April 22, 2015 at 10:26Review and comparison of LifeTrak heart rate monitors at home and in training
In this article I will try to make a detailed review of the LifeTrak range of heart rate monitors, both in everyday life and during physical exertion. I’ll tell you about the advantages, disadvantages, and personal experience of using LifeTrak C210 , C300 , C410 , Brite R450 models .
You won’t surprise anyone with a pedometer or a heart rate monitor without a chest sensor; more and more convenient models are appearing on the market. And it's getting harder to choose the right gadget, eliminating all the useless features.
Having received four pulsometers in our hands, we prepared three materials:
Each of the four gadgets listed above has a set of identical functions that I would like to generalize for convenience. And then tell about the specifics of each of the heart rate monitors.
Key features of the devices:
On the main screen of each heart rate monitor, the main place is displayed by time and date. It can work in two modes.
In general, for my taste, the presence of the screen itself in a sports tracker is a big plus. Having installed a smartphone application, I hardly used synchronization even once a month, because all the information is conveniently displayed on the watch screen. Add to this the ability to scroll through daily reports, which are bar graphs for all metrics, arranged in accordance with the days of the week.
Also interesting, but still universally used chip are the daily goals. Immediately under the time there is a progress bar that shows how close you are to these goals (by the way, you can adjust them in the watch menu).
The default rates are as follows:
Goals are great motivation. They can help make a choice in the direction of a short walk on a lazy weekend and just cheer up at the end of the day, as if to say: “I had a great day, buddy, you went a lot of steps and burned a lot of calories.” In general, since I always exceed the goal by at least one and a half times (except for sleep, but not all watch models detect it), I am always pleased to look at these treasured digits.
Another interesting feature is the workout timer. It allows you to start the timer at the beginning of classes and detect, and how much you burn calories and walk steps for the selected length of time. Usually I do an hour and a half in the gym, which gives a significant increase in the graph of burned kilocalories.
A heart rate monitor is an excellent tool for a more scientific approach to the training process. It will allow you to calculate the optimal weight for the approach and the break, which is enough to relax the body.
That is, it is better to start your approach at 110-120 heartbeats per minute. During the exercise, the pulse rises to 150-170. If it does not rise so much, then the body is deceiving you and does not get tired, you need to increase the weight or the number of repetitions. If the pulse rises above 180, then you are clearly overloading the body, which is also harmful. Once the pulse drops back to 110-120, you can do a new approach or a new exercise.
It is worth mentioning right away that not a single fitness bracelet, and even the Apple Watch, which already received more than 1 million predictions (which is more than the Pebble watch during the existence of its first version), can not accurately count the burned kilocalories. This is due to the huge number of possible varieties of the load. There are weightlifting, cross-fit, yoga, cardio and much more. But regular heart rate measurement + internal calculation algorithms allow you to give useful information that during a workout I still burn almost as many calories as I do for an entire day. In this case, the accounting will be the better, the more often the pulse is replaced.
Another interesting addition are interchangeable straps, which in addition to everything have two multi-colored sides. According to my feelings, the straps fit well on the hand, equipped with a convenient latch and do not allow the watch to fall off during intense running or swimming. The only negative was found in the white strap. It gets dirty too quickly and has to be cleaned constantly.
Now we turn to the differences between the models of heart rate monitors, both passport and proven during operation.
In order not to get confused in the functionality of the models (and I got confused at first), I propose to turn to such a simple logical operation:
(LifeTrak C210) OR (LifeTrak C300) = LifeTrak C410.
Now take a look at the comparison chart, and you yourself will understand what, how.
That is, LifeTrak C410 absorbed all the functionality from the two previous models of heart rate monitors. One of which previously could not synchronize with the phone, and the other was not capable of counting sleep.
Separately, I want to talk about sleep. Internal clock algorithms allow you to fairly accurately calculate the time that their owner sleeps. The clock understands when you fall asleep (most likely by the characteristic types of activity in a dream) and wake up to go and check the integrity of the refrigerator. There is also a mode where you manually indicate that you go to bed. Then the clock stops adding to the time when you just lie on the couch during the day. But I always used the sleep counter only in automatic mode.
From personal experience, it is worth noting that the C410 turned out to be the fastest in terms of synchronization with a smartphone (iPhone 5s). They needed a few seconds to transfer data. But the new version of the Brite R450 watch will require the same operation from 2 to 5 minutes!
It would seem that here he is a favorite: combines the strengths of previous generations and can still compete with the new model. But during tests by fire, water and steel rods, the C410 heart rate monitorvery often failed and refused to measure the pulse. All parameters and statistics were good, but it was impossible to measure the pulse after a hard approach in a squat or deadlift. To do this, it was necessary to resort to a trick: to remove the watch from the hand that was sweating under the watch strap; put them on the other hand and, pressing against your wrist, take a measurement; put back on a comfortable hand. Agree, this is inconvenient to do after each approach. At the same time, I do not exclude that this may be a product defect, since the rest of the heart rate monitors coped well with their direct duties.
UPD Apparently, my hand is not suitable for this heart rate monitor. I gave it to a friend and he didn’t fail once during the whole training session. So you need to take note that this also happens.
This is the latest model of the heart rate monitor from LifeTrak and it is very different from its predecessors.
Firstly, this is the first watch with a round display and a steel protective ring.
Secondly, they claim the title of smart watch.
Thirdly, all software algorithms in them are also improved, which makes it possible to distinguish waved hands from steps.
And fourthly, this watch has a smart alarm clock and it’s good.
In my opinion, the R450 looks better than its predecessors, but there is also a drawback. The steel ring, which is also an element of the design and protection of the display, is gradually covered with scratches and scuffs. And on the display for several months I managed to plant a series of scratches. It should be noted that I wear a watch without taking off. And during training, I often hit them with barbells, dumbbells and protruding elements of the hall. So I'm still surprised that the protective glass was only slightly scratched. And the watch received the most serious injury (a few serifs on a steel rim) when it fell from a meter high on a dumbbell due to their poor location, like a timer for a tabata.
Separately, I want to highlight a smart alarm clock, because I really consider it a very cool thing. In order to set an alarm, you must enter the deadline time when you need to get up and the time for how much you can start to wake up. For example, I need to wake up at 8-00 for sure. Interval of the desired awakening I indicate 30 minutes. And thus, between 7-30 and 8-00 hours will begin to wake me with a slight vibration in the light phase of sleep. At the same time, the watch makes several attempts.
But with the title of smart watch, the R450 is all bad. They really can accept notifications, but only in English. That is, you will understand that you received a letter on gmail or something on Instagram, but it’s impossible to read the comment and any text in the Cyrillic alphabet, as well as to set the Cyrillic alphabet itself on the clock. At the same time, synchronization of notifications requires constantly on Bluetooth, so I turned off notifications and bluetooth so as not to consume battery. I hope that in this regime she will live up to a year, as with the more “stupid” predecessors.
Another watch tells you when you need to move more, go out into the light, or vice versa, leave the open sun or the spotlights. The accelerometer calculates the lack of movement, but the amount of light is determined by the sensor, which looks like a black dot in the upper part of the display of the R450 and in the right part of the other models. She is somewhat related to the gadget with Indian beauties.
Since I had several heart rate monitors on my hands at once, I hung them, like Yolandi from Die Antwoord and decided to see if their testimonies vary during the day. And it turned out that they differ in the region of 10%.
On the reporting day, I went to bed at exactly 00-00 and woke up at 7-30. R450 said that I slept from this time 6 hours 14 minutes, and C410 assured me that 6 hours 52 minutes. It’s difficult to check for yourself, I won’t know how much I stopped tossing and turning in bed and fell asleep. But the first dimension seems more plausible given that I woke up twice at night and went to the kitchen.
In the testimony of the steps taken during the day, the R450 with a figure of 19,000 already broke ahead, when the C410 counted only 16,300. Accordingly, the distance my hand with the R450 "passed" more by 15-20%. By the way, the phone, which was also with me almost all day, showed only 10,400 steps taken, but it just moved less than me, sometimes remaining on the desktop.
But on calories burned, both gadgets showed about 2,500.
So the error in calorie measurements is not significant, but the steps are quite significant. I tend to trust a more expensive version of the heart rate monitor, but I’ll try to come up with a more objective test for the accuracy of measuring gadgets.
The general conclusion after communicating with heart rate monitors for me was their extreme usefulness. Training is being transformed, I immediately began to feel that I was working more efficiently. It is one thing to be guided by sensations, and quite another by numbers. They certainly do not lie and will not give indulgences.
Weaknesses of heart rate monitors:
Strengths:
You won’t surprise anyone with a pedometer or a heart rate monitor without a chest sensor; more and more convenient models are appearing on the market. And it's getting harder to choose the right gadget, eliminating all the useless features.
Having received four pulsometers in our hands, we prepared three materials:
- Video review with tips on how to conduct strength training with the most advanced model of the LifeTrak Brie R450 heart rate monitor .
- Video review of the benefits of the LifeTrak C210 heart rate monitor in everyday life
- A comparative and more detailed text review that follows
General gadget features
Each of the four gadgets listed above has a set of identical functions that I would like to generalize for convenience. And then tell about the specifics of each of the heart rate monitors.
Key features of the devices:
- Calorie Burning
- Pedometer
- Mileage
- Heart Rate Monitor (Heart Rate)
- Clock
- LCD display
- Hourly metric reports
- Measured metrics daily reports
- Workout timer
- Detachable color straps
Screen
On the main screen of each heart rate monitor, the main place is displayed by time and date. It can work in two modes.
In general, for my taste, the presence of the screen itself in a sports tracker is a big plus. Having installed a smartphone application, I hardly used synchronization even once a month, because all the information is conveniently displayed on the watch screen. Add to this the ability to scroll through daily reports, which are bar graphs for all metrics, arranged in accordance with the days of the week.
Goals
Also interesting, but still universally used chip are the daily goals. Immediately under the time there is a progress bar that shows how close you are to these goals (by the way, you can adjust them in the watch menu).
The default rates are as follows:
- Sleep - 8 hours (the norm for the lucky one)
- Distance traveled - 5 km (I already go so much by the middle of the day)
- Calories Burned - 2,000
- Steps taken - 10,000 (My record is 25,000 per day)
Goals are great motivation. They can help make a choice in the direction of a short walk on a lazy weekend and just cheer up at the end of the day, as if to say: “I had a great day, buddy, you went a lot of steps and burned a lot of calories.” In general, since I always exceed the goal by at least one and a half times (except for sleep, but not all watch models detect it), I am always pleased to look at these treasured digits.
Another interesting feature is the workout timer. It allows you to start the timer at the beginning of classes and detect, and how much you burn calories and walk steps for the selected length of time. Usually I do an hour and a half in the gym, which gives a significant increase in the graph of burned kilocalories.
Training
A heart rate monitor is an excellent tool for a more scientific approach to the training process. It will allow you to calculate the optimal weight for the approach and the break, which is enough to relax the body.
That is, it is better to start your approach at 110-120 heartbeats per minute. During the exercise, the pulse rises to 150-170. If it does not rise so much, then the body is deceiving you and does not get tired, you need to increase the weight or the number of repetitions. If the pulse rises above 180, then you are clearly overloading the body, which is also harmful. Once the pulse drops back to 110-120, you can do a new approach or a new exercise.
Calories burned
It is worth mentioning right away that not a single fitness bracelet, and even the Apple Watch, which already received more than 1 million predictions (which is more than the Pebble watch during the existence of its first version), can not accurately count the burned kilocalories. This is due to the huge number of possible varieties of the load. There are weightlifting, cross-fit, yoga, cardio and much more. But regular heart rate measurement + internal calculation algorithms allow you to give useful information that during a workout I still burn almost as many calories as I do for an entire day. In this case, the accounting will be the better, the more often the pulse is replaced.
Thongs
Another interesting addition are interchangeable straps, which in addition to everything have two multi-colored sides. According to my feelings, the straps fit well on the hand, equipped with a convenient latch and do not allow the watch to fall off during intense running or swimming. The only negative was found in the white strap. It gets dirty too quickly and has to be cleaned constantly.
LifeTrak C210, C300, C410
Now we turn to the differences between the models of heart rate monitors, both passport and proven during operation.
In order not to get confused in the functionality of the models (and I got confused at first), I propose to turn to such a simple logical operation:
(LifeTrak C210) OR (LifeTrak C300) = LifeTrak C410.
Now take a look at the comparison chart, and you yourself will understand what, how.
That is, LifeTrak C410 absorbed all the functionality from the two previous models of heart rate monitors. One of which previously could not synchronize with the phone, and the other was not capable of counting sleep.
Sleep counter
Separately, I want to talk about sleep. Internal clock algorithms allow you to fairly accurately calculate the time that their owner sleeps. The clock understands when you fall asleep (most likely by the characteristic types of activity in a dream) and wake up to go and check the integrity of the refrigerator. There is also a mode where you manually indicate that you go to bed. Then the clock stops adding to the time when you just lie on the couch during the day. But I always used the sleep counter only in automatic mode.
Sync with app
From personal experience, it is worth noting that the C410 turned out to be the fastest in terms of synchronization with a smartphone (iPhone 5s). They needed a few seconds to transfer data. But the new version of the Brite R450 watch will require the same operation from 2 to 5 minutes!
It would seem that here he is a favorite: combines the strengths of previous generations and can still compete with the new model. But during tests by fire, water and steel rods, the C410 heart rate monitorvery often failed and refused to measure the pulse. All parameters and statistics were good, but it was impossible to measure the pulse after a hard approach in a squat or deadlift. To do this, it was necessary to resort to a trick: to remove the watch from the hand that was sweating under the watch strap; put them on the other hand and, pressing against your wrist, take a measurement; put back on a comfortable hand. Agree, this is inconvenient to do after each approach. At the same time, I do not exclude that this may be a product defect, since the rest of the heart rate monitors coped well with their direct duties.
UPD Apparently, my hand is not suitable for this heart rate monitor. I gave it to a friend and he didn’t fail once during the whole training session. So you need to take note that this also happens.
LifeTrak Brite R450 and predecessors
This is the latest model of the heart rate monitor from LifeTrak and it is very different from its predecessors.
Firstly, this is the first watch with a round display and a steel protective ring.
Secondly, they claim the title of smart watch.
Thirdly, all software algorithms in them are also improved, which makes it possible to distinguish waved hands from steps.
And fourthly, this watch has a smart alarm clock and it’s good.
Design
In my opinion, the R450 looks better than its predecessors, but there is also a drawback. The steel ring, which is also an element of the design and protection of the display, is gradually covered with scratches and scuffs. And on the display for several months I managed to plant a series of scratches. It should be noted that I wear a watch without taking off. And during training, I often hit them with barbells, dumbbells and protruding elements of the hall. So I'm still surprised that the protective glass was only slightly scratched. And the watch received the most serious injury (a few serifs on a steel rim) when it fell from a meter high on a dumbbell due to their poor location, like a timer for a tabata.
Smart alarm clock
Separately, I want to highlight a smart alarm clock, because I really consider it a very cool thing. In order to set an alarm, you must enter the deadline time when you need to get up and the time for how much you can start to wake up. For example, I need to wake up at 8-00 for sure. Interval of the desired awakening I indicate 30 minutes. And thus, between 7-30 and 8-00 hours will begin to wake me with a slight vibration in the light phase of sleep. At the same time, the watch makes several attempts.
Notifications
But with the title of smart watch, the R450 is all bad. They really can accept notifications, but only in English. That is, you will understand that you received a letter on gmail or something on Instagram, but it’s impossible to read the comment and any text in the Cyrillic alphabet, as well as to set the Cyrillic alphabet itself on the clock. At the same time, synchronization of notifications requires constantly on Bluetooth, so I turned off notifications and bluetooth so as not to consume battery. I hope that in this regime she will live up to a year, as with the more “stupid” predecessors.
Useful Tips
Another watch tells you when you need to move more, go out into the light, or vice versa, leave the open sun or the spotlights. The accelerometer calculates the lack of movement, but the amount of light is determined by the sensor, which looks like a black dot in the upper part of the display of the R450 and in the right part of the other models. She is somewhat related to the gadget with Indian beauties.
Simultaneous metering
Since I had several heart rate monitors on my hands at once, I hung them, like Yolandi from Die Antwoord and decided to see if their testimonies vary during the day. And it turned out that they differ in the region of 10%.
On the reporting day, I went to bed at exactly 00-00 and woke up at 7-30. R450 said that I slept from this time 6 hours 14 minutes, and C410 assured me that 6 hours 52 minutes. It’s difficult to check for yourself, I won’t know how much I stopped tossing and turning in bed and fell asleep. But the first dimension seems more plausible given that I woke up twice at night and went to the kitchen.
In the testimony of the steps taken during the day, the R450 with a figure of 19,000 already broke ahead, when the C410 counted only 16,300. Accordingly, the distance my hand with the R450 "passed" more by 15-20%. By the way, the phone, which was also with me almost all day, showed only 10,400 steps taken, but it just moved less than me, sometimes remaining on the desktop.
But on calories burned, both gadgets showed about 2,500.
So the error in calorie measurements is not significant, but the steps are quite significant. I tend to trust a more expensive version of the heart rate monitor, but I’ll try to come up with a more objective test for the accuracy of measuring gadgets.
Conclusion
The general conclusion after communicating with heart rate monitors for me was their extreme usefulness. Training is being transformed, I immediately began to feel that I was working more efficiently. It is one thing to be guided by sensations, and quite another by numbers. They certainly do not lie and will not give indulgences.
Weaknesses of heart rate monitors:
- Design. He, which is not rare for gadgets, is an amateur
- The straps get dirty quickly and need to be cleaned. Especially white strap
- C410 doesn’t measure the pulse on each hand, the rest of the heart rate monitors fail in 5-10% of cases, which is acceptable
- R450 does not support Cyrillic, which reduces the value of notifications
- R450 syncs with the phone for a long time
Strengths:
- Holds a charge of a replaceable battery from 6 to 12 months
- Measures the pulse
- Displays daily and weekly reports on the display in a convenient form
- Goals by steps and calories gamify everyday everyday life and simply motivate a more active lifestyle
- Convenient interchangeable straps in different colors
- Waterproof and keep immersion up to 25 meters
- R450 equipped with smart alarm
- R450 more comfortable sitting on the hand (my personal feelings)