Posted: 7/22/2016 2:13:58 PM EDT
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UPDATE below: TL;DR Polar H7 works well.
I'm in a new boat that I wasn't in May. Mid May I had an issue with my heart and the cardiologist stuck a stent in there. Now I'm going through cardiac rehab and exercising regularly. I haven't done that since I can't remember when. Ok, never. Anyway, I'm about 1/3 of the way through and am beginning to think beyond what cardiac rehab gives me and what I'm going to do to continue exercising. During rehab, I wear a heart monitor. Not sure of the model number or anything but it's a 3 lead thingy that feeds info to the computer the nurses watch and tell me to back it down because I'm about to or have exceeded my target heart rate. My question is this: I want to continue monitoring my heart rate while exercising. I'm looking for something that'll give me heart rate and pulse rate. I've got no idea what's available to do this because I've never needed anything like it before. I'm planning on joining a gym after rehab is done with me so I can keep up the cardio because I don't want another stent or to die or anything. I'm thinking I want something I can wear on my wrist. I've got an iPhone 6 if that helps. Price I'm willing to pay is maybe up to around $200. If it'll feed my phone data I'm ok with that to track what I've been doing. I can't wear it all the time (can't have electronic devices at work). Suggestions for a heart monitor are welcome. TL;DR --- Got a stent. Exercising now and plan to in the future. Want a wrist wear type of heart monitor that also shows pulse rate. Don't want to pay too much over $200. Will only wear while working out and not at work. Thanks |
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Polar
Polar can work with your phone. I think it's great with Polar's app. But love it with the Strava app. |
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Thanks for the replies. After looking into them a bit more, I'm seeing that the strap based models are said to be more accurate and the wrist models tend to be a bit inaccurate especially with higher heart rates.
Has anyone found this to be true or has the technology for the wristworn ones caught up with the strap ones worn around the chest? |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the replies. After looking into them a bit more, I'm seeing that the strap based models are said to be more accurate and the wrist models tend to be a bit inaccurate especially with higher heart rates. Has anyone found this to be true or has the technology for the wristworn ones caught up with the strap ones worn around the chest? I have an Apple Watch which is normally accurate but will often stop and show my HR as 58 in the middle of a treadmill run the treadmill will show 3 times that. I was wearing a strap with the Apple and that never seemed to have a problem but the strap would cause a bad rash to develop within a few hours of using it. |
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Quoted:
I have an Apple Watch which is normally accurate but will often stop and show my HR as 58 in the middle of a treadmill run the treadmill will show 3 times that. I was wearing a strap with the Apple and that never seemed to have a problem but the strap would cause a bad rash to develop within a few hours of using it. Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the replies. After looking into them a bit more, I'm seeing that the strap based models are said to be more accurate and the wrist models tend to be a bit inaccurate especially with higher heart rates. Has anyone found this to be true or has the technology for the wristworn ones caught up with the strap ones worn around the chest? I have an Apple Watch which is normally accurate but will often stop and show my HR as 58 in the middle of a treadmill run the treadmill will show 3 times that. I was wearing a strap with the Apple and that never seemed to have a problem but the strap would cause a bad rash to develop within a few hours of using it. Maybe you should rinse it with fresh water once in a while. 
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Quoted:
Maybe you should rinse it with fresh water once in a while. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the replies. After looking into them a bit more, I'm seeing that the strap based models are said to be more accurate and the wrist models tend to be a bit inaccurate especially with higher heart rates. Has anyone found this to be true or has the technology for the wristworn ones caught up with the strap ones worn around the chest? I have an Apple Watch which is normally accurate but will often stop and show my HR as 58 in the middle of a treadmill run the treadmill will show 3 times that. I was wearing a strap with the Apple and that never seemed to have a problem but the strap would cause a bad rash to develop within a few hours of using it. Maybe you should rinse it with fresh water once in a while. Cleaned with alcohol after every use then washed in water. |
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I use my apple watch to monitor my HR while running, but I don't have a medical need for precision. Wrist mounted unit work fine, but they don't always respond to changes quickly and they have some drift or a lack of precision. For my use, the problems have never been enough to make me consider going back to my garmin. The chest straps are much better, and now that the sensors are smaller, pretty comfortable too. My Advice: Convenience: Apple Watch. It is always there and easy enough to use, even if it isn't the most accurate. Wait a few months because the new one should be out. Because of my apple watch, I am always able to check my HR. Accuracy: Bluetooth chest strap synced to an app on the phone (I Prefer Strava). The drawback here is that your phone needs to be easily accessible, so spibelts and arm straps are a pain. Best of both worlds and then some: Garmin Fenix 3 (but not the wrist HR model). It does all the exercise monitoring you could ever want, and probably more. It also does all the smartwatch stuff. It isn't cheap, but neither is having your heart explode. dcrainmaker has a review of every possible option out there. |
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My wife (no pics) mentioned the other day she thought I should get a FitBit... honestly, I don't know what in the heck to do. I know I want to monitor my heart rate during exercise because I don't want to exceed the limits I've been using.
I just don't know whether I should get a strap model or a wrist model. I'll only wear it during exercise because I can't have any kind of electronic device here at work. |
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Quoted:
My wife (no pics) mentioned the other day she thought I should get a FitBit... honestly, I don't know what in the heck to do. I know I want to monitor my heart rate during exercise because I don't want to exceed the limits I've been using. I just don't know whether I should get a strap model or a wrist model. I'll only wear it during exercise because I can't have any kind of electronic device here at work. My wife said I could buy a Fit bit Charge HR. I'd like to keep track of my sleep and other stuff. But I'm not sure if it works or if it's worth it. |
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Ok. Here's an update:
I got a Polar H7 with strap and it's working fine for me. I've shifted from doing cardiac rehab (treadmill walk - 16 minutes @ 4 deg incline, rowing machine for 8 minutes avg 113 watts, aerodyne for 14 minutes legs @ 2.0 and 11 minutes arms @ 1.4, and step for 3 minutes @ 124 steps avg) They told me at cardiac rehab that I've lost 6 pounds in the 3 months I was doing it... doesn't feel like it as my clothes aren't any looser than they were before on me. It wasn't really a goal because I'm at a good weight. So I joined a gym close to home. I met with their trainer yesterday and they set me up on a program using the weight machines and some cardio. For the machines I'm not tracking heart rate because it's not too intense for me nor is it long enough in duration to warrant tracking heart rate but it got in the way of a couple of positions on the machines I was using. Moving it was no problem. When I'm doing cardio it's coming in handy. While the treadmill and elliptical have heart rate I like using the Polar... I plugged in my stats into the Polar app and it let me know where I am with my heart rate. Once my heart rate began climbing out of the green zone, I backed off my exertion until it recovered enough to get back into the green zone. So. I wound up running a little over a mile last night at the gym in 12.5 minutes. Not fast I know but it's a start... and it was a mix of running and walking fast so my goal is to run a mile. Then get a lower time... same thing goes for using the rower. Man, that thing will put a whupping on me but quick. In about 2 minutes I went from a heart rate of 103 or so to 145 and needed to back off so as to not exceed my personal limits... then pick up the pace when it dropped back towards 120-130. All told I like the Polar and don't regret buying it. The only thing I can see is a potential problem with it is the door for the battery. It seals tightly and it has to go on a specific way... it took me a few minutes to get it to seat properly when I put the battery in. |