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Oooh, I'd forgotten that I have one, and never use it. I've actually had it a couple of years, and only used it once It's a HEARTalker personal trainer heart rate monitor. It straps across the chest and has earbuds so you can hear it tell you what your heart rate is, and it also provides workouts and motivational messages.

The surprise? Well when I ordered it, I didn't get a choice of models, and the voice happens to belong to a well known (nameless lol) fitness expert with a very annoying voice! I think that's why I never used it after the first time, lol. I'll dig it out of my desk and give it another shot.

I love my HRM, a Polar 625x. I wear it every time I exercise now, because I just want to see what it says. Mine is a fancy model that connects to my computer and I can download the data to see a profile of my heart rate over time. I really like going back and looking at the weight training days--see how high it gets on the leg sets and how fast it drops back down during the recovery. It also has an integrated Speed-distance monitor and altitude sensor that I use when I run and cycle, also recordable and downloadable. I find it very motivational--I still pull up the profiles from my marathon, and a few other key events and just look at them for motivation (or learning experience if I executed something badly).

One other cool feature: mine will also estimate how many calories I burn in an exercise session. I had to calibrate it by running a certain distance (basically a VO2max calibration), since calorie burn during running is well-understood and pretty consistent for runners of a given weight. I don't trust that feature absolutely, but it's way better than the calorie estimate on most cardio machines, and I do think it puts me in the ballpark.

One thing I've noticed in reviewing my data after exercise: during the workout itself, I tend to look at my HRM much more when I'm working extra hard, and less when I'm on an easy section. If I didn't record, I'd get a slightly skewed idea of how hard I was working for any given session.

Anne

I've wanted one for a while- maybe I'll go looking this weekend I've suspected much the same. When I've taken my pulse at rest, I usually think I've made a mistake, and I know after a heavy leg superset my heart is jumping out of my chest!

Mel

Hi:
The only problem with my heart rate monitor is putting it on(lol). I have observed when I am struggling and do put it on all of the sudden the scale begins to cooperate. Enjoy your new tool.

I've just gotten a Polar too! I had won it at an Ebay auction earlier this week, it was delivered this very morning, works perfectly well, and I'm so glad I don't like how it's monitored on cardio machines either, never completely accurate IMHO, plus the gym center I go too doesn't lend heart rate monitor to customers anymore (too many customers were stealing said monitors, so here we now bear the consequences ). It'll feel good to finally be able to really see my "performances"

I have a polar one too! I got it for Christmas and try not to leave home without it when I go for a run. I find it's wonderful! I am also fortunate to have a very low resting heart rate (is the 50s as well). I also find it can tell me when I am not 100% (like I might be coming down with something) due to my heart rate being off.

Enjoy, I think HRMs are fabbo!

Ali

Hi,

I got a heart rate monitor last summer when I started this whole thing and I wear it every day ! It is not a fancy model at all, just beeps when I go too easy on myself, and beeps when I go to fast. It uses a simple formula to calculate thise ranges. I have 113 as low limit and 155 as the high limit, and I usually keep it around 130 or 140, when running or rowing. on the bike I have to really think aboput it to keep at 120 - 130. It also gives some number for calories burned, but this is wildly different g=from what i get from othewr sources. As an example: a 1h15 min workout this morning will turn out as 242 calories burned. I find that unbelievable little. What do you all think ?

I used Polar heart rate monitor for about a year. I personally did not like the fact that my chest has to be strapped - I guess for asthmatic it is very hard NOT to use chest to breathe, hence every time I put HRM - my heart rate jumps up from stress. However, as asthmatic I figured out that I CAN NOT RUN IN MY CARDIO ZONE for the first 15 min of the run - if I go too fast, I will be out of breath... Recently I stopped using my HRM and started to listen to my body (I am yoga instructor after all ) - so I realized that after a year of checking with HRM I can rely on my own judgement. In the last couple of month since I do not use HRM, I actually never did a mistake of going out of breath.

If I would be a designer of HRM, I would think about different design which does not impare breathing (HRM also often slides down - after all now we have waist...)