Heart rate monitors

oldwiring

Like the ones you can buy at Argos. Has any one any expereince; are they fairly accurate or pretty useless? Any views on which make model is best for a limited budget?

Rikki

I wouldn't be without mine.

I have a polar.

happycamper8912

hey I just bought a heatrate moniter from here, well about a month ago now, is great works really well, generally I use it for down the gym. I think these guys were the cheapest I could find, but they sell on ebay too...

http://www.cybercheckout.com

Rikki

happycamper8912 wrote:

hey I just bought a heatrate moniter from here, well about a month ago now, is great works really well, generally I use it for down the gym. I think these guys were the cheapest I could find, but they sell on ebay too...

http://www.cybercheckout.com

They are not the cheapest. Mines over £100 there.

oldwiring

Just to expand further, I asked because my GP has taken me off the Beta blocker that I have taken for several years and continued to take with Valsartan ( another heart drug) since I had a quad bypass three years ago, because it was poaaibly the cause of *manly* problems. Since coming off my heart rate is not controlled by the Atenolol and the gym machine moniors show it much higher than hitherto and I have had several high rate messages. BTW I am just turned 70.

Rikki

I would go for a good basic monitor. They get quite complicate as there are use to follow peoples fitness levels during training etc.

You just need one with a chest strap and tells your heart rate at a given time. I'll have a look at some for you if you like.

Rikki

A basic polar is about £30 see below.

Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor - Blue
The simple start. The brand new Polar FS1 has extra large digits and one-button functionality. A truly easy-to-use product for all fitness activities.

Features include: -

# Basic heart rate
# Time of day

gbmacqueen

one thing to think about is the battery. I have a polar and need to send it back to them eveytime the battery runs out. Not a fast reponce and one has vanished in the post. So all i do now it get a new one every year or so. York do a monitor that you can change batteries in yourself/at shop.

hope this helps

garothb

Gaiaim direct do a very decent Polar one cheaply...

http://www.gaiamdirect.co.uk/content/product.aspx?productID=6629&rCat=0

oldwiring

An update

I saw some apparently reasonable ones in Argos, but found the readings seemed a tad too erratic. At one instance it read well over 250 bpm, so I assumed it was faulty and took it back, even though a relative who has a great knowledge of bio-meical engineering said it could happen sometimes. The other reason was to do with listed website that did not exist, which made me think that support would be zilch. Got my money back on that one, and having read somewhere that Boots did them visited shop. They had some at 1/2 price and I bought a F3 for just unde £22.50. It has more than I need and I am only just managing to set it up. So far it's much better. Erratic has gone and it is much more readable.

I still have some concerns about the effects of the drug withdrawal as my HR is, according to a recent clinic about 95 resting, something to see the doc about when he reviews me nexr month.

BTW the monitors rely on contact by wetting two strips either side of the transmitter. I have read that there is gel as an alternative. Has anyone a comment on that, is it betterm longer in effectiviness etc, where can I get it?

cheers all:beer:

gbmacqueen

vaseline gel works (KY gel) or look here

http://www.redlionsports.co.uk/item--Heart-Rate-Monitor-Gel-260g--Gel


By the way, the Thanks button is a good fuction when people take the time to help. Have fun