Today I started applying more science to my workouts. I received my Polar FT7 heart rate monitor! This is a nice bit of kit and I got a good deal off eBay. It gives a few read outs to choose from with a clever one that tells me if I am in the fat burning or fitness zone. You can even lock this zone in and the watch will beep if you go out of it. The watch is available in a few different colours. This is the one I went for, looks pretty cool all black with the red racing stripe :) there is also an all red version but I thought that was a little too flash!
So with this I can now apply science and customise my workouts to either burn fat or improves my fitness. I'm currently thinking of ways to change my workouts to enter these zones. Looking back on this mornings numbers I find that FT4 is approx 1/3 fat burn and 2/3 fitness. So I think the thing to do is try my other workouts and see what the ratios are for them. I just tried running n the spot for a bit and that definitely kept me in the fat burning zone. I plan on having another little run around the field tomorrow so will see if actual running is in the same zone. This will be interesting to me as I definitely feel more worn out when proper running!
Oh yeah the watch keeps some workout data in its memory (99 files max) neat eh? If required you can buy a USB device called Flowlink that will enable you to transfer the data up to Polars website for prosperity. I think I'll give it a good go this month and come next pay day ill pick one up and upload all my data.
The screen is pretty dark, there is a light on it but it goes off quickly and still isn't bright. I think this is because of batter life. I hear these things burn batteries so I'd better stock up on a few. This is a big reason for me going straight for the more expensive FT7. I read that the cheaper models have sealed batteries or cannot be changed by the user easily. The FT7 is the start of models that he batteries can easily be changed in both the watch and the strap transmitter.
Another point there, it should be obvious but these heart rate monitors do require you to wear a strap tight around your chest. I had some problems that were frustrating with mine at first but basically tightening the strap is the cure! If you think it's tight but you are not getting a heart rate reading then tighten up a bit until you do. Also it's worth noting that it takes a few seconds to get the signal synced up with the watch. I just tried it again and it picked up straight away so for now I guess the strap is set correctly.
Anyway, I'm pretty excited to include this into my weight loss plan. I. Think it will benefit me no end once I get into different activities. I can ten find out what to do more/less of to cater for what I want out of the workout.
Any comments or concerns let me know in the comments...
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