Heart rate monitor
Chest strap or watch that logs heart rate and estimates calories burned
A chest strap or wrist sensor that records heart rate through the day and during training, and estimates calories burned from it. Athletes use the data to keep easy sessions easy, to see how hard a performance or a workout really was, and to match food intake to output when trying to gain or lose weight. Chest straps are more accurate than optical wrist sensors. Basic models cost less than a pair of running shoes.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Hugh JackmanDoes it
Actor · Wolverine and The Greatest Showman
Wore one through The Music Man at his trainer's request so she knew what she was working with while trying to bulk him up. It showed roughly 1,500 calories burned per show, eight shows a week, which is why his intake climbed to 4,500 a day.
Source: Variety: Hugh Jackman Is 'Bulking' Up for Wolverine by Eating Over 8,000 Calories a Day - Ray MakerDoes it
Sports tech reviewer · DC Rainmaker
Named the Polar H10 as the one strap he uses most in his 2021 list, for reliability and for carrying both Bluetooth and ANT+. A Garmin HRM-DUAL and HRM-PRO were usually within reach, with a Polar H9 sitting at home as the backup.
Source: dcrainmaker.com: The 2021 Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List - Andy GalpinRecommends
Exercise physiologist · Perform podcast
Anyone who cannot measure blood lactate has enough with a heart rate monitor and a stopwatch, he says. Run a two-mile test or a 30-minute effort, plug the number into published tables, and the threshold estimate gets close.
Source: Perform: How Lactate & Metabolism Influence Performance - Pavel TsatsoulineRecommends
Strength coach · StrongFirst
Co-written with Al Ciampa, this piece runs Simple & Sinister off a monitor. Take Maffetone's 180 minus age, add five for swing intervals, then watch the reading and keep the spike after each set under that ceiling. A few sessions teach you what starting rate holds it. Heart rate alone, they say, is unlikely to carry you to the Sinister goal.
Source: StrongFirst: Simple & Sinister + Heart Rate Training
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under fitness or energy.
- Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Weight sled
A loaded steel sled pushed or dragged across turf
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Air bike
Fan-resistance bike with moving handles, used for short all-out efforts
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Exercise bike
Stationary bike for intervals and steady aerobic work indoors
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Indoor bike trainer
Smart trainer or stationary bike that reports power and varies resistance
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Running hydration vest
A trail vest carrying soft flasks or a bladder, plus fuel, layers and a headlamp
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Basal body thermometer
Two-decimal thermometer for spotting the temperature shift around ovulation
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it
Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.