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General Triathlon

Amy C.
Amy C. Sendmail

Looking for a heart rate monitor that I can swim with. Does anyone know of one? I don't want to spend a fortune!

asked over 3 years ago | Report

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11 answers

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  • Erica G.
    Erica G. Sendmail

    Polar! You can get a great polar for about $89, which sounds like a lot, but they really are superior to other brands. They're waterproof, so they're great for swimming. They make womens models, which doesn't sound like a big deal, but having the smaller wrist unit really is SO much more comfortable. They're also the ONLY brand that actually uses your heart rate in their calculation for calories burned, making it, in theory, a more accurate number.

    I'm on my third heart rate monitor. My first was a reebok, which was a piece of garbage. It was so clunky and difficult to use that it was barely worth wearing. My second was a Polar F4 - a basic model, but awesome, and enough to make me realize that an HRM is an awesome piece of workout equipment. After having that for a little over a year, I upgraded to a Polar F11. It just has a few more bells and whistles that I really appreciate.

    http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com sells a bunch of different brands of heart rate monitors at pretty good prices, and they have free overnight shipping.

    answered over 3 years ago |Report

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  • Chip P.
    Chip P. Sendmail

    I would agree with Erica. Bang for your buck I would go with Polar. If you belong to a health club you can get some deals on one. At least they do at LifeTime Fitness. You can also check Ebay. I was just looking there myself and saw brand new ones for sale. Don't know if you would want a used one, yuck. If you are really going to use it make sure you have one that connects to your computer easily so you can track an analyze your data. My Polar is a couple years old and its a pain to transfer the data. If you want to go nuts get a Forerunner.

    answered over 3 years ago |Report

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  • Mark T.
    Mark T. Sendmail

    Word on the street is that Garmin will have a waterproof (not resistant) forerunner in the Spring......should kick that Polar stuff into the sidelines! ;)

    answered over 3 years ago |Report

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  • Allan T.
    Allan T. Sendmail

    The forerunners are expensive to begin with. It's because they use GPS and they're bulky.

    I have the Garmine 50 which uses a foot pod significantly smaller than the Polar footpod.
    The only downside is that it shows 1 piece of info (HR, pace, distance) in addition to total work out time.

    I also have the Polar RS200 which I love as a running watch.

    You're lucky that you can tuck the monitor under your swim suit. I've tried swimming with mine, but it slips of no matter how tight i wear it.

    in my opinion, the best watch out there for triathlon is the sunnto t6c.

    answered about 3 years ago |Report

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  • Nassisi
    Nassisi Sendmail

    "

    answered over 1 year ago |edited over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Amanda N.
    Amanda N. Sendmail

    The polar has never let me down. i got my first one in 1993. It was $200 and only displayed heart rate, nothing else, no averages, nothing. Anyhow, it was great in the pool, so is my F4.

    answered over 1 year ago |edited over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Bryce H.
    Bryce H. Sendmail

    From what I have read they are very inconsistent while swimming so I have not really tried.
    if you find one let me know

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Nik
    Nik Sendmail

    I own a polar model F1 but as soon as I wear during my swimming exercise/training it does react with rare signs and becomes unreadable....

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Jason A C.
    Jason A C. Sendmail

    gotta be the garmin forerunner 310xt
    NO other will give you ALL the data whilst swimming. Bit pricey, but u pay for the best!
    Check this to see - http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/09/garmin-forerunner-310xt-in-depth-review.html

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Jeffrey K.
    Jeffrey K. Sendmail

    I love using the Garmin Forerunner 310XT.

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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  • Alexey
    Alexey Sendmail

    Not sure you can use it underwater - all known to me sensors use electric connection to the skin, so will not work in water because of short circuit.
    Don't be confused by 'waterproof' label - it does not mean to work underwater.

    answered 8 months ago |Report

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