Heart Rate Monitors

[CHIQUITITA]

Can anybody recommend a decent heart rate monitor and tell me if one particular type is better than the other. Seems to me whenever I'm on any one piece of cardio equipment the sensors are usually innacurate.... especially after I finish a sprint my hr still reads low even though my heart feels like it's beating out of my chest!

[IronpumpedLady]

Funny you should mention this, I am getting ready to invest in a new one, my old one has seen better days~!! LOL In my searching, I was looking for one I could incorporate into my weight training as well as my cardio, and this is what I have found.
Polar F55 -Ice Aluminum Heart Rate Monitor

A very new and innovative concept from Polar - The Polar F55 with Keep U Fit (Cardio Vascular Fitness and Body Workout (Weights / Resistance workout) programs. The Polar F55 can prescribe a total body fitness program (CV and muscle toning) for the user. Alternatively, if required, just a Cardio Vascular program, or just a Resistance workout program.
With the Keep U Fit program the watch may prescribe, for example; 3 x sessions - 1 x long, low-medium intensity, 1 x medium duration, medium intensity, 1 x hard and short. The watch will allow you to select which one of these 3 you perform, or just a free, personally controlled, exercise session. After 3 weeks of following the exercise program the unit will ask you to re-test your Fitness level and then recalculate your next three weeks program. It is an ongoing cycle of exercise, monitor, test, prescribe, exercise, monitor, test prescribe...... a great motivator.

With the Body Workout program the watch prescribes a body toning program with 10 x exercise movements, see below for a selection of available movements. There are 17 different movements that the user can add or remove to this program at will. The maximum number of movements per workout is 14 and you can only use a movement once per workout (each movement can be repeated 1 - 3 times per set, see below for definition of "a set")

The program does NOT allow the user to set more than 3 sets per movement. The program will select weights based on the users age, sex and weight. The user can overwrite these weights. The program will generally recommend between 8 - 12 repetitions per movement per set, the user can NOT change this setting.

A SET ? = a number of repetitions per movement i.e. 10 x biceps curls repeated three times is 3 SETS of 10 REPETITIONS

17 x Available Movements -- used to make up a Workout (14 maximum per workout)

Polar F55 Main Features:
Time of day with hours minutes and seconds

Day date

Personally prescribed Total Body Workout plan

Heart rate training zones with audible heart rate alarm. You may choose to set your own HR zone if you wish in manual mode.

Polar OwnCal - calorie expenditure with % of fat burn calories.

Polar OwnIndex, resting heart rate test giving an approximate VO2 max figure and indication of fitness. The Polar F55 includes a Fitness test trend graph, this can show, graphically, improvements in you Fitness score over time

Polar OwnZone - automatic calculation of training zone intensity with audible and visual alarms - The Polar F55 allows you to let the heart rate monitor set your training zone for you. This is generally about 65-85% of Max HR. The training zone is determined by the watch following a 5 minute walking / jogging test. You may choose to accept this zone or use your own manually prescribed one or one of the 5 Polar Zones.

Realtime, while exercising, "time in target zone" indicator. This is useful when specifically trying to achieve, for example, 35 minutes in cardio improvement zone.
Realtime, while exercising, display of calories burnt. Similar to the "time in zone" indicator this is another good target to aim for.

Comes with the new WearLink strap with self change batteries. Watch unit is return to Polar UK for battery service (about every 2 - 3 years)

Exercise Diary - the last weeks worth of exercise data can be reviewed to show calories burnt, how many times you've exercised, exercise time and time in light, moderate and hard exercise zones.

Recall of training data through - "files" menu. The Polar F55 has an extensive recall system giving access to the last 26 exercise sessions. Data recalled includes duration, calories burnt and % of fat calories, maximum heart rate, average heart rate and time in training zone. There is also a Weekly File giving summary data for the last 26 weeks.

Uses the Polar SonicLink transfer of data to send training information to/from Polar fitness trainer website (requires PC microphone and soundcard, not provided)

Stopwatch - exercise duration

Fitness bullets - a fitness bullet will appear on the top line of the display, one for every 10 minutes spent inside your training zone

Total Exercise time with summary of average heart rate

Split display, giving you what "you want" to see

Water Resistant to 30m

Daily Alarm

Back Light



Just a few of the details about what all it does!! Also I have found them on ebay, quite abit cheaper than retail prices~!!! I am going to get me one in the next few weeks, I'll let you know how I like it if you haven't found one yet~!!!


Stay Strong~~!!!
IPL

[CHIQUITITA]

Thanks for the heads up IPL.... It's much appreciated! That Polar F55 looks like the Rolls Royce for HR Monitors and for the price I dont think I need anything that fancy (although it sure would be nice to sport it). I've been doing a search of my own and found that maybe the Polar F11 might suit my needs and accomodate my budget a bit better. I'm going to keep looking though and hold off jumping into purchasing it just yet incase I find something more appealing. Also I'd love to hear your review about the F55 and whether it's worth the money their hyping it up for. Please let me know how you like it if you dont mind.

[IronpumpedLady]

The F11, was another one I did look at, I thought it was a really good buy, for what all it did, I think it just depends on just how much you will use it and exactly what for. I never do any cardio training without mine, or rearly if I do. I found I was training way too hard, and staying in more of a catabolic anaerobic state while training, which was far from what I was trying to achieve. I do like to train anaerobically, for cardio conditioning, but not when I am trying to loose BF and retain muscle mass!!! I think alot of people who train hard would be surprised to find that they are training way about there aerobic threshold!!! Sacrificing hard earned muscle, instead of the all mighty BF they are trying to burn.


Stay Strong~~!!!
IPL

[FlirtfromHell]

Nevermind.. dumb question.