I admit: I never used to be a fan of heart rate monitors. What I realize now is that I’ve simply never understood heart rate monitors and how much they can impact my training.
Thanks to Fitfluential, Polar sent me their FT40 Heart Rate Monitor to review.
To start off I did my research. The HRM tells me how hard I’m working- more accurately than I “feel.” It can tell me when to slow down and when I should work harder.
I fell in love with my watch upon first touch. It’s so light and soft.. you really have to feel it yourself to know what I’m talking about. You can wear the watch alone and you wear the monitor and strap when you’re ready to do some tracking.
The strap is comfortable and has become less noticeable the more that I’ve worn it. It’s really easy to put on and sits right around the base of my sports bra.
HRM = Marathon PR?
I really like how Runners World lays out how to use a HRM to determine what bracket to train and race in. (Full article here.) Runner’s World recommends determining your max heart rate as such: MHR = 205 – (.5 x your age)
Workout Percent of Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
Easy run and long run 65-75%
Tempo run 87-92%
Interval repeats 95-100%
Race Distance
5-K 95-97%
10-K 92-94%
Half-marathon 85-88%
Marathon 80-85%
Especially in longer races, I struggle with pacing myself. I either go out too fast or too slow and rob myself from energy in the end miles and, even worse, I rob myself from a PR. More accurate than tracking pace, tracking heart rate can keep your heart working exactly where it should to meet your goals.
Features Galore
The Polar FT40 has an Energy Pointer feature that displays if you are in a fat burning or fitness improvement zone so you can target the intensity that matches your goals.
It also has lots of progress and feedback features to help you reach your goals, whatever they are. Aside from the snazzy features, it also gives you an accurate count of calories burned and the duration of your workouts.
The watch has features available to you, but it’s still really easy to use, even in the middle of a hard workout or long run.
Here is an article from FBG on using a heart rate monitor when you’re at rest.
Is it HRM Love?
I love this watch, though it’s not yet a part of every workout. I’m currently using it a few times a week to manage my heart rate during a workout but plan on using it more, especially for long runs and shorter speed training.
Do you use a heart rate monitor? How has it affected your fitness?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been looking to get a HRM for quite some time now but have been reading some reviews on some which are in my price range and the reviews just aren’t that great. Based on your review I might just have to save up a bit and bite the extra cost for something like the FT40! I checked the Polar site and it seems that they have a few other options which are a bit more moderately priced which could work. Hrmmm. Thanks for the informative review!
i used a HRM before a while back but then it went haywire and no longer works. I liked it when it did work and have been thinking about getting a new HRM to keep an eye on my workouts etc. And it’d be interesting to see how keeping an eye on HR during races would help you PR. Need to read that article. Really going to have to save up for something like the FT40 though.
Sonia the Mexigarian recently posted..Post Superbowl WIAW
Cool, thanks for the info and the link. I’m reading Phil Maffetone’s Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing and it has me interested in heart rate monitor training (although I could never be as rigid as he says!). My mom just got the batteries in hers replaced and it is on its way to me so this is good timing (she never used it)!
Kim recently posted..Book Review: The Garneau Block
i agree! I just got a heart rate monitor last week actually. I got a Polar FT4 & have used it about 3 times. I really noticed how hard I was working in my strength classes (both with heart rate and calories burned). Which is great, because I prefer strenght classes to cardio anyway. It’s really helped me decide which classes are the best overall workout for me. That way, I can tailor my workout class schedule for maximum benefit. I’m digging it so far!
I began HR training 2 years ago and it has done wonders for my race times! I now train much smarter and have PR’d 3 half marathons, a 5K and 4 miler since. I really can’t say enough good about it.
Kim
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Thanks for this guide! I just bought a Garmin Forerunner last week and am still trying to figure out the HRM. During my first run with it, I found myself running 90-100% much more than I should have been. I mean, I knew I was wheezing and tired but thought I had more to give and was just a wuss. It was nice seeing the HRM tell me that I was giving it my all. Helps to make things more realistic.
Will like to continue hearing about how it works for you!
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Great post! The older we get we should definitely monitor our heart while we work out and even the amount of calories/fat burned. We often don’t get our exercise that we need while we’re older and devices such as this and the fitbit, might get more popular for the elderly crowd as they become more widespread.
GOOD POST. I MUST SAY