Heart Rate Monitors

[PTR Hoar]

Does anyone know of any good heart rate monitors out there?

With summer comming up and me doing more outdoor running i'd like to keep track of my training, i.e calories burnt, time duration etc.

With a budget of around 50 squid i was looking at a Polar F6 type thing.

Ideally i'd like one without the chest strap but these look quite expensive.

Anyone with some gen on these things would be appretiated!!

 

[millie]

Does anyone know of any good heart rate monitors out there?

With summer comming up and me doing more outdoor running i'd like to keep track of my training, i.e calories burnt, time duration etc.

With a budget of around 50 squid i was looking at a Polar F6 type thing.

Ideally i'd like one without the chest strap but these look quite expensive.

Anyone with some gen on these things would be appretiated!!

Have you an Ipod? Perhaps look at Nike+ & sensor? So far so good for me, upload it to your computer and it records how you are progressing.

 

[Rigga]

Tesco's! or you local Lloyds Pharmacy/Dispensary.

I got a "Cardio Monitor" from Lloyds for about 12 quid (on 1/2 price offer) and its okay.

The "Bra" is a bit bulkier than the Polar one but, once its on, you lose awarness of it - and it works.

The watch is also a bit bulky but its comfy to wear and works. It gives a lot more info than the basic Polar that I had before.

Both are built to change the batteries yourself! My old Polar wasn't!

I only use it in the Gym - but thinking of using it on Bike rides.

 

[Sniffer]

I cannot fault the Polar F6. Mr Sniffer got me a girly pink one for our anniversary. How Sweet eh?

No it is really good.

After each session it will tell you average HR and Max HR together with duration and total cals used.

In additon it records your exercises weekly and provides the following info:

Number of seperate exercise sessions
Total duration of exercise
Total calories burned
How many minutes in each heart rate zone (Light/Moderate/Hard)

I love mine and feel lost if I go to the gym without it.

It may be worth going with a polar even if it isnt the F6, because you may find most gyms will have the HR bands for you to borrow.

Oh and its alarm wakes me up in the morning.

 

[busby1971]

Pm me

Pm me

I've got a redundant Nike one, cost yr postage and new batteries bud.

Other than that the Garmin FR50 is a good bet.

 

[gemarriott]

Barnsley Hospital Cardiac rehablitation dept only use the various incarnations of Polar monitors. The strap has the added advantage that it works with the read outs on on several makes of exercise machine.

 

[Malesu]

I dunno about the other makes. But Polar's have a coded belt so you dont get crossed transmissions. Kind of useful when at the gym and every tom, dick and harry has one.

Also coming from a cycling background.. you'll be surprised how much Power Lines/Pylons can sometime interfere. Polar's seem to get around this nowadays, but once again i cant comment on other makes.

 

[gemarriott]

I dunno about the other makes. But Polar's have a coded belt so you dont get crossed transmissions. Kind of useful when at the gym and every tom, dick and harry has one.

Also coming from a cycling background.. you'll be surprised how much Power Lines/Pylons can sometime interfere. Polar's seem to get around this nowadays, but once again i cant comment on other makes.

That's a good point actually. I was watching a session of Cardiac rehab in a Nottingham hospital whena patients heartrate suddenly shot up to around 255 beats. She had stood too close to 2 other patients and the monitor aggregated all 3. These weren't the coded belts that polar use.

 

[Shugster]

Slightly Off Topic But not much...Off Topic

For those of you out there who like to fiddle with electronics this may be of interest...

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8660

 

[Boarderlyne]

Just can't recommend the Polar RS400 highly enough, but agree that it is pricey. Wouldn't have mine if I hadn't won it but keeping stalking Ebay and you should get a decent bargain at some point.

 

[PTR Hoar]

i was looking at that but like you say too pricey. I'm now looking at the rs200 at i can always as a pedometer thingy ma jigger at somepoint. Thats for the replys btw guys!