I'm so glad I found this thread because I was also wondering if I was supposed to wear the watch and chest strap at the same time. I got my Polar FT4 (Bronze) today and can't wait to use it during my workout tomorrow.

i have the pink one and i love it. its my first time using one but it's very easy to use.

I don't think you can go wrong buying an polar product. I have a polar FT7 and I love it!

I have one and love it =)

Me too! 4 yrs and still going strong! I used to wear the receiver as my watch just to help me stay in that healthy frame of mind all day (and so I could brag to people about my workouts), but the strap is more of a gray than blue now, so I had to get a regular watch.

So they're pretty much the same? I've been researching HRMs these past few days, & pretty much narrowed it down to the Polar FT 4 or 7.

Great thread topic OP, & thanx for the reviews everyone :)

After reading reviews, I went for the Polar ft4. It is working fine so far, though occasionally have to restart it as it stops picking up my heart rate, but it is a really useful tool for monitoring heart rate during exercise and getting a more accurate count of calories burned. I find the ellipticals underestimate my burn by a great deal, while the treadmills overestimate. I also use it when cycling, but don't think it would be any use for monitoring or even estimating calorie burn during day to day activities. I am getting the fitbit for that.

Just remember to wet the nodes before wearing, so it picks up the heart rate before you start sweating it out. I do, anyway.

So I'm really interested in buying a polar, but am also curious about using it without the watch. My reasons for this are because I'd like to see my calories burned during a pole dancing class and I don't want the watch to get in the way of the pole. Is it possible to just wear the chest straps and then see my results after the workout?

I think you need to have the watch on so that the watch and the strap communicate.

Just a quick question. I am doing the insanity work-out and as there are limited exercise options to choose from on MFP I am choosing 'circuit training general'. I thought the calorie estimate seemed ok until I saw other on MFP users with a much higher burn.

I am right to assume that general circuit training is similar to an insanity work-out? Should I invest in a HRM and find out what my 'real' calorie count is?

Thanks

Hubby bought me one for Christmas. Love it! I do boot camp so it's hard to figure out my calories burned. I used to think I was only burning 450 calories in an hour....now with the FT4 I can see I'm burning 500-650 calories!!

Stacey

I wouldn't call it "real", but it should be much closer to actual numbers.

I have the same question... I'm thinking about getting a Polar HRM and would like to be able to see what I'm burning while boxing, but cannot wear a watch while doing that. Does anyone know if there is a radius that the watch needs to be in to communicate with the strap?

Not sure if they are still available, but at one point Polar had an MMA wrist strap, so the watch could be warn with gloves: http://www.8weeksout.com/2009/03/18/polar-wrist-band-accessory/

You could also put it in a pocket or attached to your boxing shorts.