Heart rate monitors?

S

Sid Post

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I am considering adding a Heart Rate montior to my excercise routine.

Being a total novice to such, I would appreciate words of wisdom and advice of what to look for and what to avoid. Reviews of specific models would be appreciated as well.

The local stores only have some really cheap "Polar" models so, I am most likely limited to an internet purchase so, I have been looking at the Timex web-site. Their models top out at $300 which is possible if the features warrant such expense (in this example GPS in addition to Heart Rate history information down loadable to a PC :eek: ).

I don't swim so, use will be restricted to hiking, running, cycling (off-road), and similar types of activity. Right now I just can't get into weight rooms but, that might be a future use as well.

THANKS!
 
I've been using the same one for years, but it's a bike-mounted model from Cateye that's incorporated into the computer.
If that means anything, Cateye seems very reliable...

The more expensive models have lots more bells and whistles, most of which most folks don't need. Computer interfaces and such.

They are quite useful, and can help you stay in the particular aerobic "zones" for training. The most important thing is to determine your own max heartrate, which can vary considerably from the common "220 minus your age" guideline.
 
I used a polar for years, I think I paid over $100 for it, so it wasn't the lowest in their line, but nowhere near the high-end $200+ models. I agree with mwerner that most people don't need the fancy feature in the high-end models ... but you might. I can't remember the features I liked in my model. I think one was that if you held the watch close to the chest strap for a couple of seconds, the backlight automatically went on, which meant that I could read my heartrate without having to press a button. Other than that, I just wanted to be able to set my target zone, have the thing beep if I went out of the zone, and tell me at the end how much workout time was spent in the zone.

One of the best things about the heartrate monitor was that it let me workout easier. In the past, sometimes I'd get into a period where I was a little tired or stressed, and would stop running just because I couldn't face a really hard aerobic workout. With the heartrate monitor, on "lazy" days, I can do an easier workout but still be confident I'm working out hard enough to be getting the benefit.

Joe
 
Many people, myself included, consider Polar to be the best brand.

Which model you should purchase depends on your needs. For general fitness, go with the "M" series, or one of the nicer "A" series models.

If you are a runner or a cyclist, and want to go to the next level, the "S" series watches are extremely well respected.

I personally had been using the M52 for some time and loved it, but this weekend I made a boo-boo and it got smashed up good (ran over by several cars). So I ordered the S410 which should be here on thursday.

Go to www.polarusa.com and look around at the different models. If you have any questions about features I should be able to answer them. Also, I can personally recommend www.watchmerun.com as a vendor, I have bought from them before and I've found their prices to be some of the lowest and they ship pretty fast.
 
I just re-read your post and noticed you are looking at the Timex body link system. Comments:

The Timex HRM + GPS is a great system, I have not personally used it but I know of many runners who are happy with it. One drawback to the GPS is that all it really tells you on the watch is speed + distance. It may give you some additional info, but it is *not* a full featured GPS. Once nice feature is the pace timer, you can set a pace "window" and if you are running faster or slower than that the watch will beep at you.

I use the Garmin Geko 201 for running. It is about the same size as the Timex GPS transponder, but is full featured with an LCD screen. You can program waypoints, save tracks, and do most of the normal GPS stuff you would expect. It does not have a built in map. The main drawback for runners is that it gives you your speed in MPH, not in Minutes Per Mile. I am pretty good at dividing 60 by things so this doesn't bother me, but it does bother others.

I hang out at the forums at www.coolrunning.com, this topic has been covered there plenty, do a searches on Timex, Geko, and Polar.
 
Polars are very good. There are some simple and cheap models, but there are more expensive models as well. I have one of the low-to-mid range models, but the top-of-the-line Polar features a large internal memory and computer download capability. A friend of mine who is a windsurfing Olympic medallist has been using it for years, (in and out of the sea) without any problems.
 
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