free and paid GPS programs (and the Polar Syncs with most of them). Cons - the larger Garmins have a rechargeable battery which seems to only last about 6-8 hours. Just a pain the rear to have to keep charging it. Also I have read they are not user serviceable so when it dies, you're out of luck. I know people with Garmin and they LOVE it. I was going to get one last Xmas when Costco had them on sale for about $175. But I decided that since I always bring my phone when I ride, it was a waste of money and I already had the Polar FT7.

    Arm Band - Motion Sensors - Body Bug and Body Media/Fit - These are good, you wear them all day long. It tracks all your motion through the day, you even wear it at night when you sleep and it monitors your sleeping habits. They DO NOT tell you your heart rate however. They are supposed to be very accurate. They are more expensive and usually require you to pay for a website membership, around $75/year. They have a Bluetooth versions so you can sync with your phone and you dont HAVE to use the website to get the data.

    My friend has a BodyBug, he lost over 80lbs using it to track his calories burned in conjunction with counting calories.

    For me, simple is better. I suggest Polar since most of the gyms have treadmills and bikes which have Polar sensors in them. Plus it seems to be a very reliable and reputable brand. Biggest complaint is that when the battery starts to die, it acts flaky.

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