Heart Monitors

I'm wondering if I should get a heart monitor, but I'm not sure what the benefits are and what I should be looking for in one. I think I want one that calculates calories burned. Would the reading be more accurate than the elliptical machine reading? Do you enter your weight in the heart monitor or does it just use your heart rate?

Any advise and recommendations would be appreciated.

Sun. Nov 27, 6:40pm

I have a heart rate monitor that I like - it's a polar. Convenient and when I forget the watch, it still works with all of the equipment at the gym. Since buying it, I can run double the distance than I could before.

Monday, November 28, 2005, 6:57 AM

Polar is the only brand to buy

everything else craps out. mostly it keeps me motivated to keep going. if I feel like crap, but my heartrate is good, then I know I am being effective and keep going.

Monday, November 28, 2005, 1:50 PM

Whether or not a heart rate monitor would be of much benefit in your workouts might depend on the type of training you do. I have a couple of HRMs that I purchased from Bike Nashbar (www.nashbar.com) and have used for about 6 years. The two that I purchased both carry the Nashbar name, and were relatively inexpensive compared to a Polar HRM, but they have been reliable for me. I find that they are useful in running, swimming and cycling, but not in slower-paced activities.

Although one of the HRMs has a calorie calculator feature, I do not use it. It does not have a way to input weight or the type of activity, both of which will be a factor in any "calories expended calculations". Perhaps a more sophisticated HRM would include a calorie calculator that would allow inputting more information.

Monday, November 28, 2005, 3:55 PM

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