Anyone use a HRM or fitness band?

silent ninja

Forgive my ignorance, but a GPS device for running or walking is going to be fairly inaccurate surely. GPS Can't zero in to within 5m in the very best of conditions with the best hardware (more like 15m for these types of consumer devices). so the watch/smartphone will keep making corrections(estimates) - this adds up. try running around a circular park or field. it will actually think you're running in a series of straight lines and it'll suddenly jump you to a new position because the lines won't join.

I guess they're okay for cycling.

heart rate monitor's make much more sense

reiteration

yep, just reading up on them now - seems the garmin would be the only real option for my requirements... as I'd mainly be wearing this for kettlebells / bootcamp to monitor my heart rate, and of course I wouldn't be wearing a watch then as it'll get smashed...

I do assume that having the garmin watch in my pocket / on the floor that it'll still pick up the readings from the heart monitor strap..? - I've emailed them for confirmation...

however, I can also get a watch free instead...but they're not that good haha... there's this one which I'm thinking about - but it's made of plastic...
Ice-Watch - Ice-Chrono Electrik - Black - Orange - Big Big (CH.KOE.BB.S.12)

bubs999

I use a Garmin heart rate monitor and it connects to my phone using Endomondo. I can leave my phone on the bench in the gym and it'll still connect with no issues

Thug

I have found my iPhone app Mymaprun very accurate using gps.
I can do the same run and it will record the same distance each time.
It has thrown a wobbly twice in about 50 or more uses where it over measured my run, but this was by a ridiculous amount (almost double) so I knew straight away.

My HRM has never let me down.

IronGiant

Being slightly pedantic, but that just tells you that it is consistent, not that it's accurate.  But for personal  fitness purposes, consistency is probably more important than accuracy.  

Thug

I agree.
It doesn't tell me it's innacurate either.
I know from the map that most of my run plotting is spot on, where some is out.
But as you say consistency is more important than accuracy, if it shows I have ran 4.55 miles when I have actually only ran 4.5 does it really matter for the general health enthusiast.

Geordie Jester

I have a Garmin Forerunner 10 and i love it.    It plots very accurately - when zoomed in you can even usually see which side of a road I ran on (which pavement).    I know domestic GPS is only quoted with a certain accuracy - but somehow they do achieve far better.  They must sample quite often,  so deal with curves fine too.    Ive done lots of 5K parkruns at different locations and conditions...and nearly always almost bang on for distance and plotted route when I review

PSM1

As above my Garmin watch is pretty good with running and accurately measures the distance around the 400m track I do some of my training on.

Thug

       

This is a screen capture of my latest run showing accuracy.
I kept to the path, but as you can see it shows that I ran along the road and also crossed it (which I didn't do) resulting in a slightly longer distance, but to counteract that it also shows that I cut over a few gardens too resulting in a shorter run.
In the end it probably averages itself out and as I said, still ok for the average person who is into fitness.

IronGiant

That's fairly impressive Thug.