Recommend me a heart rate monitor

[Dangerscouse]

I don't know about the H9, but if money is an issue, I can recommend the CooSpo if you can buy it over there. It only costs £26, and works perfectly.

[smokersteve]

I don't know about the H9, but if money is an issue, I can recommend the CooSpo if you can buy it over there. It only costs £26, and works perfectly.

I second the coospoo chest strap. Use it for cycling and it is much more reliable than the previous garmin I had.
I'm not a big fan of chest straps for rowing because of location and handle hitting it.
I've just ordered the coospoo optical armband hrm hoping that it will be just as accurate with added comfort

[GreenStratMan]

Ive owned the Polar H10 for a month and connect it to Concept 2’s ErgData app (Bluetooth) and the PM5 (Ant+) for each row.

My friend wants to buy a HRM for her model D PM5 and wants the most economical option. This thread has me wondering if the H9 (approx $30 less expensive) also connects to ErgData app and the PM5. Would that work just as well for her? Thanks.

I think the only difference between the H9 and 10 is that the 10 has a Gucci belt with sensual nobbles and an extra +ANT channel and I think it has a sleeker case.

But when I connect the H9 +ANT to the PM5 it shows up in ErgData automatically. If I let the H9 connect automatically it connects to my iPhone via Bluetooth and shows up in ErgData and PM5.

I think it’ll work out ok for her. I hope my next girlfriend (if there is another ) is a rowist. Could do tandem slides

[StevenWayne]

Haha, love the tandem slides with girlfriend idea, Kevin. Add a metronome to the tandem slides...plus the sensual nubbiest of the H10...and we’d truly be experiencing nirvana. Haha.

Thank you for sharing your use of the H9. Sounds like it does, indeed, connect to ErgData (BT) and PM5 (ANT). I’ll let my friend know.

After I posted, I found this Polar table showing the only major difference one might miss on an H9 versus H10 is connecting the monitor to a second BT device or app.. I’ve never considered that...I suppose that’s for someone wanting to use two different exercise apps simultaneously? There’s the official Polar Beats app that I could link to in addition to ErgData, I suppose, but I already get HR chart on ErgDats so can’t imagine what I’d gain. Hmmm. Maybe some athletes would connect it to some other hardware device, like a medical monitor.

https://www.polar.com/us-en/products/heart-rate-sensors

[AndyWicks]

Be great to get people opinions on this...

Does monitoring your HR really add many benefits? If so, in what way?

I’ve been into fitness, mainly running, but due to injuries have found new love of the rower. Never really saw the point in using HR for running, chest straps are so uncomfortable, slip down my torso, watch HR is so unreliable, plus I never found the data that useful. Is there a difference to using it on the rower?

I’m hoping you can convert me, I love new toys and data, but I need to be able to justify spending the money. If I was to go for anything, I’d probably go for the Polar OH1+ as can’t stand chest straps

[MartinSH4321]

Be great to get people opinions on this...

Does monitoring your HR really add many benefits? If so, in what way?

I’ve been into fitness, mainly running, but due to injuries have found new love of the rower. Never really saw the point in using HR for running, chest straps are so uncomfortable, slip down my torso, watch HR is so unreliable, plus I never found the data that useful. Is there a difference to using it on the rower?

I’m hoping you can convert me, I love new toys and data, but I need to be able to justify spending the money. If I was to go for anything, I’d probably go for the Polar OH1+ as can’t stand chest straps

One reason to montor your HR is tracking your resting HR (in the morning, best before even standing up). An elevated resting HR is an indicator for troubles like overtraining or coming illness. If you feel ill or very overtrained you don't need RHR, but, at least for me, there are days where I'm not sure if I'm just tired, sore from last training or really getting ill. Here an elevated RHR is a clear sign for me to take a rest and see how I feel the next day.

The second reason is to train in certain HR bands. There are different formulas to calculate HR bands, this for example:
UT2 (60-75% MHR)
UT1 (75-80% MHR)
AT (80-100% MHR)
TR (85-95% MHR)

C2 UK Interactive Programme
UT2 (Aerobic endurance, 65-70% HRR)
UT1 (Intense aerobic, 70-80% HRR)
AT (Threshold, 80-85% HRR)
TR (Transport, 85-95% HRR)
AN (max, 95-100% HRR)
HRR is Heart rate reserve (MHR - RHR).
These are guidelines and I believe many hobby athletes can benefit, but for really accurate HR bands you need a performance test which contains lactate measurement as HR bands also depends on fitness. I always use a HR monitor except for sprints and PB attempts where it's too distracting for me. It helped me to build a base fitness with lots of UT2 meters.

[mict450]

Andy, Martin summarized the benefits of a HRM well. As a means of monitoring one's intensity, it is one of three metrics I use, including RPE & splits/watts.

If you do intervals, it's a good way to monitor recovery.

Additionally, with use of an app to measure heart rate variability, it provides a supposedly more accurate method of monitoring your recovery state. In this case, you would need to use a good chest strap model like a Polar H10, Coospo H808S, etc. My OH1+ won't work here. I'm still waiting for my Coospo chest strap to arrive, so I can check this metric.

I'm like you & find a chest strap uncomfortable. But I could tolerate it for a couple minutes it would need to measure HRV while lying down.

[Dangerscouse]

Be great to get people opinions on this...

Does monitoring your HR really add many benefits? If so, in what way?

I’ve been into fitness, mainly running, but due to injuries have found new love of the rower. Never really saw the point in using HR for running, chest straps are so uncomfortable, slip down my torso, watch HR is so unreliable, plus I never found the data that useful. Is there a difference to using it on the rower?

I’m hoping you can convert me, I love new toys and data, but I need to be able to justify spending the money. If I was to go for anything, I’d probably go for the Polar OH1+ as can’t stand chest straps

I used to use it a lot to cap my HR, and therefore stop my ego making decisions regarding pace. Since I have managed to get a grip, I now use it to track my fitness progression for a specific session (I use at least four or five to try and exclude some of the inevitable vagaries of a certain day), to track my HRV in the morning (basically what Martin mentions in a more detailed form) and to do undefined rests for intervals so I wait until it drops to 100 until I start again.

Like Martin, I also used to find it too distracting for a harder session, but now I don't worry about it as I'm usually too bothered about getting to the end.

Chest straps are the best option, and maybe won't be such an issue if you're rowing compared to running, but an upper arm strap is the next best option. I have heard wrist monitors aren't very reliable.

[Dangerscouse]

But I could tolerate it for a couple minutes it would need to measure HRV while lying down.

Just FYI, I use it sitting down and I believe that as long as you do it in the same way each time, it doesn't matter. I guess lying down would be ideal, but I'd wake up my wife at 5am, so my HR would be considerably higher if I did it that way

[smokersteve]

Do the ones who row with the chest strap find it gets in the way with the handle?

[MPx]

No....no issues with the handle, but then I have no issues with wearing the chest strap at all.

[Tsnor]

Do the ones who row with the chest strap find it gets in the way with the handle?

Yes. I occasionally bump into the pickup on the strap. Not perfect, but not enough of an issue for me to try alternative belt positions like having the pickup on the back instead of the front. (Back instead of front is one of the recommendations to try if the belt is not picking up a good signal on the front).

[AndyWicks]

One reason to montor your HR is tracking your resting HR (in the morning, best before even standing up). An elevated resting HR is an indicator for troubles like overtraining or coming illness. If you feel ill or very overtrained you don't need RHR, but, at least for me, there are days where I'm not sure if I'm just tired, sore from last training or really getting ill. Here an elevated RHR is a clear sign for me to take a rest and see how I feel the next day.

The second reason is to train in certain HR bands. There are different formulas to calculate HR bands, this for example:
UT2 (60-75% MHR)
UT1 (75-80% MHR)
AT (80-100% MHR)
TR (85-95% MHR)

C2 UK Interactive Programme
UT2 (Aerobic endurance, 65-70% HRR)
UT1 (Intense aerobic, 70-80% HRR)
AT (Threshold, 80-85% HRR)
TR (Transport, 85-95% HRR)
AN (max, 95-100% HRR)
HRR is Heart rate reserve (MHR - RHR).
These are guidelines and I believe many hobby athletes can benefit, but for really accurate HR bands you need a performance test which contains lactate measurement as HR bands also depends on fitness. I always use a HR monitor except for sprints and PB attempts where it's too distracting for me. It helped me to build a base fitness with lots of UT2 meters.

Thanks, i do have a watch that measures RHR which I keep a close eye on, I would never consider wearing a chest or arm strap in bed or even put on before getting out of bed or anything as although the watch isn’t 100% accurate it is convenient and gives pretty consistent readings so I can definitely tell when there is a spike in RHR.

On the training front, I understand all about HR training, just always found it a bit misleading in that due to the HR lag I always push too hard for initial part of an interval or slow down too quick in order to get my HR to where it should be and then cause issues or overshoot. This is where I havecc be always found working on pace to be better.

I do like Stu’s thoughts about no limit tests and waiting for HR to get back down to certain level before starting the next interval, but my contradiction to this is that I HATE to stop moving and never have true rest but prefer slow recovery rows between intervals.

I get the whole HRV thing and would love to get my geek on with this (and all HR data) but as with above, I know I wouldn’t ever put a HR strap on first thing in morning and measure. I already have a Suunto Chest strap that came with my watch, I have used it about a handful of times.

Thanks for the responses, I’ve got my eye out for BC a Polar OH1+, if there are any bargains out there I may pick one up, might even try my Suunto HR chest strap out tomorrow (if it works with the PM5??)