Polar F55 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Ice Aluminum)

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Description  Features  Compare Polar F Series  Heart Rate Monitor Buyer Guide  Compare Price

The Polar F55 heart rate monitor is a high end advanced heart rate monitor. In fact it is the most advanced model in the Polar fitness series. It builds on the features of the Polar F11. The Polar F11 introduces a new way of using a fitness heart rate monitor: it suggests a detailed, session-by-session training plan (Keeps U Fit) to structure your cardiovascular workout. The Polar F55 heart rate monitor goes one step further. In addition to having the Keeps U Fit training program, the Polar F55 also has something called the Body Workout strength training program.

Note: BPM = Beats per Minute. % of Max HR = Percentage of Maximum Heart Rate.

The main features of the Polar F55 heart rate monitor are:

• Continuous heart rate monitoring
• Polar Fitness Test: You do this test and you get a score called OwnIndex (comparable to VO2 Max) measuring your cardiovascular fitness.
• Polar Keeps U Fit personalised training program to help you plan your cardiovascular workouts.
• Polar Body Workout personalised strength training program. More details below.
• Relaxation Session to measure how relaxed you are. The end result is a number called OwnRelax.
• Manual setting of heart rate training zones
• Two automatic methods of setting heart rate training zone: one age-based and the other fitness-based on the DAY of your exercise (OwnZone)
• Both automatic methods allow you to choose four exercise intensities to determine you heart rate training limits: Basic, Light, Moderate and Hard
• Heart rate can be set and displayed as BPM or % of Max HR
• Heart rate zone audio alarm beeps when you train above or below your target zone
• Visual zone pointer on the wrist watch keeps you training within your target zone
• Instant (and post-exercise) display of calories burnt (OwnCal)
• Instant (and post-exercise) display of time in target zone
• Stop watch to start and stop exercise session
• Short post-exercise summary: Duration, calories burnt, average heart rate, maximum heart rate
• Full post-exercise summary (Daily File): Time started, duration, calories burnt, fat percentage of burnt calories, maximum heart rate, average heart rate, time in training zone, training zone limits, and more info if you use the Keeps U Fit program
• It stores the last 26 Daily Files (exercise sessions).
• Current week summary (Diary). It tells you the sum total of stats for this week: total number of sessions, total duration, total calories burnt, and total time spent in your light, moderate and hard exercise zones. It is saved every Sunday as a weekly file.
• It stores the last 26 Weekly Files.
• Cumulative stats of sessions since the last reset date: Total number of sessions, total duration, total calories burnt
• Seven different reminders can be set to remind you of important events.
• Display language chosen from: English, German, French, Spanish
• Basic time keeping: Time, day of the week, date, alarm
• Backlight
• Polar UpLink to transfer data from a PC to the heart rate monitor. (Requires a Windows PC with a sound card and loudspeakers or headphones.)
• Polar WebLink/SonicLink to transfer data from the heart rate monitor to Polar's fitness trainer website. (Requires a Windows PC with a sound card and a microphone.)
• Wireless heart rate monitor with a coded analogue chest strap transmitter (WearLink) and a wrist watch receiver. The WearLink chest strap's battery can be self-replaced.
• Water resistant up to 50m

For more information about the important Keeps U Fit training program, please refer to the Polar F11 page. To save space it won't be repeated here. The main differences (highlighted in bold in the list above) between F11 and F55 are the Polar Body Workout and Relaxation Session.

Polar Body Workout On the Polar F55 heart rate monitor it is possible to create strength training targets with the Body Workout program . It provides you with a default Body Workout which includes 10 different movements. For each movement, it suggests how many times you should do it via the concepts of sets and repetitions. If you are asked to do 2 sets of sit ups of 8 repetitions, it means that you need to do 8 sit ups in a row, followed by a 2-3 minutes recovery rest, then another 8 sit ups.

Some movements involve the use of weights. The suggested weights are based on your age, sex and body weight. You can override it if you find it too easy or too hard.

There are some restrictions for each workout session. There are a total of 17 movements you can choose to do, but you are only allowed to choose 14 of them in a given training session. In addition the maximum number of sets you can do for each movement is three. The default Body Workout session has 10 movements.

The 17 movements are divided into 6 muscle groups: legs,chest, deltoids, back, arms and abdomen. If you want to train a particular muscle group, you can add more movement belonging to that muscle group to your training program.

In general you can edit (change the number of sets, for example), add or delete movements in a session, subject to the contraints as mentioned above.

Note: It is beneficial, while doing the body workout, to keep your heart rate above 55 % of your maximum. This is so that you derive cardiovascular and weight management gains from your workout, in addition to increasing your muscular strength.

Relaxation Session With the Polar F55 heart rate monitor your state of relaxation can be measured. You do this by performing a relaxation session. All you have to do is to be calm and relaxed at the point of testing, sit or lie down, and start the session. It takes about 5 minutes. At the end of it you get a number called OwnRelax, which indicates how relaxed you are. Polar uses your heart rate and heart rate variability during the session to determine your OwnRelax value.

You can find out whether you are above average or below average in your relaxation state by comparing your OwnRelax value to the standard values found in a Polar supplied table.

The OwnRelax value is saved in a tool called the Relaxation Trend, which can store up to 47 OwnRelax values. These stored values can then be plotted as a graph for you to view your long term relaxation trend.

More Daily Files and Weekly Files

You can now save 26 Daily Files on the Polar F55 heart rate monitor as opposed 12 Daily Files on Polar F11. Same for Weekly Files (16 on F55 vs 12 on F11).

Summary
The Polar F55 heart rate monitor is the most advanced monitor in the Polar fitness series. It has 2 significant features over the F11 i.e. the Body Workout program and the Relaxation Session. However, at $239.95 it is also $60 more expensive than the F11.

Note that the Body Workout feature is strictly speaking not a cardiovascular fitness training aid. If you are only interested in general aerobic fitness training, you would be unlikely to use the Body Workout feature and the F11 should be able to meet your needs.

Description  Features  Compare Polar F Series  Heart Rate Monitor Buyer Guide  Compare Price

Description  Features  Compare Polar F Series  Heart Rate Monitor Buyer Guide  Compare Price

If you're trying to lose weight and get in shape, a heart rate monitor (HRM) is a great way to monitor your intensity and make sure you're working in your target heart rate zone. Many monitors not only provide a continuous heart rate reading but also tell you if you're working in your zone and how many calories you're burning.

With the variety of HRMs out there, it's hard to know how to choose the right one for you. Before you spend your money, check out the factors you want to consider when buying a heart rate monitor.

The type of HRM you buy will often depend on your fitness level, needs and goals:

• For Basic Model: Look for a basic model and functionality that offers your heart rate monitoring like the Omron Heart Rate Monitor HR-100C, Timex T5G941 Heart Rate Monitor, Polar FS1

  - Omron Heart Rate Monitor HR-100C is basic heart rate monitor that is inexpensive, easy to use and doesn't require hours of time spent reading a manual to figure it out. You get a continuous reading of your heart rate, an alarm that tells you when you're in your heart rate zone, time of day display and a daily reminder alarm. At around $30-$50, this is a great price for what you get and users will be pleased with how easy this is to use.

  - Timex T5G941 Heart Rate Monitor is basic model that's easy to use, offers basic heart rate and workout information and is a favorite among exercisers. The display is large, so you can easily see the numbers and it includes an activity timer to rack exercise time as well as information about minimum, average and maximum heart rate for each workout. Most exercisers like the fact that you can change the battery yourself (something you can't do with all HRMs) and that you can figure out how to set it up without spending hours reading the manual. At around $30-$60, this HRM is perfect for people who want the basics for a great price.

  - Polar FS1 is the perfect choice for the exerciser who doesn't want to fool with a lot of buttons during their workouts. The extra large display and the one-button functionality make this monitor easy to use and easy to see. The basic features include your heart rate, a visual and audible alarm that lets you know if you're in your target heart rate zone, a stop watch and, of course, a clock. At around $50-$60, this monitor will give you what you need without all the bells and whistles. There are the higher models of Polar FS1 which are Polar FS2 and Polar FS3.

  Features of basic model	Omron HR-100C	Timex T5G941	Polar FS1	Polar FS2	Polar FS3
  Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring (see what your current heart rate is on your wrist watch and how it fluctuates while you are exercising )	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Heart Rate Training Zone with Alarms (manually set your heart rate alarm zone, lower and upper heart rate limits in which you will be doing your exercise)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Duration of Exercise Session (tells you how long you have been exercising)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Average Heart Rate of Exercise Session	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Maximum Heart Rate of Exercise Session	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
  Basic Time Keeping (for example, won't let you set the date and a wake up alarm)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Backlight	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
  The aged-based automatic setting of heart rate training zone (Max Heart Rate = 220 - Your Age)	No	No	No	No	Yes

• For Weight Loss: Try a HRM that tracks time spent in your heart rate zone and calories burned such as the Polar F6. Polar F6 does more than just display your heart rate, but isn't so high-end that you'd have to get an engineering degree to figure it out, the Polar F6 is an excellent choice. The F6 has a variety of functions, from tracking heart rate and workout intensity to calculating calories burned and time spent in each zone. It also provides a weekly summary of your workouts that can help you stay motivated and set new goals. There is the lower model which is Polar F4. The higher models are Polar F7, Polar F11 and Polar F55.

• For General Fitness: Try one that helps you improve fitness with information about intensity and training zones, like the Polar FT60. If you're into fitness and want to improve your workouts and/or lose weight, the FT 60 offers personalized workouts that adapt according to your workout habits and goals. The FT 60 gives you weekly targets (such as to workout a certain number of minutes) based on your goals and tracks how you did. Aside from your heart rate, the FT 60 also offers a fitness test, calories burned and it keeps track of all your workouts. The FT 60 is also compatible with the Polar GPS Unit (which is Polar FT60G1) and FlowLink which allows you to transfer data to your computers. At around $197, this is a pricey heart rate monitor but offers great motivation for people who have specific goals. The lower model is Polar FT40 and the higher model are Polar FT 80 and Polar FT 80 w/ G1 GPS.

• For Athletes: Consider a HRM, like the Garmin Forerunner 405 HRM, that offers multi-sport support, workout feedback and advanced features such as GPS and downloadable data. If you're a multi-sport athlete, you may want a more serious heart rate monitor like the Garmin Forerunner 405 HRM. You get a heart rate monitor, GPS tracking and the ability to create your own workouts as well as analyze everything from your pace and distance to calories burned. One stand-out feature is the courses, which lets you compete against your previous workout by comparing heart rate and pace - a great way to see if you're improving from workout to workout. This is also a good one for triathletes because you can transition between sports without resetting it. The lower model is Garmin Forerunner 305 HRM and The higher model is Garmin Forerunner 405CX HRM.

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