Heartrate monitor + fat around abdomen

[nanaee]

Hey guys, I recently starting using rowing as a way to introduce exercise into losing weight. Despite using rowing as a way to lose weight, I'm also interested in improving my performance, and I know that being able to monitor your HR while rowing is a good way to determine your aerobic and anaerobic window as my fitness level improves.

The heart rate monitors that seem to be recommended are the ones you place around your abdomen, however I was curious if anyone on the larger side (with higher amounts of fat around their chest/abdomen) has success with them also, or if they are unstable when monitoring.

Would love some feedback from others on this!

[Ripples]

Good for you! I've read that Polar makes a HR monitor with a stretchy strap so that might work. Another option is an Apple Watch.

I wear a Apple Watch and also use a Garmin HRM around my chest so I can monitor my HR on the PM5. The AW and Garmin HR numbers match every time I've checked, so the watch is quite accurate.

All best wishes on your new journey.

[mict450]

You could look into the optical heart monitors that you wear on your arm. Seems as accurate as a chest strap & much more comfortable. I use the Polar OH1+. The only thing it won't do is give you accurate R-R intervals to measure heart rate variability. For that, I bought a relatively inexpensive Coospo H808S. Spent $25 USD & I'm very impressed with the quality. Requires less than 5 minutes to measure HRV with the EliteHRV app.

[foreverfreedom]

I am the traditional male "Apple" shape and have found the Polar H10 ideal. It has an elastic chest strap which fits perfectly and which ("he says proudly!") I have been able to tighten as I lose weight.

[nanaee]

I might look into the Polar H10, the last heart rate monitor I had experience with seemed very stiff but the H10 seems rather flexible.
I wouldn't be surprised if the technology has improved vastly since the last time I tried them. I don't really spend a lot of money on myself either so investing in the H10 doesn't seem very steep in terms of price.

[MiddleAgeCRISIS]

Hey guys, I recently starting using rowing as a way to introduce exercise into losing weight. Despite using rowing as a way to lose weight, I'm also interested in improving my performance, and I know that being able to monitor your HR while rowing is a good way to determine your aerobic and anaerobic window as my fitness level improves.

The heart rate monitors that seem to be recommended are the ones you place around your abdomen, however I was curious if anyone on the larger side (with higher amounts of fat around their chest/abdomen) has success with them also, or if they are unstable when monitoring.

Would love some feedback from others on this!

Rowing is superb for losing weight. My own personal experience is it works if you do a good distance regularly and from my perspective doing it at a low intensity is just as effective as doing it at higher intensity. In fact for me , the lower intensity allowed me to consistently row every day for 270 days straight.

[Tsnor]

I might look into the Polar H10, the last heart rate monitor I had experience with seemed very stiff but the H10 seems rather flexible.
I wouldn't be surprised if the technology has improved vastly since the last time I tried them. I don't really spend a lot of money on myself either so investing in the H10 doesn't seem very steep in terms of price.

Polar H10 also has an optional XXXL band. Handles up to 45" chest. Also have not heard of anyone complain that H10 will not read their HR. The newer H9 seems mostly the same as H10 but not quite as nice a belt, much cheaper, single bluetooth vs two and no stand-alone memory. After comparing the two I went with H10.

[robbiep]

I'm a bit dubious on the wrist-based HR watches on the C2 - my Garmin watch doesn't work well with it, for some reason.

It tends to read my HR as exactly 3 time my stroke rate, so there looks to be some sort of inducted field happening

This doesn't happen with the chest HR strap

Watch is a Garmin 235

[mict450]

Anyone who's interested in buying an H10, check out Amazon USA NOW!! Priced at $72 USD, usually at closer to $90, if I remember correctly. Must be a limited time deal.

I have no financial interest in this offer. Found during routine monitoring of my shopping cart.

[BillyH]

Very interested in the comment by MiddleAgeCrisis - could you please let me know what sort of intensity you work to? Do you track it by HR? I’m keen to lose a bit more weight, so would appreciate some extra detail. Many thanks.
By the way, I use a Polar H10. Has some issues with is, but sent it back to Polar who fixed it very quickly