After much research I decided that using a heart monitor could really add a lot to your workout.Researching the available options I basically found 3 categories / units worth pursuing. The first is Omron''s heart rate monitor, which people seem to love as an inexpensive monitor but the rate transmission is not encoded so two of them can''t be used in close quarters. My wife and I are doing P90 so that ruled those out. There''s also a category of very nice units with GPS features and other goodies that were way beyond our needs so I wasn''t keen on paying that premium. The third is any of the Timex. There are a lot of listings for Timex HRM''s and the differences are mostly asthetic (with the exception of whether it has lap capability or it can show where your current rate falls in the desired range graphically).
My wife picked this watch / HRM and I picked one with a men''s look. Their use is exactly the same though, and the straps are identical. Per other reviewer''s advice I ordered a tube of Spectra electrode gel at the same time.
At first all was well for both of us. Just goop up the strap, it fits comfortably across the chest, hit 1 button on the watch and it started giving a rate. Setting a target range on the watch was pretty easy. You hold down the "Heart Rate" button to turn the rate alarm off and on quickly and easily which is really nice to activate it once you''re warmed up so it''s not beeping at you constantly while you''re starting your workout. If you use the chrono feature the watch keeps track of averages, calories burned, etc on its own. It is even easy to get averages for each lap, so in my case I could hit the lap button between phases of the workout to get insight into each individually in addition to the overall info.
After a couple weeks my wife''s continued to work well but my monitor started giving me weird readings and not wanting to sync up to start. I tried using more goop, less goop, played with exact placement, using water, but all to no avail. Then I figured the battery must have been half dead already so I replaced that. Still no joy. In an effort to isolate the problem my wife and I swapped chest straps for 1 workout. With her identical Timex chest strap I got readings *immediately* and it gave very accurate readings, but with my chest strap she couldn''t get accurate readings. I don''t know what the chances are the "new" battery could have been dead so I tried swapping out the batteries. Same thing.
Keep in mind we have two chest straps we are using at the house in identical conditions, used the same way, cleaned the same way, etc. I''d always heard that if electronics lasted 10 hours they''d last 1,000 hours but there''s something else going on with these chest straps.
I do like the HRM system so I''m going to give it 3 stars but given the prevalence of other reviewers who report difficulties I don''t think my experience represents a tiny rate of failure that can''t be avoided but instead a design flaw that makes the Timex chest straps unreliable even when used carefully and cleaned after every use.
If you''re not looking to spend $150+ on an HRM and need something nicer than the Omron I would say to order this anyway, from Amazon anyway, but save the box because it''s likely you''ll need it to exchange for a new one. Thankfully Amazon is all aces about returns / exchanges. If you''re considering buying from a source that might be less accommodating about returns then I would say stay away because you will probably not get your money''s worth.
I am an individual who excercises 4-5 days/week for health and weight management. I was interested in seeing how my different workouts (running, spinning, weight/cardio classes, etc...) compared as far as my exertion/heart rate and the number of calories burned.
This HRM is easy to set up (although the instruction manual could be a little clearer and in a better order) and easy to use once you have it set with your maximum heart rate and other options. I am a petite female (5ft. 2in. approximately 110 lbs) and I have to wear the watch on the tightest setting. The chest strap fits great. I don''t even realize I have the chest strap on and it fits easily under a sports bra for a comfortable fit. The face of the watch is a good size (I wouldn''t want it any bigger for my size wrist)---the screen is easy to read and it is easy to toggle between settings. I know other reviewers mentioned it being easy to hit a button by mistake but I haven''t had that problem. The calories burned and the heart rate monitor seem accurate and I haven''t had any problems with interference from gym equipment or other HRMs. One of the selling points for me to purchase Timex was that I could change the batteries myself or take it to a local battery retailer and have them do it. I know other manufacturers (Polar for example) have you send your watch in for battery replacement.
Overall, I love my watch so far and it has become an asset to my workouts. I would highly recommend this watch to others.
On a side note, the first HRM that was shipped to me was defective. Amazon was wonderful and easy to work with on an exchange/return!
Buy Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Plum/Silver, Mid Size Now
I bought this HR monitor watch not only so that I could get an idea of where I was during running, but also so that I could improve my conditioning during my runs. The chest strap is comfortable & stays in place (ladies should wear under your bra). The watch has a lot of features, some of which I haven''t tried yet. I love the indiglo feature, perfect for those pre-dawn runs! It''s definitely helped me improve my pace!Read Best Reviews of Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Plum/Silver, Mid Size Here
Ordered this watch/heart-rate monitor as motivation. My Nursing class was having a competition for 10 weeks on ''who could burn the most calories.'' I wanted to find out how many calories I was burning per workout and which workouts burned the most. I''m extremely happy with this purchase! I tested the HR monitor against the ones at the gym and this was spot-on accurate. I was worried that the chest strap would be uncomfortable and it isn''t. I even wore my heart rate monitor to work (waitress) and found out that I burn almost 2,000 calories on my shifts!!Want Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Plum/Silver, Mid Size Discount?
I really like this heart rate monitor although I do have to agree with a few of the other comments concerning calories burned, this morning on the treadmill the watch gave me a calorie read out of 349 calories and while the treadmill had 279 calories used. The treadmill reading seemed to be more in line with the workout I had done. The heart rate readings appear to be very accurate and I like being able to see the review that is given at the end of a workout for total time, time in heart rate zone and average heart rate.I would definitely recommend this heart rate monitor to others. It has also been fun to wear it at work (I wait tables) and see that when we get busy I am often getting a real workout even while I am working.
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