Litewait wrote:I've been resisting asking this question, but kick me around the schoolyard if you must. Trust you guys way more than the population at large.
Should I get a HR monitor?
Only thing I am worried about is it bothering me while I row. I'd row naked (eeww!) if I could, I can't stand anything other than the minimal clothing. I've read a bit on them, but maybe someone can explain to me the benefits up and above the stats provided by the PM5 it gives me.
I am looking at a Polar H7, advice is welcome.
Thanks.
At some stage, yes. Now? Depends what you are doing and want to acheive.
A HR monitor will essentially tell you how hard you are training. Example: you might think you are taking it pretty easy when doing a 10k at a comfortable place. But strap on a heart rate monitor and you
might see your HR is 160-170 and rising, indicating you are actually working well above your aerobic zone and would likely benefit from some easier work.
I used mine for a long time while focussing on getting as many easy steady state metres in as possible - to make sure I was going slow enough and to track any improvement - or not.
Now while I am on the Pete Plan, I am not using the HRM as I am focusing on the split and stroke rate and doing each workout to a chosen pace target - so watching HR as well will likely only distract me from the goal.
Once they're on, you usually hardly notice them. The only thing with rowing is they tend to sit right at the spot where the handle will contact your chest, but you can actually lower the strap much further than you think and it will still work fine.
My recommendation on a strap is the Wahoo Tickr - it is I think the same price or cheaper than most others, is dual band ANT+ and bluetooth so will work with any machine, running watch, iphone etc etc and is very well made and has none of the problems that plague Garmin and Polar straps.
