Heart Rate Monitors

[Karma007]

I'm deciding whether or not to shell out the $ for one for boyfriend and I, we're both stuggling with some extra pounds. If you have one, do you use it? Love/hate it?

[Aggie_Ama]

I have the Polar F6 in fun tea green. I like it a lot but admittedly I have no clue what it is telling me. One day I might get a book until then it is just a watch and fancy data.

[ny biker]

I bought a Polar HRM about 4 years ago. I never used it for targeting specific heart rate zones during training. It was more to keep track of how my HR changed during rides and over the course of the season. When the battery died in the chest strap, I didn't bother to send it to Polar to have it replaced.

I still it as a speedometer, odometer and cadence meter. If/when it dies, I probably won't get another HRM. I would consider a GPS/cyclecomputer instead.

[limewave]

I had a basic Polar HR monitor with the chest strap--I can't remember exactly which model.

But it had a timer, HR, calories burned, hr zones . . .

I really enjoyed using it. I know that the calories burned were not 100% accurate and that it tend to be over--as I hear is the case with most HR monitor's.

I used it comparatively. It gave me an idea of how hard I was working during each of my workouts. I really enjoyed being able to monitor what I was doing. And it really motivated me to work harder.

I lost the chest strap last year and can't find it anywhere. I would definitely consider getting another Polar. If I had the money, however, I would love to get one that has GPS and is MAC compatible like the Nike Triax Elite.

[OakLeaf]

I don't think it's any use for weight loss, if that's what your main focus is. Perceived exertion (and persistence!) will get you much farther along those lines than a HRM will.

I like it just because I'm a data geek. But it's also useful for building (and watching myself build) cardio capacity doing intervals.

[roadie gal]

I used to use one before getting a pacemaker made it a moot point... I think they're the most useful if you have your heart rate zones and lactate threshold determined by testing first. Then you can use you rate to determine whether or not you're working in a primarily fat burning or carb burning zone. If you're using it mostly as a weight loss tool, you'd want to know that you're in a fat burning zone most of the time.