Heart Rate Monitors

[tradygirl]

So, I'm still using an old Polar HR monitor from like 10 years ago, and I've decided it's time to upgrade. Anyone have any good suggestions? I don't need anything fancy since I can track pretty much everything but HR on my iPhone now, but just something that will work with the treadmills at the gym and for my outdoor runs on the weekend. Most important feature would be reliability and response time (I love interval workouts).

 

[Vista freak]

I have a Polar FT1. It is pretty basic, but it does the job and it syncs with many cardio machines. It is waterproof so I can wear it swimming. A feature that I wish it had would be to save a series of exercise events. I use it all the time for interval training.

 

[num]

Bumping because I'm in the same boat as Trady...well, I was in the same boat for a while but it seems my old hrm is actually dying now.

Trady, did you end up picking up a new one? If so, what did you go with?

 

[volklgirl]

I'm curious too, as I'm looking to get a HRM, but I think I'm looking for one with GPS so I can save the battery on my phone for actual phone usage. I was thinking the Garmin 405 or 410 would be perfect (reputable company with lots of experience with this type of device), but then I read a bunch of reviews on the 2 models and everyone hated the control bezel. Now I'm at a loss.

 

[skibum4ever]

Would this Timex watch work for anyone, or is the hrm you want to use way more complex?

https://altatac.store.buy.com/p/tim...t-rate-monitor-watch-blue-grey/240619590.html

 

[volklgirl]

That's a great deal for a nice HRM, but I'd like to be able to track distance and pace as well which requires a watch with either GPS or ANT+/Foot pod compatability, which this model doesn't appear to have. Another issue I have with Timex in general is their policy on battery replacement and warranty. after my experiencew with my Ironman watch, I'll never buy another Timex product again.

 

[num]

I ended up getting a Polar FT7 and I'd recommend it. The chest strap sits nicely and hasn't had any issues with my bra bands, it has been reliable and easy to use. There are men's and women's versions but gender doesn't seem to matter with these, as the initial setup on either model prompts you to enter your age, gender, weight and height. The sizing of the chest strap and watch are adjustable enough that it seems they would fit most women or men.

I found that it's a lot cheaper on Amazon than it is at REI, etc. On Amazon, the prices vary slightly between different colors and whether the model is marked as men's or women's. I got the men's version in black and silver for 64.50 with free shipping (2 day if you have Prime or longer if you don't, but free either way).

 

[volklgirl]

I ended up with the SportLine Elite Cardio Connect. I found it on closeout a WallyWorld for less than $70 and I've been pretty happy with it given what I paid. The watch and chest strap are comfortable (I usually just wear the transmitter under my bra strap and ditch the chest strap all together), and the watch is super easy to use with a reasonably large display. It links up to both Runtastic and MyFitnessPal, so that's pretty cool. My only real complaints so far revolve around the "connect" part....the GPS tracking is done using the phone (which I do anyway) linking the HRM to the GPS, but it requires a stupid "dongle" that plugs into the headphone port of the phone to receive the HR info. The dongle seems flimsy, doesn't always make a connection with the phone, and it can't be used if the phone is in a case. It does have a pass-through for using headphones, though. Using the dongle for HR drains the battery even faster than just the GPS, too.

Still, for less than $100 I'm getting all the info I need currently, although my next needs to have GPS onboard and a foot pod for tracking treadmill and spinning miles.

 

[SallyCat]

I ended up getting a Polar FT7 and I'd recommend it. The chest strap sits nicely and hasn't had any issues with my bra bands, it has been reliable and easy to use. There are men's and women's versions but gender doesn't seem to matter with these, as the initial setup on either model prompts you to enter your age, gender, weight and height. The sizing of the chest strap and watch are adjustable enough that it seems they would fit most women or men.

Funny that this old post came up; I was searching "heart rate" because I have the exact same monitor, the Polar FT7. I dug it out recently to see if I could use it for training. (Boy, the numbers and letters on the face sure are smaller than I remember!)

I wore it along with my Apple Watch today, and the the two were absolutely spot-on consistent with each other. Good to know the watch alone is pretty accurate.

My max heart rate is supposed to be about 170. I'm a little concerned that the past few times I've ridden the bike very hard, my HR never went above 130. I mean, I was like "I will make it up this big hill and then have to stop and gasp for several minutes" about-to-barf exhausted and I was only in Zone 2, which is supposed to be "moderate."

I do have a fairly low-ish resting HR, around 58 or so.

But I'm wondering if this has always been my exertion-level heart rate, if it will increase with training, and if it really means anything

Anyway, if you have a Polar FT7 sitting around, I can say that it holds up well and still works great!

 

[kiki]

@SallyCat clearly you are very athletic from what I read that translates to improvement/decrease in heart rate.

I just got a garmin fenix6 which measures heart rate. I have a high heart rate in general.

this new watch, It has a feature that if it determines you are not moving and not active and your heart rate goes above a certain level it issues a loud buzzing and warning screen.

The warning has gone off a few times for me when driving or in meetings for work. Ok and once when I was berating my husband for the type of bread he bought

It’s good to monitor this stuff and see how we can improve it. i wore my Fitbit on one wrist and garmin on other to test and they are both giving consistent HR readings to each other.

 

[santacruz skier]

I am pretty athletic and still have a somewhat high heart rate which is even worse when in the doctor's office. I have white coat syndrome which doesn't help...

 

[Jilly]

@kiki my new Venu sq has a stress widget. It buzzed me yesterday. Though that was interesting. Also has "body battery", which tells something I've suspected for awhile..I'm chronically tired.

 

[Abbi]

I have an older Soleus with chest strap that I love. I got a newer one and can't stand it. Takes ages to program. I just want it to give me HR!!

 

[SallyCat]

@SallyCat clearly you are very athletic from what I read that translates to improvement/decrease in heart rate.

I'm not sure; I am athletic but my cardiovascular fitness has always been underwhelming. On group rides, I'm always the caboose;I get winded easily. Probably that means that heart rate is only telling part of the story. The volume with which my left ventricle can shove oxygenated blood into my system is probably the more salient piece of data? I dunno. I just keep plugging along trying to improve. I'll be interested to see where I am in September.

 

[SallyCat]

Deleted duplicate

 

[WaterGirl]

FWIW I just 'ordered' the Whoop strap. I wanted something that I could surf with as well as monitor heart and sleep. Ironically the Oura ring just partnered with the World Surf League which I find interesting as it doesn't seem the most surf friendly choice, but I guess they are using it more to monitor overall health. (the Pro surfers travel in a bubble to all the contests). I thought about it for a while but I don't surf with rings and the smallest was size 6. The Whoop strap specifically states 3ATM and ocean water ok, and they have a "hydro sleeve" which I will probably get if my wetsuit sleeve doesn't keep it in place.

 

[kiki]

@kiki my new Venu sq has a stress widget. It buzzed me yesterday. Though that was interesting. Also has "body battery", which tells something I've suspected for awhile..I'm chronically tired.

So how has it gone with a few more days, @Jilly ?
one day my abnormal heart rate warning went off 3 times. Determined I need to do more yoga!!

 

[Jilly]

Been good so far. I somehow got things screwed up on Monday and it didn't register my paddle session on the water. Contact lenses, sunlight, trying to be quick....I probably just missed something. Will try it again this weekend when I get my boat out.

 

[WaterGirl]

FWIW I am so happy I am using the WHOOP Strap! I will say I have a very small wrist and I was concerned it would be too big, but I don't even notice it. I've wanted a heart rate monitor that I can surf with and this has been awesome! I surfed with it the past few days and Its been amazing to see my heart rate for the whole session. I also have wanted a sleep monitor for a while and this seem great, it breaks down the types of sleep as well as noting interruptions respiration etc.

While this does need a phone to pair with as it has no display, the fact that it seems bomb proof in the water makes up for the lack of real time data when I'm surfing. Not sure I would really be constantly monitoring my heart rate when surfing anyway because I'm either paddling or sitting and my heart rate really fluctuates. For surfing I really just wanted to make sure I wasn't getting too high of a heart rate. You certainly can use it for realtime heart rate when you have your phone available, I can use it on my bike or hiking etc. Customer support has been great and I really like the other data and analysis provided. It is a subscription based product with a 6 month minimum and seems to have a better privacy policy than most other monitors.

 

[SallyCat]

I use the Apple watch paired with Strava, and just recently paid for a premium (Strava) subscription that gives me a bit more analysis of my workouts. I especially like being able to see where I'm improving on climbs because they always feel awful, but being able to see real improvement in my times is so encouraging and helps with motivation.

I've been happy with the watch, but one little thing that bugs me is that when I'm riding a bike, the normal wrist-flick absolutely refuses to turn the watch face on. It's annoying because sometimes I just want to peek at my heart rate after a big effort, but having to take one hand off the bars to tap the watchface is a non-starter on a mountain bike. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but a little irritating.