Can anyone recommend a good wrist heart rate monitor?

[Interesting Dan]

Sorry to necro this thread, I figured it was better to do that than start another HRM thread.

I'm looking for something that is 'good enough' re. accuracy and also helps with sleep monitoring (also will have to be 'good enough' because that's where we're at re sleep tracking but I can't check myself in for a full study every time I change a medication). I want an audible or vibration alarm when I exceed a certain HR, and it'd be good to have some kind of objective indication where my body's at on any given day.

I've been slowly but surely researching the market before I buy my first device and at this point it's down to either the Polar M430 or a Garmin, possibly the Vivosmart 4.

From what I can see the difference is:

-Garmin won't give you an audible alarm unless you're currently stationary.

-Polar doesn't seem to have a 'body battery' tracking feature like Garmin or Oura.

So my questions are:

a) Have I missed something?

b) Is 'body battery' maybe more useful than an alarm in the long run?

 

[SnappingTurtle]

b) Is 'body battery' maybe more useful than an alarm in the long run?

I recommend setting up so you have both. Choose a heart rate monitor that you know you will be comfy wearing everyday, chest strap in my experience is accurate but I use a wristworn, waterproof one for convenice and consistency. If the heart rate monitor device doesn't have audible alarm, the next best thing (which I do) is use a smartphone app that can receive broadcasted signals from the heart rate device. There is an app for iphone and one for android.

Here is my feedback per this Pacing HR thread: https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...ring-for-an-hr-hrv-monitor.83152/post-2327377

I joined one of the Facebook groups on pacing. There is a Google Sheets document with their recommended devices and smartphone apps. I think they keep it current.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19Z-CPchaQAU3FFRRIf24h4w0y6ZQjxnTqtPr0rsWiqE/edit#gid=0

 

[Interesting Dan]

Thanks very much for all this info, what a goldmine!

I recommend setting up so you have both.

It sounds like the best way of doing that would be to get a Garmin and pipe the data to an app that does heart rate alarms, given that you can't do an equivalent hack to give the Polar body battery.

My concern is that the Play store thinks the Pulsometer RR app won't work on my phone, possibly this is re the Bluetooth restrictions you mentioned.

Has anyone found another Android app that will do HR alarms with data from a Garmin?

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Has anyone found another Android app that will do HR alarms with data from a Garmin?

I haven't seen one yet. There were too many HR and HRV apps on android to test. I stopped after a dozen. It may be possible to side load Pulsometer RR from apk websites but be warned of security risks...

I do not understand why fitness trackers and apps do not have audible alarms built-in.

Good luck!

 

[Pyrrhus]

Related discussion:

Specific questions re heart rate monitoring
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/specific-questions-re-heart-rate-monitoring.25870/

 

[SnappingTurtle]

I haven't seen one yet. There were too many HR and HRV apps on android to test. I stopped after a dozen. It may be possible to side load Pulsometer RR from apk websites but be warned of security risks...

I do not understand why fitness trackers and apps do not have audible alarms built-in.

Good luck!

@Interesting Dan, you got me thinking, so I decided to search for an android app again. Looks like one can finagle something with RunnerUp. I created a new audiocue profile called "mecfs" and ticked only the boxes for Current Heart Rate and Current Heart Rate Zone. Then set up my desired heart rate zones, with my Max HR set to 107 (confirmed via 2 day cpet; this was my AT on 2nd day). I then picked Other (not Running), as activity. Then in Basic tab set Zone 1 or 2 or 3 as my heart rate zone target and picked mecfs as the audiocue profile. I connected my whoop wrist strap via BLE and turned on gps, then clicked Start/Play button as if I were exercising (but will leave it on all day). Works great, when and periodically while above the target heart rate zone it says "current NN bpm slow down". Garmin VivoActive 4s' broadcast not working with RunnerUp, same with Pulsometer RR. It could be and ANT+ problem on my phone. (Update: I tested on another phone and ant+ connection to my Garmin VivoActive 4 worked).

See screenshots of RunnerUp (first three) and also Pulsometer RR.

 

[Interesting Dan]

@SnappingTurtle Awesome work, thanks for the detailed write-up! This gives me the confidence to finally actually pony up for a Garmin and start monitoring.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

@SnappingTurtle Awesome work, thanks for the detailed write-up! This gives me the confidence to finally actually pony up for a Garmin and start monitoring.

You're welcome!

Check out Neat Weather Watch Face from the Garmin Connect IQ Store https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/0f133326-22d1-4720-9f6e-7c43f756e5fc
For a small fee, it was the only one I could find that displayed the stats I wanted all on the watch face, particularly the O2 stat.

Here is a photo of my watch face.

 

[Atlas]

For anyone considering a Fitbit, specifically Charge 4, although the hrv and sleep restoration features are pretty good, I would not recommend the watch overall.

Firstly, because Fitbit charges a monthly fee to access all the useful info.

Secondly, the HR monitor display averages your heart rate over the last 15 or 20 seconds, so it's not realtime enough to show for example when your HR spikes. If you have pots, and want to see what your HR is immediately after standing, you can't. Have to wait like a minute sometimes for it to show.

Thirdly, the light sometimes wakes me up.

Fourthly, I've burned through two watch straps already in the last 18 months. After the last one broke I thought I'd be able to pace myself ok without it, but after a couple weeks I've just checked and my resting HR is up from 60 to 75ish. So, looks like I need to monitor it for pacing properly, but considering whether to go for a different watch entirely.

I joined one of the Facebook groups on pacing. There is a Google Sheets document with their recommended devices and smartphone apps. I think they keep it current.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19Z-CPchaQAU3FFRRIf24h4w0y6ZQjxnTqtPr0rsWiqE/edit#gid=0

Woah thanks for that link!