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Polar FT80 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

James — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:28:49 +0000

Polar FT80 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)
Price: 329.95

23 used & new available from —

If there’s one word to describe people who train seriously for athletics, it’s dedication. And if there’s one heart rate monitor that’s dedicated to helping you achieve maximum workout efficiency, it’s the Polar FT80. The FT80 starts by checking your daily condition, and then guiding you to the ideal training intensity for your age and fitness level. Knowing your heart rate not only helps you reach your personal fitness goal, but also improves your physical condition in general, as it’s vitally important to train at the appropriate intensity level. If you exercise too hard, you may quit before you reach the real benefit, but if you work out too leisurely, you’ll struggle to lose weight at all. The FT80 helps overcome these problems by encouraging you to map out a complete fitness routine.

The FT80′s intelligent training computer also helps you work toward achieving your exercise goals in other ways. For example, the watch offers a Polar Star personalized training program that adapts to your workout habits. By giving you weekly training targets and providing constant feedback, the watch guides you without being too strict, helping you reach your goals more efficiently. The watch also displays heart rate info in several ways, including as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, as beats per minute, and within a graphical target zone indicator. And should your heart rate exceed or dip below your target zone, the FT80 will sound an alarm that helps you return to form.

Users will also love the variety of proprietary Polar functions, including ZonePointer, Polar Strength Training, and Polar OwnCal modes. The ZonePointer is an audible and visual feature on the display of your FT80 that shows you where your current heart rate sits within your target heart rate zone. The Polar Strength Training mode, meanwhile, helps you optimize your strength training by reading your heart rate and informing you when your body is ready for the next set–an ideal way to optimize your weight training. Finally, the Polar OwnCal mode shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session, as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. You can also set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure, helping you achieve both short-term and long-term goals.

Other watch features include a built-in fitness test that measures your aerobic fitness at rest in just five minutes; a ZoneLock mode that lets you activate a target zone in the midst of training with the press of a button; a Polar OwnZone mode that provides a customized target zone for individual exercise sessions; an OwnCode mode that prevents crosstalk from other heart rate monitors nearby; a recording mode that tracks your average and maximum heart rate, calorie expenditure, distance, and total exercise time, and then puts it in an exercise file (with 100 total files); water resistance to 50 meters; a 12/24-hour clock with a day/week indicator; a built-in backlight; an alarm with a snooze; a low battery indicator; and a Polar FlowLink connection for transferring data between the FT80 and a computer. Sporting an attractive black housing, the watch carries a two-year warranty.

Manufacturer’s Warranty
The original purchaser of this heart rate monitor is backed by a limited warranty that states that this product that the product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for two years from the date of purchase.

About Polar
The first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor was invented by Polar back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The concept of “intensity training” by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990s, individuals were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance training needs, but also for achieving everyday fitness goals. Today, the same concept of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose weight. Polar is the leading brand among consumers, coaches, and personal trainers worldwide and the company is committed to not only producing the best products, but also being the leading educator on the benefits of heart rate based exercise.

Optimizes strength training by providing guidance on how to long to rest between sets, delivering the information in an easy-to-read graphical display (see image above)

Polar FT80 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)
Price: 329.95

23 used & new available from —

Why the Polar Heart Rate Monitor Watch Rocks!

James — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:36:46 +0000

I bet your asking yourself why you need a Polar Heart Rate Monitor. Well, I’m going to answer that question and explain why having one is a cooler weight loss gadget than a pair of running shoes or a gym membership.

Here are a couple of reasons Polar believes you should buy their watch:

A heart rate monitor is like a rev counter, giving a precise measurement of exercise intensity.

Training at your own ideal pace is made possible with a heart rate monitor.

Direct measurement of heart rate during exercise is the most accurate way to gauge performance.

Progress can be monitored and measured, increasing motivation.

It maximizes the benefits of exercise in a limited amount of time.

It introduces objective observation. Are you on the right track? Are you improving?

It is a tool for regulating frequency and intensity of workouts.

Because of the immediate feedback it provides, heart rate monitoring is an ideal training partner.

While I agree with all of those the first and fourth points are why I believe everyone should have a heart rate monitor.

Heart Rate Monitor as a Rev Counter

After you open the box and run through a couple of settings like entering the time, date, your height & weight and some other stuff you get to put on the chest strap and click the exercise button. This links the watch to the chest strap and it figures out your heart rate with ECG accuracy. So you look down and your (hopefully) loping along at under 90 or so beats per minute. Jump up and down a couple of times and the number should go up a little bit as your heart rate rises.

In a nutshell, your heart pumps blood from your lungs (where its oxygenated) to the muscles (where oxygen is used as fuel) and back to the lungs again. The more you jump around looking at your new watch, the more fuel the muscles require and the harder your heart has to work to pump oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. The Polar watch detects the electrical current in your heart to calculate the number of times it beats per minute. This gives you an increadibly accurate gauge as to what speed your heart is beating and thus how much energy you’re using.

We all know that losing weight requires us to burn calories. The watch uses your heart rate to calculate the number of calories burned. A faster heart beat translates to more oxygen and fuel (calories) being burned by your muscles. So keeping your heart rate up helps burn calories and ultimately fat faster. If you’re monitoring it you can ensure that you’re always in an effective heart rate zone.

Monitoring Progress

When you exercise you click the button and the watch starts doing its thing. It reminds you with soft chirps to speed up or slow down to stay in the desired heart rate zone. Meanwhile its tiny little brain is recording every beat, calculating how much energy you’re expending and making notes in a journal for you.

Polar F11M Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Grey Pepper, New Design)
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0 used & new available from —

Polar F11 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Pink Fizz)
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1 used & new available from 269.99

The Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor is the world’s only heart rate monitor that creates a workout program to tell you how much, how hard and how long to exercise to reach your goals. This powerful wrist monitor provides a highly accurate gauge for getting the most from your exercise sessions. The Polar Keeps U Fit Workout Program gives you personal guidance–how often, how hard, and how long you need to exercise to reach your personal fitness goals. It also includes a free-of-charge online component.

The wristwatch-like monitor features a large display that includes 12/24-hour time of day, alarm, and stopwatch. The transmitter includes the Wearlink Coded function, which eliminates interference from other heart rate monitors. The transmitter’s electrodes, which pick up the heart signals, are integrated right into the strap for added flexibility and comfort.

The OwnCal feature shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. It also allows you to set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure. The Fitness Bullets feature shows a bullet on the monitor’s display for every 10 minutes spent exercising/training in your target heart rate zone. The Coded feature eliminates interference from other heart rate monitors. Other features include:

Displays heart rate, exercise time, and average heart rate
Manual and automatic heart rate limit settings
Large easy-to-read display with backlighting and split screen
Water resistant to 30 meters (100 feet)

Note:
Polar heart rate monitors are precision instruments; consumers are not advised to change their own battery. Polar recommends that all service be done by an authorized Polar Service Center which will include a warranty for 90 days on repairs and 6 months for batteries.

The world’s only heart rate monitor that creates a workout program with how much, how hard and how long to exercise to reach your goals.

Polar F11 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Pink Fizz)
Price: —

1 used & new available from 269.99

Polar RS800CX Heart Rate Monitor Watch

James — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:32:12 +0000

Polar RS800CX Heart Rate Monitor Watch
Price: —

7 used & new available from 351.00

Are you serious about your athletic training? If so, turn to the Polar RS800CX heart rate monitor watch, which offers a complete system for planning, monitoring, and analyzing every part of your training. The RS800CX is equipped with a host of valuable tools, including a built-in altimeter, a wireless WearLink W.I.N.D. heart rate transmitter with a soft textile chest strap, several proprietary Polar functions that help optimize your daily workouts, and a copy of Polar ProTrainer 5 software, which makes it easy to analyze your workouts and create custom training routines. Perhaps more importantly, the watch lets you combine training sessions from different sports into a single file, so you can integrate running, cycling, hiking, and skiing into your training routine without missing a beat. It’s the ultimate multi-sport training watch.

The RS800CX watch is the ultimate training computer for multi-sport athletes.

As a heart rate monitor, the RS800CX works by first checking your daily condition, and then guiding you to the ideal training intensity for your age and fitness level. Knowing your heart rate not only helps you reach your personal fitness goal, but also improves your physical condition in general, as it’s vitally important to train at the appropriate intensity level. If you exercise too hard, you may quit before you reach the real benefit, but if you work out too leisurely, you’ll struggle to lose weight at all. The RS800CX helps overcome these problems by encouraging you to map out a complete fitness routine. The watch also displays heart rate info in several ways, including as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, as beats per minute, and within a graphical target zone indicator. And should your heart rate exceed or dip below your target zone, the RS800CX will sound an alarm that helps you return to form.

The RS800CX also offers a variety of proprietary Polar functions. The ZonePointer, for example, is an audible and visual feature on the display of your watch that shows you where your current heart rate sits within your target heart rate zone. The Polar OwnZone mode, meanwhile, provides a customized target zone for individual exercise sessions. Finally, the Polar OwnCal mode shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session, as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. You can also set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure, helping you achieve both short-term and long-term goals. Other proprietary Polar functions include a Polar fitness test that measures your aerobic fitness at rest in just five minutes; a ZoneLock button that activates a target zone alarm while exercising; and an OwnOptimizer mode designed to keep you from undertraining or overtraining–a must when trying to improve overall performance.

The watch comes with a wireless WearLink W.I.N.D. chest transmitter.

Serious athletes will appreciate in the built-in altimeter, which measures your altitude, cumulative ascent, and cumulative descent. It’s the Polar ProTrainer 5 software, however, that really helps the watch stand out. You can use the Polar ProTrainer 5 to plan your workout in advance–including creating maps and routes in conjunction with the G3 GPS sensor (sold separately)–and then transfer the settings to the RS800CX watch. Then, after training, you can analyze the results using versatile, customizable graphs to ensure a deeper understanding of your speed, exertion level, and distance. The software also includes a custom calendar that functions as a complete training log. Each time you transfer an exercise file to the program, the calendar automatically creates a diary entry with all your training data–a terrific option for athletes who want to monitor their workouts over the long term. The software even lets you export your GPS mapping routes to Google Earth, so you can view your exact training route or calculate mileage on the spot.

Finally, the RS800CX supports the complete range of optional W.I.N.D. sensors that are custom built for various training needs. The W.I.N.D. products–all sold separately–include a CS Speed Sensor pod for cyclists that measures your cycling speed and distance, an S3 Stride Sensor for runners that measures each stride you take, and the aforementioned G3 GPS sensor, which accurately tracks your movement in less-traveled sports, such as canoeing, mountain biking, rowing, or Nordic skiing. Once you connect the W.I.N.D. accessories, the RS800CX handles the rest, with options for measuring the speed and pace of each sport, the elevation change, the target pace, and much more.

Other watch features include several recording options to help track your heart rate, calorie expenditure, distance, and more and save it in an exercise file (with 99 total files); water resistance to 50 meters; a Polar WebLink connection for transferring exercise data from your wrist unit to a computer; a 12/24-hour clock with a day/week indicator; a built-in backlight; an alarm with a snooze; and a low battery indicator. Sporting an attractive silver housing, the watch carries a two-year warranty.

Now Introduces mapping / route positioning capabilities when used with the G3 GPS Sensor, enabling users to download their route information to their PC after the training session

Polar RS800CX Heart Rate Monitor Watch
Price: —

7 used & new available from 351.00

Polar RS800 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

James — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:37:18 +0000

Polar RS800 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
Price: —

3 used & new available from 340.00

Designed for elite-level training, the Polar RS800 wrist heart rate monitor a complete system for planning, monitoring and analyzing your training. It includes the comfortable textile Polar WearLink W.I.N.D. transmitter with 2.4 GHz disturbance-free transmission from all other electronic devices. It comes with Polar’s ProTrainer 5 software–the most advanced and dynamic training, planning and analyzing software on the market. Easily prepare a detailed training program and transfer your daily training plan to the RS800 via a wireless infrared connection. It also features a built-in altimeter for recording altitude and ascent for route profile and total meters climbed.

And when used in conjunction with the optionally available Polar S3 Stride Sensor, you’ll receive highly consistent and accurate speed/pace, distance and cadence data via its nano technology. It incorporates Polar’s W.I.N.D. technology, offers water resistance and a user replaceable battery, and is fully compatible with the Adidas AdiStar Fusion running shoe.

Heart rate monitoring includes maximum heart rate (fitness test-based and age-based), maximum/average of total exercise and of each lap (up to 99 laps), three target zones, and audible alarms. It also offers such timing features as time of day (12/24-hour display), dual time zone, day and date display, stopwatch, and alarm with snooze. It also includes the following exclusive Polar features:

Polar Sport Zones: Polar sport zones provides an easy way to select and monitor the intensity of your training and to follow Polar’s sport zones based training programs. The training is divided into five zones based on percentages of your maximum heart rate: very light (50-60%HRmax), light (60-70% HRmax), moderate (70-80%HRmax), hard (80-90% HRmax) and maximum (90-100% HRmax).
Polar OwnCal: This feature shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. You can set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure with the OwnCal feature. Because the OwnCal tracks both the energy expenditure during one exercise session and the accumulated kilocalories during a longer time e.g. one week, it helps in achieving both short term and long term goals.
Polar OwnZone: This feature guides you through an appropriate warm-up routine and automatically determines a safe and effective exercise heart rate zone–your OwnZone–while taking into account your current physical condition.
R-R Intervals / Online HR Variability: Measures heart beat intervals and reflects autonomic nervous system in heartbeat regulation. The R-R interval measurement is most useful at rest and at low intensities. Relaxation rate indicates the state of your physical recovery.

The RS800 is designed for the elite level endurance athletes and coach. The new WearLink W.I.N.D. transmitter with 2.4 GHz transmission is disturbance free of all other electronic devises. Analyze training data with the new ProTrainer 5, avoid overtraining with OwnOptimizer, track fitness improvements with OwnIndex, and much more.

Polar RS800 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
Price: —

3 used & new available from 340.00

The Ride I Didn’t Want to Take. And a HIIT Accident.

James — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:17:05 +0000

Sunday morning I woke up at around 9:30 with a good hang over. I shuffled out to the living room where I saw the pizza box surrounded by a couple empty bottles of La Fin du Mond on the coffee table. It’s easy to convince yourself after a couple of cocktails that ordering a pizza in the middle of the night is OK because you deserve something good for dieting all week and you’ll work it off at the gym or on your bike. I remember making this rationalization to my wife as I dialed the number for Imo’s Pizza.

I plopped down on the couch and pushed the bottles aside so I could see the TV. My bike seemingly mocks my pain from the corner. I imagine that if it were actually alive it would jump on my chest and lick my face until it was taken outside to play. I flip through a couple of channels and don’t see anything appealing.

After digging around the closet I find shorts, a t-shirt and my cycling shoes I moved back to the couch thinking that I’ve completed one of the more difficult parts of going out for a ride.

I looked over at my bike and thought its now or never so I pumped up the tires and carried it down the stairs. I know what your thinking, he hasn’t ridden his bike in so long the tires are flat. Thats not exactly true, it just rolls faster with a touch over 100psi and road bike tires lose air pretty quickly.

So there I was on the street, I pulled out onto Grand and got in the bike lane. This hurts, I thought as I clicked into an easier gear, I’ll just ride to the 7-Eleven and get something to drink and loaf around the park for a bit.

I left the 7-Eleven after a few swallows of Gatorade and headed away from the park and towards the city. I went through a few neighborhoods and after I started sweating I felt a bit better. The fresh air and gorgeous temperatures paired with some exercise were doing wonders for my hang over.

I clicked down a gear, stole a glance at the Polar CS600 cycling computer and realized I was cruising at around 18mph with a cadence of 90rpm. Hmm, I’m actually out on a ride, lets see where this goes. I peddled out of the neighborhood I was in and towards where I knew I’d run into some hills.

My heart rate is at 150bpm and I see a huge hill. I click the iPod Shuffle through a couple of songs and end up stopping at one of my favorite Mastondon songs: Blood and Thunder. It’s metal and excruciatingly heavy and fast but it sets the perfect cadence for a long climb. Half way up the hill my Polar is beeping at me because my heart rate has redlined. I can feel the lactic acid burning in my legs.

I click down a gear and jump out of the saddle. I’m enjoying this and making my legs suffer more for even thinking about complaining and slowing down. The song crescendos and my cadence picks up even more. I crest the hill and tapper the speed a little to help my heart rate go back to something manageable. I can feel the lactic acid in my legs being swept away as my breathing slows.

I’ve been out for over an hour now and decide to point the bike towards a series of hills that head back into the city. I figure I’m already out here and starting to feel pretty good so I should do some intervals on the hills.

I get to the first one and blow past the anaerobic threshold (AT) were my legs start burning energy without oxygen.

An all out sprint, which requires a great deal of power output in a short period of time, uses the anaerobic system. The energy is quickly available, but the anaerobic pathways are not very efficient; short term energy stores are rapidly depleted, lactic acid builds up, and exercise soon comes to a halt. After a brief rest, the system is recharged and ready for the next sprint. Distance work, which requires a steady power output over a long period of time, uses the aerobic system. These pathways can’t generate the speed of the anaerobic, but they do possess a great deal more efficiency and endurance. Depending upon the distance, and effort, the body can use different proportions of both of these systems.

Riding down the backside of the hill I spin quickly to help nice clean blood to flow to my legs. As soon as I’ve recovered I’m banging up the next hill again. I’m doing whats called HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or sprint interval training is an exercise strategy that is intended to improve performance with short training sessions.

A HIIT session involves a warmup period, several short, maximum-intensity efforts separated by moderate recovery intervals, and a cooldown period. The period of alternating effort and recovery intervals typically lasts a total of 15 minutes.

Studies have shown this method to be more effective at burning fat and maintaining, or building, muscle mass than high-volume, lower intensity aerobic work-outs. A study by Gibala et al demonstrated 2.5 hours of sprint interval training produced similar biochemical muscle changes to 10.5 hours of endurance training and similar endurance performance benefits. According to a study by King, HIIT increases the resting metabolic rate (RMR) for the following 24 hours due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, and may improve maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) more effectively than doing only traditional, long aerobic workouts. Long aerobic workouts have been promoted as the best method to reduce fat, as fatty acid utilization usually occurs after at least 30 minutes of training. HIIT is somewhat counter intuitive in this regard, but has nonetheless been shown to burn fat more effectively. There may be a number of factors that contribute to this, including an increase in RMR, and possibly other physiological effects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

I’ll write an article on this soon that explains the weight loss advantages but for now back to my story.

After the hills I head towards a nice flat rolling road and I am on my way home. I’m feeling quite good and now longer have a headache. I make the turn onto Grand Boulevard and cruise slowly looking over my shoulder to see if my wife is on her way home. I’d hate for her to see me loping along at 12mph and think if I see her car I’ll crank it up and race her through the traffic.

She is already home and greets me at the door. I jump in the shower as I tell her about my ride. It was marvelous I say as I think about how much I thought it was going to hurt when I left.

Its amazing how just getting out there is the hardest part. But once I do its equally amazing how much fun it can be and how it can really make you feel better. Like Ellen, Laura and others here have said just lace up your shoes and go. I usually find that by the time your halfway to your original goal you start to feel energized and end up on a two hour ride instead of a twenty minute one.