What's the deal with heart rate monitors? Do I need one? Do they help?

I'm clueless when it comes to target heart rates. I have a vague feeling that a heart rate monitor would help me somehow but I'm not sure how useful they really are. Can a heart rate monitor really help in getting an accurate estimate of calories burned? I just got this fabulous rebounder and I love it, but I have no idea  how to count the calories burned when I use it.

How "nice" of a heart rate monitor would I  need? What features are important?

It sounds like you might need a medium-price one (skip the cheapies that don't use a strap).

Go to Amazon.com, Search on "heart rate monitors" and read the reviews to find one that meets your needs.

I find mine to be very useful, and the Calories Burned readings are valuable. 

 

Most of the HR monitors used by consumers these days are Polar HRM's. I own one too that comes with a chest strap and a watch that counts the beat directly from the heart giving you a more approximate calorie burnt scenario. I think most people would agree with Polar being the best of the lot.

You need a hrm that records the time in a zone and that gives calorie burns.  I had a very basic HRM when I first got one that just gave BPM but not calorie burns for a workout -- I was just getting into fitness and wanted to be sure to get my heart rate "going" then I upgraded to a polar f11 that does calorie burns, gives workout programs to do and target rates and also a VO2 test- of course you don't need something that fancy to start with - I say go for a polar 'F4 or F6

Some folks say you can go by perceived rate of exertion but that doesn't work well for me.  I can be barely be working out but still have trouble breathing or carrying on a conversation - all those years of smoking I guess.  Sometimes when I work out I feel like I'm gonna die if I push any harder but  my heart rate is only in the middle zone and then there are times when I can be fine but my heart rate is way over my 90% mark. 

I love my HRM and knowing exactly what I am doing as far as cal burn and bpm

I want something that does HR, calories burned and I'd quite like something that can also tell distance for running (though I want to use it for spinning/gym too). I dont really care about programs to tell me what my heart rate should be etc. but I do want average HR over session and def want the calorie burn. I've seen a couple but they look enormous and have GPS built in which Im not sure is necessary and are about £140-I think the make was Garmin or something like that. Are there any Polar HRMs that would suit me for up to around £100? Or any other ideas?

 

If you want something cheap that tells distance you are out of luck. Without GPS, how is it supposed to know?

Oh yer, maybe not distance then but a pedometer built in would be good. And can't you set your stride length on some? The GPS thing on this said it would work out routes for you to get home. I don't need that.

I love my polar hrm to bits. I use it every workout, and it's a great way to get an idea of how hard you're working, as well as the calories burned. I've got the f11. There is one you can buy that has something you attach to your shoe for distances, but the shoe piece doubles the price. I have no idea of UK prices, but my f11 was about $AUS300. Make sure you get one that has a fabric strap, the plastic ones are uncomfortable.

If you have an ipod there is some kind of shoe attachment you can buy that will tell you how far you're running using your ipod - not sure of the price though. 

You can get a regular pedometer for $10-$20 where you can set your stride length and get an estimate of distance, and just use that in combination with a heart rate monitor and it would be a lot cheaper than the GPS heart rate monitor. You would just have the set them both to "go" at the same time, but you will not get really accurate distance without the GPS. So I guess it just depends how important that is to you. I have used my pedometer on walks of 1-5 miles and then gone on Google Earth and estimated the distance and they come out pretty close, so that is good enough for me.

I absolutely "need" a heart rate monitor. The calories burned is nice for the obsessive side of me, but even just for making sure I am getting an effective workout I need to see the number. Some activities I tend to push too hard and feel fine (hiking) and others I feel like I am pushing but my heart rate is often not high enough (bike) because my body is not as used to it. The monitor keeps me on track. I don't use it every time, but it helps me train myself to know how much exertion I need for a given activity. 

If you're keen to see how far you're running go to mapmyrun.com. It uses google maps, and all you need to do is plot out your route that you run on and it'll tell you how far it is. It's probably a little more accurate than a pedometer if you're running in straight lines and for set distances.

For polar HRMs, do you need a microphone in order to send the data to your computer? I don't understand the website's info about how the data is transmitted.

I have a polar F11 that can be linked up with my computer to send the data to - however I don't use that feature - I just manually plug in my data - it may take longer but I don't have microphone set up on my computer - let alone a sound card on this machine I am borrowing from work LOL