Arm worn HR monitors

[PaulSB]

To date I have used the Wahoo Tickr HR monitor which is worn on a chest strap. I need to replace this. I'm pleased to see the latest one is chargeable which eliminates the weakest point on the device - the battery cover! I also have a Garmin vivoactive HR watch, some eight years old now, which is obviously wrist worn. I've found the Garmin device always shows my HR as 10-12 beats higher than the Wahoo strap. I've checked this for accuracy and the Wahoo wins hands down. Using an Omicron BP monitor that also shows HR, a medical grade device, if I compare all three the Wahoo is within 1 beat of the Omicron, the Garmin 10-12 beats higher. Over the years this has convinced me chest worn is more accurate than wrist worn. I fully accept wrist worn tech will have moved on considerably in the last eight years

I see Wahoo now offer an arm worn version of their HR monitor. I'm very keen to use this as opposed to their chest strap. Does anyone have experience of this device? In particular has anyone measured its accuracy against a medical grade device?

https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/heart-rate-monitors/tickr-fit-optical-heart-rate-monitor

Silly as it may sound I particularly like that it has an on/off switch. I was never entirely convinced the chest strap was off unless I took the battery out!

 

[Punkawallah]

“If you can still talk, it’s 50% effort. If you have to catch your breath to talk, it’s 75% effort. If you can’t talk, it’s 100% effort”.

 

[fossyant]

Chest straps are the most reliable as they are measuring the electrical pulses rather than using a 'light' to shine on blood vessels. No idea how the arm strap works though. Depends how accurate you want it. If you need an accurate measurement (e.g. health condition) go with a chest strap.

 

[Psamathe]

I found the wrist monitor very inaccuracte under specific circumstances. Garmin top of range Epix watch 2024 so no old tech, What I found was that 10-15 miles into ride my HR would be down close to level I'd see sitting watching TV in the evening, so I'd start really pushing it, breathing hard, leg muscles burning a bit and HR stayed low and didn't respond to the extra effort.

I decided this was daft so got myself a cheap Polar chest sensor and the Garmin was just complete rubbish.

Seemed fine (at least nothing obvious enough for me to notice) at other times though didn't bother wearing the Polar chest other than when cycling.

One non-medic person with more experience than me commented it was possible the Garmin was only reading every other beat.

I'm not terribly interested in HR measurements and only started noticing when I got the Garmin watch for other reasons.

Ian

 

[PaulSB]

“If you can still talk, it’s 50% effort. If you have to catch your breath to talk, it’s 75% effort. If you can’t talk, it’s 100% effort”.

Agreed. My usual measure is normal conversation is Zone 1/2, catch breath before a sentence is Z3. Climbing I simply don't speak.

 

[PaulSB]

Chest straps are the most reliable as they are measuring the electrical pulses rather than using a 'light' to shine on blood vessels. No idea how the arm strap works though. Depends how accurate you want it. If you need an accurate measurement (e.g. health condition) go with a chest strap.

I've previous health conditions, heart attack and bleed on the brain, which make monitoring worthwhile but not necessary. The above is interesting. Thank you.

I like to control the bulk of my rides to be in Z1 or Z2 for 80+% of the ride. I use the HR to check this after the ride. On the ride I use the tried and trusted chat measure.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Another model (from Polar) to consider

https://www.polar.com/uk-en/sensors/oh1-optical-heart-rate-sensor

 

[Mo1959]

I use a Polar Verity Sense. Just find it comfier than a chest strap and seems to work well. Maybe not quite as instantaneous as a chest strap, not sure.

 

[kingrollo]

30 mins in and no one has mentioned the apple watch and health endorsed (cough cough) medical grade HR monitor.!

Personally I'd just stick with the chest strap - I've got a very basic on for around £25 from Amazon. There are for a bit more money straps that provide a load more insight into the beats of your ticker and some that can do an ECG.

However since being diagnosed with heart disease earlier in the year - I've decided to let the health professionals do their stuff - and I will pedal until I can't !!!! - a whole raft of stats is great but for myself the increased anxiety would probably offset any health benefits !!!!😆😆👎

 

[stephec]

I had to have a heart stress test on a treadmill in hospital a few weeks ago, hooked up to a twelve point holter monitor, during it I wore my Garmin Fenix 6 on my wrist and it was always around ten bpm different to what the holter measured.

The way I use it when I'm running is to accept it's not accurate, but that it's consistently wrong, and then follow a trend, if my pace improves over time for a given HR then I can trust it to tell me that I'm improving.

 

[presta]

I had to have a heart stress test on a treadmill in hospital a few weeks ago, hooked up to a twelve point holter monitor

A holter monitor is the ambulatory ecg monitor that you wear strapped to your chest, not the ones on the trolley at the hospital.

I wore my Garmin Fenix 6 on my wrist and it was always around ten bpm different to what the holter measured

Are you sure it was a difference and not a time delay?

 

[PaulSB]

Many thanks for the comments. I decided on a chest strap and ordered the new Wahoo TrackR monitor and strap. Imagine my disappointment to discover it is a usb-c charging cable. I'm undecided yet as to whether to send it back or buy another plug. GRRRRR!!!!!

 

[Psamathe]

Many thanks for the comments. I decided on a chest strap and ordered the new Wahoo TrackR monitor and strap. Imagine my disappointment to discover it is a usb-c charging cable. I'm undecided yet as to whether to send it back or buy another plug. GRRRRR!!!!!

These days most USB chargeable devices are USB C so I suspect such a cable will before long be used with other devices.

Ian

 

[PaulSB]

These days most USB chargeable devices are USB C so I suspect such a cable will before long be used with other devices.

Ian

I genuinely have never seen one and we have a house full of stuff that needs charging. Until an hour ago I was completely unaware usb-c charging existed.

 

[Milzy]

I found the wrist monitor very inaccuracte under specific circumstances. Garmin top of range Epix watch 2024 so no old tech, What I found was that 10-15 miles into ride my HR would be down close to level I'd see sitting watching TV in the evening, so I'd start really pushing it, breathing hard, leg muscles burning a bit and HR stayed low and didn't respond to the extra effort.

I decided this was daft so got myself a cheap Polar chest sensor and the Garmin was just complete rubbish.

Seemed fine (at least nothing obvious enough for me to notice) at other times though didn't bother wearing the Polar chest other than when cycling.

One non-medic person with more experience than me commented it was possible the Garmin was only reading every other beat.

I'm not terribly interested in HR measurements and only started noticing when I got the Garmin watch for other reasons.

Ian

My Wahoo TickR is only about 1-2 bpm out from a chest trap and my Garmin Epix 2 is almost on par with the TickR armband with just a little more lag. I’m happy to use either of them.