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HR monitors ? (Read 1252 times)


Prophet!

    what kind do you have, how pricey it is and do you like it ? straps vs strapless ?
    Neil Gunn


    Gandalf the Grey

      Hi I just have a cheap POLAR monitor (with a chest-belt) - I think it was £35 (UK) about a year ago. It is basic (tells your heart-rate, no fancy downloads) and has a stopwatch. After a few runs you do not notice the chest-belt. The kain reason I chose the POLAR was that they tend to work in most gyms as well. I use a GARMIN 201 for my speed/distance measurements. Hope this helps, Neil

      Running ... just keep running!

        I got a Polar for Christmas. I used it on a vigorous trail run yesterday. I'm still figuring out how to use it. In 69 minutes of running I spent 20 minutes in my target zone. I entered my age,weight,etc..when I first got it. I'm not sure what the default training target is. I think I have to read the manual again.
          I've been using Polar s625X for a couple of years for all my exercises and I love it. It is bulky and ugly but it works great. Tried using Garmin 305 (GPS based unit) on some trail runs but it kept losing signal so the readings ended up very inaccurate. Garmin is much bigger than Polar also. Polar uses a foot pod to measure speed and distance and once you calibrate it, you will find it quite accurate. Bike set is extra but not too much. After your workout you can download your exercise to the computer and if there is one thing that sets Polar above all the rest is the software. Polar has a new much more handsome running watches but they don't support bike units. Sad I am tempted to suspect there is a new triathlete Polar watch in the making since it's been almost 3 years since they came up with 625X. The s625X used to retail for around $450 but now you can get it for $330. Still not cheap. You can check features of Polar watches on http://polarusa.com/ Ewa
          I would rather wear out than rust out. - Helen Klein You create your own universe as you go along. - Winston Churchill
            Got a Polar RS200 for Christmas. Used it yesterday and it was AWESOME!! My heart rate was right where I expected it to be. I didn't even notice I had the chest strap on at all while running.

            Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

              I've done a total of one whole workout with an HRM. According to the 220 minus your age formula (I'm 45),my maximum heart rate should be about 175; 85% should be around 148. Yesterdays workout, a cool trail run, my monitor had my average heartrate at 152 & had a max of 170. Now this was a fairly rigorous trail,some of the uphills my pace can't be much more than a walk. It's one of those grueling but, fun routes. I guess I know what all that beeping was now. I didn't perceive the run to be especially taxing but, according to the monitor I was out of my range. My resting heart rate this morning is 54-60. That might be a little high for me. I wish I'd checked first thing this morning. I'll have to see how things go on tonight's short run. Do people find the 220 minus your age formula to be fairly accurate?
              Wingz


              Professional Noob

                I've heard that about a third of people find 220-age to be reasonable accurate... Which leaves 2/3s of us way off... Roll eyes

                Roads were made for journeys...

                  Definetly NOT accurate for me.

                  Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

                    Does anybody know where to find alternate ways of determing your target rate? Short of going to a doctor could anybody suggest a website or magazine article with different approaches? I just skimmed through an article on Runner's World that said the "talk test" is actually still pretty accurate. If you can say the Pledge of Allegiance you're not training too hard. Anyway, I think I'm overthinking the whole thing. I've used the HRM just once. At this point I have "insufficient data for a meaningful answer." Use it as a tool & not a Bible.
                    Mile Collector


                    Abs of Flabs

                      A slightly more accurate predictor might be: (MaxHR - RestHR) x TargetPercent + RestHR = TargetHR where MaxHR = 220 - age the rest HR factors in your conditioning
                      Scout7


                        Alright, I'll post this again..... http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/determinezones.html This shows how to conduct a field Lactate Threshold HR test. It goes into swimming and biking (Mike is a tri coach) as well. If you're going to train with a HRM, I HIGHLY recommend you do something similar to this to determine your HR, and your zones. Once you've found that, I would try to work through this: http://www.counterpartcoaching.com/hadd.pdf It gets into the WHY of HR base training, and the HOW.
                        Chris UK


                          Alright, I'll post this again..... http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/determinezones.html This shows how to conduct a field Lactate Threshold HR test. It goes into swimming and biking (Mike is a tri coach) as well.
                          That is another useful site. This page shows you the practical use for those zones - http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/beinginthezone.html ...and this is the link to other articles on that site - http://www.d3multisport.com/articles.php

                          2013

                          3000 miles

                          Sub 19:00 for 5K  05-03-13 Clee Prom 5K - 19:00:66 that was bloody close!

                          Sub-40:00 for 10K 17-03-13 Gainsborough 10K - 39:43

                          Sub 88:00 for HM

                           

                            I have a Polar F4. I got it back in February from amazon.com with a gift certificate. I'm pretty sure it was in the $70 range though. I love it. It tells your heart rate, calories burned, and beeps when you leave your training zone if you want. It doesn't have all the new gadgets others do, but for the price and how well it's worked for me, I highly recommend it. Also as a side note, I was told never to get the kind your just wear on your wrist (without the chest strap). They aren't nearly as accurate. If you adjust the chest strap right, you probably won't even notice it's there.
                              I am on the cusp of making a Polar purchase also. For those of you who have them: Is the "stopwatch" really a stopwatch? I have heard, without actually seeing them first-hand, that they don't do the 'normal' stopwatch functions like a normal Timex Ironman watch would do. Is this correct? What do you use to record/measure your lap/mile times? The budget is not big enough for a Garmin 201/301/205/305, so I'm wondering: am I doomed to wear two 'watches' if I want to do the HRM thing?
                              Peter Kull
                              Groups: 1000 Mile Club - 1500 Mile Club
                                I just got a Polar RS200 last week. I've run with it a couple of times and believe I'm getting a handle on it. The watch and strap are comfortable. However, I'm finding it very challenging to stay within a set zone (i.e. 70-79% of MHR). I hover around 83-85% (~156 BPM), which seems to be an easy pace for me. My MHR is 186 BPM. I'm just wondering if others find it challenging to stay within a particular zone, without having to walk to bring your HR down? Chris UK - thanks for the link in determining your HR zones. Appreciated!
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