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Garmin TRI-HR strap with 935 or fenix - valuable? HR during swim? Accuracy vs. wrist-based HR?

Larry PetersLarry Peters
in General Training Discussions
How useful is HR data gathered during a swim with a Garmin HR strap? Does anyone use it? I love data & am always interested in knowing my swim HR data.

Also, I guess if you are going to accurately track calories burned during a swim, this would be helpful too.

I'm upgrading GPS soon & thinking about getting the Garmin Tri HR strap too.

This also relates to the question of whether the chest strap provides more or less reliable HR data than a wrist-based system.

Finally, I guess a point in favor of the chest strap is that in long workouts in very cold weather, having the wrist-based unit on exposed skin may be less than ideal.

Thanks!
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Comments

  • Jeff HornJeff Horn
    @Larry Peters i don't swim with HR, but my wrist based HR is not accurate at all (Fenix5).  I have pretty much stopped using it and am back to chest HR.  
  • Satish PunnaSatish Punna
    IMO wearing a HR strap during a pool swim would be an unnecessary distraction unless you have a medical condition requiring you to monitor HR at all times (in which case swimming would arguably be verboten).  I don't don't believe the strap gives you real time data while you are swimming anyway, so not much actionable data (could be wrong).  I like data as much as the next person but I believe the pace clock gives me all the information I need regarding how I'm swimming and the state of my body and I don't think knowing my HR after the fact would help much if at all. 
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    I bought a 935 specifically for the wrist based HR.  The data stinks (like unusable for me) so I went back to using a HR strap.   I don't feel a need for it during the swim (wouldn't look at my wrist anyways and by the time I saw the data from a race, it'd be too late).  But I still really like the 935 anyways.

    I found the Scosche Optical HR strap to be very reliable and way more comfortable than the normal Garmin HR strap (which cuts my chest like crazy).  But the Scosche battery life is average at best so wouldn't last an entire IM.  I wear it around my forearm for most normal workouts though.
     
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  • tim cronktim cronk
    I have tons of HR data from swimming, and its exactly as useful swimming as it is running , ZERO ! .... That said the swim bundle HR strap is the best/most reliable HR I have ever used....  I have tried several optical HR without success.... The 935 is on my list of upgrades this year (mostly for battery life) and I will fully expect the big fail with the optical, and continue to use the garmin swim strap for HR data...But who knows maybe Garmin will prove me wrong at the optical will work on the 935...
  • Larry PetersLarry Peters
    Thanks a ton @John Withrow , @Satish Punna and @tim cronk !
  • Larry PetersLarry Peters
    PS. Interesting that you find HR data to be useless while running @tim cronk . Maybe it is because I have less experience than you, but I find it to be helpful sometimes (or maybe I just find it interesting and reassuring). I haven't had a PR run race yet since my return to serious endurance training. My PRs were set in 2010 without anything but a watch, so I can't say for sure it is helping my performance. But I do like having HR now that I do.

    I am sure there is a lot of other information about the use of HR while training, so I'll try to dig into that in the forums to learn more.

    Thanks!
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