Polar FT7 Fitness Tracker Watch and Heart Rate Monitor Review
If you lift weights and strength train you really have no idea how many calories you are burning unless you are wearing a Polar Watch. I got mine two years ago and it was one of the best investments I have ever made when it comes to my fitness routine. For about a year I was weight training five times a week and unable to log how many calories I was burning during my strength training. I was really curious how much I was burning during each session and I was also interested to see how high and low my heart rate was during them as well. The only way to do that was with a Polar Heart Rate Monitor watch and chest strap. I bought mine on Amazon and use it every time I go to the gym and log my calories at the end in MyFitnessPal.
Click here to buy yours on Amazon today!!
I bought myself the FT7 which comes with the watch and the chest strap. You can adjust the chest strap to fit snug under your bust area, and usually it fits nicely underneath my sports bra. The Polar FT7 will show you the length of your workout, when you are in or out of your calorie burning heart rate zone and your total calories burned at the end. For me it’s a big motivator to keep pushing harder in my workout when I look down and see just how many calories I have already burned and how much more I can go!
On a typical leg day, strength training session, I notice I can burn anywhere from 350-500 calories! Before using my fitness tracker watch I had no idea how strenuous this workout was on my body and how much I was burning. It is also a good way to see if the cardio machine you are using is accurately telling you how many calories you are burning OR if the machine you are using is really helping you to keep your heart rate up to achieve your fat loss goals.
I am never without my watch and I have looked into some other fitness trackers, but none were able to show me calories burned while lifting weights. There are a few below that offer some other tracking options like step count, sleep quality, etc. but no other watch that I have tried or heard of will allow you to know what you burn while lifting.
Some other fitness trackers & what they monitor:
Fitbit Flex – click here
- Tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes
- Log food, weight, and more on Fitbit’s website or apps
- Monitors how long and how well you sleep
- Wakes you (not your partner) with a silent wake alarm
- LED lights show how your day is stacking up against your goal
- Set goals, view progress, and earn badges
- Share and compete with friends throughout the day
- Syncs automatic
Garmin Vivofit – click here
- Learns your activity level and assigns a personalized daily goal
- Displays steps, calories, distance; monitors sleep
- Pairs with heart rate monitor¹ for fitness activities
- 1+ year battery life; water-resistant²
- Save, plan and share progress at Garmin Connect™
Jawbone – click here
- Tracks steps, exercise, overall calories burned, hours slept and quality of sleep
- Track your food, drink, calories, nutrients and use the UP® App Food Score to quickly know if you are eating right
- Smart Coach communicates with you via vibrations at the wrist from a Smart Alarm? to wake you up with an Idle Alert to get you moving
- Connect with your friends and family so you can reach your goals together or see how you measure up on the team leaderboards
The Polar Loop Band – click here
*great to pair with your Polar watch*
- Worn on your wrist, tracks your activity 24/7 and provides guidance and motivation to reach your activity goals
- Shows daily activity, calories burned, steps taken, time of day and activity feedback on 85 LED display; Plus monitors sleep patterns
- Automatically syncs to free Polar Flow app and training community via Bluetooth Smart. For best results use updated Flow app version 1.0.1. Refer the user manual for product help and support.
- Custom fit bracelet is waterproof for swimming and has rechargeable battery; Battery life 5 days in continuous use
- Provides accurate heart rate with Polar H6 or H7 Bluetooth Smart heart rate sensor accessory (not included, sold separately)
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I use a HRM, too. I had a fitbit and it just didn’t track everything I needed it too. I’ve found that if you do multiple activities a HRM is the only way to go
It really is and if you strength train the Polar is the only way to go.