heart monitor

[Little Rickie]

has anybody ever figured out if walking uphill on a treadmill is the same as walking up a real hill. ive heard so many opinions on this

Don't fool yourself it's not the same, the real thing is more difficult. IMHO A stairmaster is tough and could be tougher but irregular terrain with: rocks, boulders, roots, and mud is tough. Especially in the Arirondacks.

 

[hikerfast]

im not fooling myself, im asking a question. i have heard that walking on a treadmill is half the vertical rise of real hiking. I guess my question would be better asked if i asked if the vertical rise was the same. the quandary bout the ramp moving downhill while you walk uphill, but you arent really gaining elevation. does anyone know the answer to this

 

[Rick]

Save your money.....
I have a Suunto HR3 Watch with Temp, Altimeter and HR monitor.
I used the HR monitor (Straps around your chest) for about 6 months, but didn't get readings off the watch, instead, it syncs up with the electronics on the treadmills, steppers and other things at the gym. I found it nice not having to hold the metal finger readers and still have a constant stream of info.
I have since used the HR monitor with my watch about 25-30 times. works OK, but instead of training, I would find myself fumbling with the watch controls. The chest strap HR monitor thingy now sits in a box on a shelf and I still get great workouts.

 

[Maria]

Save your money.....
I used the HR monitor (Straps around your chest) for about 6 months, but didn't get readings off the watch, instead, it syncs up with the electronics on the treadmills, steppers and other things at the gym. I found it nice not having to hold the metal finger readers and still have a constant stream of info.

I don't have an expensive one - a Polar F6 (around $125), but one of it's features is that it doesn't pick up other HRMs at the gym or in classes. And, with the wristwatch, no need to hold the metal readers on the machines.

 

[DrewKnight]

I have a Suunto multisport watch with chest strap, and have used it for hiking, skiing, and biking -- you do get an interesting stream of data (this particular watch can plot HR against, for example, elevation right on the display). It's also fun looking at the rate of descent when downhill skiing (peaks out at about -750 feet per minute on a fast run). As Doug said -- I have learned to pretty accurately predict my 'output' based on feeling my body and glancing at the watch in different circumstances, though I still use the watch for the telemetry aspects.

I also added a Garmin Edge 705 Bicycling GPS (also with chest-strap monitor) to my outdoor tech toys this summer, which adds the fun of plotting your course (along with all your other data -- HR, altitude, etc) on a map at the conclusion of the ride. One thing that fascinates me is how hard you're working when you're riding technical sections on a mountain bike... on long climbs my HR will run in the high 150s to low 160s, with spikes on very steep sections to high 170s... not surprising, when you're going up, you FEEL like you're working hard. What did surprise me is that my HR runs a steady mid-150s, with much higher spikes, riding very rooty/rocky/technical stuff, even downhill... so for me, mountain biking turns out to be a very solid workout.

At any rate -- I agree with Little Ricky -- having the data and studying my playtime in telemetry actually motivates me. I think a good HR monitor that suits your needs (and has the features you'll really use -- I love the altimeter on my Suunto, and the GPS on my Garmin) is a great investment.

 

[rup]

Do you have a cardiac condition that requires constant monitoring? at 150 bpm? What's wrong with counting your pulse at the wrist with your watch?

 

[Tom Rankin]

Do you have a cardiac condition that requires constant monitoring? at 150 bpm? What's wrong with counting your pulse at the wrist with your watch?

Well, for one thing it's extremely difficult to do so while you are walking.

 

[DrewKnight]

Do you have a cardiac condition that requires constant monitoring? at 150 bpm? What's wrong with counting your pulse at the wrist with your watch?

If you were asking me, no... no known heart condition. It's more curiosity / interest / desire to understand what's going on inside the machine, just like a tachometer on a car. When I am working out (which is the reason I give my wife for disappearing for a couple of hours each weekend morning to mountain biking, though it's really just because it is fun), I do try to keep my HR in a 140 to 160bpm range. If I spike up to 180bpm, I know it's time to slow down... no reason to pop an O-ring if I can help it.

And as Tom said, it's a bit difficult to take my pulse and look at my watch while riding up hill.