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Looking to take a more scientific approach to my gym training by getting a device which will monitor heart rate. It's all a bit vast the types on offer and you can spend a fortune. Is all I need a chest monitor, which I can pair to my Iphone, or do the watches offer anything else of real value? It will be solely a tool used at the gym.
budget?
I had a chest strap HRM from Lidl, was about £15 but it only lasted about 6 months. Might be worth trying that though to see if it really helps or is just a gadget. I found it useful as I'd been quite poorly and it was useful to keep a lid on my HR.
Since it broke, and I'm a bit fitter, I've used a coupon to get a Polar HRM, around £40 - still a chest strap - as stuff on my wrist can bump around and be uncomfortable.
A chest strap will do paired with a suitable app. The main benefit of a watch is the fact you can glance down at it to see the info rather than having to mess about with a phone if your running for example.
About £100ish I guess for something decent.
I'm more inclined to do the chest strap paired to my phone to keep it simple as I'm struggling to see what else a watch will offer that I can really use?
Some of the fancier watches will also do tracking so can get by with that for outdoor activity (Strava) if thats important. Then you can have a cheap ish phone in your backpack for contact only rather than as full on monitor...
You can get a wrist strap to measure heart rate. I think its much more comfortable than a chest strap.
Look at the Mio Link, you can buy one for about £50. It transmits with ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart, so you can connect it to a Garmin or your phone.
Or the Mio Fuse is a fancier version, it has a display, so you can check your heart rate without using your phone etc.
what else a watch will offer that I can really use?
If you want to train in heart rate zones all but the most basic watches will alert you if you are outside your target zone. If you aren't using the zones what is it you want an HRM to do?
what else a watch will offer that I can really use?
If you want to train in heart rate zones all but the most basic watches will alert you if you are outside your target zone. If you aren't using the zones what is it you want an HRM to do?
I was meaning I am happy to use my phone to advise of the zone I am in and to track progress etc therefore not sure what else having a watch would add above and beyond what I get from my phone and a HRM?
After years of not getting on with chest straps I bought a Mio link and tbh its been very good.
Works flawlessly with iphone, android and my garmin when on the bike.
The LED even flashes different colours when in and out of your personally set zones.
More expensive than a good chest strap but worth it if you don't get on with them.
I thought the Mio watch thing looked ideal, but it doesn't have ant+ so won't display on the garmin.
The Mio fuse looks spot on though. Will work on the bike instead of the chest strap, and as a stand alone hrm at the gym.
I've stopped wearing my chest strap cos it makes me feel a bit restricted.
Dcrainmaker recommends... http://www.scosche.com/rhythm-plus-1
Am tempted. Goes on the arm rather than wrist or chest. Though I am put off a bit by the battery life of the rechargeable ones. My Garmin HR strap lasts months before I need to replace the coin battery. The rechargeable ones seem to only last a few hours and I'm pretty sure I'd get annoyed with it having forgotten to recharge it.
Polar H7. Pair with phone and Polar Beat app.
Thanks guys will start looking into the options mentioned