Looking for a hr monitor?

I am looking for suggestions for a hr
monitor I can wear while swimming with or without a strap. I have tried several but no success. The ones I have found will not work until I take a break for several min. Hard to do when you are doing sets (on a Masters swim team). I am looking for one that will give me accurate reads within seconds. Need to be able to monitor my rate before it goes too high and my PM pushes me back down. Not fun!

7 Comments

no luck here

by Tracey_E - 2010-08-23 08:08:20

No, it sure isn't fun when your pm pushes your rate back down! Ends a workout quickly. Some members have had luck finding a hrm that works well, but my pm seems to interfere with the hrm signal and I get a 0 reading with every brand I've tried. Others have problems with the pm spikes getting picked up as beats so the count is not accurate (50 paced beats = 100). There isn't one type that seems to work for everyone, we just experiment until we find one. How much do you pace? The ones who pace a small percentage of the time seem to have better luck than those of us who pace 100%.

Do you have a specialty running store nearby? I tried REI and Sports Authority, randomly buying one then returning it when it didn't work. The manager of the running store understood the technology differences between the brands and got online and did some research then he let me try them in the store. He was awesome, but in the end unable to find one that worked for me.

Can your pm be set higher so you don't hit the upper limit? Sometimes that's a simple fix. Mine was turned up as high as it would go- 175- and I still kept bumping it while working out so I finally tried a low dose of beta blockers. I haven't maxed out in 6 mos and I'm working out harder than ever. My rate stays under 150 now and I don't get anywhere close to my max. I expected that to be problematic also but I feel great.

Good luck!

Polar?

by COBradyBunch - 2010-08-23 10:08:55

I have used Polar HRM's for years, both pre and post implant. Work great and give you accurate readings to the second. Use mine mostly for land based workouts (spinning, cycling, elliptical) and I have had some issues with them in the water if the buttons get pressed while underwater but I believe the higher end models are have a better depth rating. Another good thing about Polar is their chest straps are pretty universal with most exercise equipment so you don't necessarily have to have your watch to monitor rate if you are on a machine with a HRM built in.

Buy a Garmin 310XT with Chest Strap

by JEM - 2010-08-24 01:08:37

Hi: I am a Tri Guy. I use a Garmin 310 XT GPS watch with a chest strap, it works well for BPM in sweat and underwater anywhere. Avail online from Ebay or Amazon for around $400, pricing but the best!

Also on the cheap the best buy I also use is the Sportline Heart watch for $44 at Walmart in the Sports Dept. It is an On demand and a chest strap as well, both modes work well in the water. I have had numerous heart watches, the Sportline is the absolute best and guaranteed for your life! I recently sent my old one in after 3 years and they sent me a new one without cost. I use it in my hot tub at 104 Degrees and in my Sauna at 140 degrees and it works.

Both watches mentioned are PM compatible with my St. Jude PM 2210. JEM Myrtle Beach Hope this helps?

Thanks JEM!

by Heidiglassmeyer - 2010-08-24 11:08:49

I was wondering about the Garmin. I was afraid to spend the money and not have it work. I was hoping someone with extensive experience in water would reply. So, thanks!

TracyE and COBradybunch, thank you also. My EP agreed to increase by max back to 180 (after begging) for a month due to ongoing SVT and has placed me on a monitor for 30 days. Unfortunately I have a feeling he will put be back down if he can not better locate the issue to correct.

svt

by Tracey_E - 2010-08-25 09:08:50

We never found the source of my svt either. When everything showed perfectly regular, just too fast, with no apparent cause that's when we decided to try the beta blockers. I still don't know what caused it, but it's under control now so I'm not losing sleep over it (tho I will occasionally whine about having to take meds!). What's his problem leaving you at 180? If you have other health issues, I can see it, but if your hr is regular and you're otherwise healthy, 180 isn't awfully high.

Garmin... Great if you do distance

by COBradyBunch - 2010-08-26 05:08:04

I love my Garmin for cycling, hiking and other stuff... and I just chatted in facebook land with another pacer who has a Garmin file that showed when he went into 3rd degree heart block in the middle of a bike ride... Kind of scary to look and apparently it came out of no where but it is crazy to look at... one minute he is cruising along at about 160 bpm and as he is climbing and his HR should be steady or climbing it starts dropping, immediately in half and then all the way down to below 50 bpm. Damn scary thing to see. He thought his HRM had crapped out on him when it actually was his Sinus Node.

Svt

by Heidiglassmeyer - 2010-08-27 12:08:03

TracyE: glad to hear the beta blocker worked for you! I have been on (100 mg 2xday) since 6/10 after my AV node ablation in 2/10 when the SVT kicked in. He did not want to raise me to 180 as I had previously been at that setting and would have SVT around 160 for 5-6 hours daily even on the meds. This would leave we very tired! Since the recent PM change I have just been dealing with the SVT. I am 41, active, with 2 young children (4&6) and at this point it is just a trade off. I don't function well at a lower setting as it is constantly pushing my hr back down.

COBradybunch: interesting comment! That had to scare the pants off that person! Funny, I thought my monitor wasn't working several times before when I was set at 150 and my HR would be pushed down to 70 right after warm up! I thought for sure the monitor was broken except for the fact that my legs felt like the were 100 pound weights.

Some times I get frustrated with my EP when he tells me my PM is working fine yet I can't do everything I did pre-PM. I understand there is a secondary issue but I do expect him to work it out. Do I have to settle? Have thought of trying to find an EP that may be more experienced with younger patience (not that I am that young :). Sorry this turned into a b.... session but get frustrated!

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