Jonesey75
Reged: 14/08/2008
Posts: 3
Loc: Cheshire
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Hi
Im looking to get a heart rate monitor to monitor my fitness and training.
Im new to these gadgets so need advice - i notice some have a band that you fit around the chest and others are watch types.
Please advise which is best value i.e cost against the features on the product.
Also, a quick general question: How do you calculate your Max HR?
cheers
chris
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bfergie
Reged: 19/04/2008
Posts: 1614
Loc: Wickerman land,Scotland
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I think they all use a chest strap, some transmit to a cycle computer, some to a watch, I use a polar one and after a faulty battery in the chest transmitter which was replaced no problem has been great. The normal basic way to calculate your max heartrate is 220 minus your age but this is not that accurate if already fit, everyone is different. Find a big hill and hammer up it as hard as you can in a lung burstin, eyeballs out kind of way and that should give you a pretty good idea of your max rate.
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VOTE PENGUIN!!!
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kieran
Reged: 11/07/2007
Posts: 494
Loc: currently in toronto.
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i use a garmin 305.
more bells and whistles than any man should need.
and gps to boot.
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bianchisattva
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colnagodream
Reged: 06/04/2008
Posts: 325
Loc: Langholm, Dumfriesshire. 10 mi...
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Tried that big hill thing  , by accident!?  On a hill there was this big wagon behind me and ,strange!he didn't try to overtake because of on coming traffic,very strange indeed  .Anyway hammered up this hill untill a clear stretch of road ,then he passed-leaving PLENTY of room,I then looked at the heart monitor(Cardio sport) 212 nearly had a heart attack after reading that!  
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bfergie
Reged: 19/04/2008
Posts: 1614
Loc: Wickerman land,Scotland
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Your monitor was giving a false reading at 212bpm or you really were having a heart attack! 
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VOTE PENGUIN!!!
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wuverley
Reged: 16/05/2008
Posts: 1490
Loc: Man of Kent
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Hammer up the biggest hill you can genuinely hammer up. 1-2 minutes is enough for most people, after a 5 mile warm up.
Take the reading as soon as you get to the top, or even just before. You might be surprised how high it can go!
If it seems an unlikely reading, try it again another day.
(My Max is about 240, always has been, I'm not dead yet   )
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Invicta
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Troy
Reged: 09/11/2006
Posts: 98
Loc: S Lakes
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240?
Seriously??
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Let the Wookiee win
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scm
Reged: 24/06/2006
Posts: 1228
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I got mine up to 224 riding round Calshot - not bad for a 58 year old.
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wuverley
Reged: 16/05/2008
Posts: 1490
Loc: Man of Kent
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Yes, 240 it is and always has been, I realise this is unusual but I'm not concerned.
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Invicta
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dave600srad
Reged: 09/06/2008
Posts: 9
Loc: Horncastle, Lincs
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I use the garmin forerunner 50, pretty basic displays and relatively cheap. Also you can add the candence and speed sensor to the back wheel to. Can also download your training sessions to garmins site and get all the graphs which I find very useful!!
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DougMorley
Reged: 15/12/2006
Posts: 235
Loc: BC Canada
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I too did the hill climb test and was able to estimate my max HR.
However I would be reluctant to recommend it to someone who might not be too fit.
Main thing is: don't do it either alone or if you have any doubts about your fitness.
The other way (other than having it done at a sports centre), is to put the estimate figure into the HRM then try the talking test when out with others at various speeds. How long a sentence can you sustain at a certain speed, or can you only blurt out a word or two when you HRM says you should be able to converse normally, and the reverse.
I found the second method quite revealing as I had set my HRM too low. Guess the level of max heart rate varies from time to time - healthy days and less healthy days, good days and bad days. It's always best in my mind to set the thing too low for safety's sake then take it from there.
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bianchiboy
Reged: 21/06/2008
Posts: 31
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I use an argos hrm and its brilliant but i do get some weid results like 47bpm on a club run.
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I am not a complete idiot some parts are missing
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