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 Polar M61 Heart Rate Monitor Watch By: Polar Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 33 More Information just what it claims to be  On: 2008-04-28i bought this for about eighty-five dollars from amazon nearly a year ago. i am an amateur collegiate triathlete and wanted to use this in training. i rated this 5/5 stars not because it is perfect beyond my expectations, but because it is just what it claims to be, and does its job very effectively. overall, polar makes quality products - i recently used a similar hrm from their line in a VO2max test. (+) the connection between the watch and strap is consistent and i have not run into any interference. (+) the strap is comfortable - but dont be surprised that you may have to wet the contact points of the strap to give the contacts a good reading (+) its easy to look back through your most recent exercise session data to gather time in chosen hr zone, what the zone was, total exercise zone, # kcal burned and what % of that was fat, and avg hr (-) it would be nice to show a max hr, but its really not necessary unless youre doing a maximum exertion test. youll either know youre already out of your ideal training zone (for whatever type of training youre chosen it to be), or will be slightly over (or under) in which case youll be notified by an audible alarm (-) a split workout feature would be the nicest addition possible to this watch, although it is not advertised to have one and does what it does well without it dont be swayed by negative reviews that suggest this is poor because its not waterproof (wrong: its actually water "resistant" to 30m, which means that nothing will happen to the watch up to that point, but that pressing buttons underwater will break the seal, allowing the higher pressurized water to come in and damage your new toy), that the chest strap makes poor contact, or that it isnt a full-fledged hrm. many reviews dont seem to recognize what this hrm was designed to do in the first place, either shorting the rating because they cant read directions in a booklet/online, or are comparing it to more expensive models. this watch does what it was designed to do quite well, and quite comfortably. Unreliable  On: 2007-11-24I have found this product to be quite inconsistent in terms of picking up a correct heart rate. Other devices confuse it; heart rate monitors often found on exercise equipment can make the reading inaccurate, and even my little Discman causes it to read my heart rate as "00." Additionally, I have run outside far from other people, heart rate monitors, stereos, etc., and it will jump to a ridiculous number (say 225) for a few minutes at a time. Really soaking the chest strap before you put it on seems to help a little, but not always. I would say it works well 70% of the time, but had I the money and knowledge when I bought it, I would have upgraded. Polar heart monitor  On: 2007-11-03A very good but complex instrument. My biggest gripe is the belt which is extremely difficult to remove. Otherwise it is very good. Simply a wonderful product!! On: 2007-10-31This monitor is everything I thought it would be and more! This was my first monitor so I didnt have anything to compare it to, but for over two years I have gotten full bang for my buck. Every feature works great and up to expectations. OwnZone, OwnIndex and the fitness test all perform flawlessly. The fitness test is especially valuable to let a person know how their aerobic capacity is changing as he/she gets stronger. I have also put this watch through a fair amount of abuse and its still going strong. Im sure there are watches out there with more features, but I love everything about the M61 and I would buy another one in a heartbeat! I even change the batteries myself, although I dont recommend this for everyone. All that and it even keeps good time! Can be had for $[...] on Amazon.com. I paid way more than that and I still consider it a steal. You want to spend $[...]+, be my guest, but for my money the M61 is way more than a basic monitor at a very basic price. Polar Customer Service is not worth it On: 2007-10-17I heard great things about Polar, so I ordered one upon recommendation of a friend. It showed up without a connector. I reviewed Amazons return policy which suggested that I contact the supplier, so after an arduous 10 min. I found a few phone numbers off the Web. Five calls later and I found a Polar company in NYC. There was no way to speak to a representative, so I called and left a VERY detailed voicemail message. They called me back the next day at 7:30am while I was in the shower. They didnt leave a message. (I only know they called because of caller ID.) They called back two days later and told me that I should never buy their products on Amazon and they wouldnt send me another connector. So I returned the product to Amazon asking for another one (with all the parts.) Its been a few weeks and I still dont have a new one. Sigh. Expected to be better On: 2007-10-01Considering the original price for this heart rate monitor, I thought that it would give me more information than it does. I have had this monitor for a month now, but I am still learning how to use it. What I dont like is that it doesnt show you your target zones and how long you have been working out in them. It just kind of gives you how long you were in the ZONE but thats not what I need. In general, it picks up heart beat great, counts the calories according to your height and weight. The whole Ownzone is not very helpful to me. More than I expected. On: 2007-09-28My trainer recommended I buy a monitor since I found out I was pregnant and had a history of high blood pressure. I have been very pleased with the performance of this model. I mostly use it for the alarm it has when you reach your maximum heart rate. It probably has more bells and whistles than I needed, but nice to have as I want to expand my workout later. Ive only found occasional interference with other monitors when someone passes by me at the gym. The only drawback has been that my trainer wanted to be able to hold the wristwatch while he stood next me as I exercised on the machine and even those extra few inches away from the chest strap caused the monitor to stop working. Other than that, a very nice product that more than suits my needs. Beyond expectations! On: 2007-09-18Almost three years ago I started attending spinning classes. My health has improved fantastically since then, and I thought I would never need one of these monitors. About two months ago, a friend of the family had a fatal heart attack while jogging, and this was more then enough to send me flying to the computer, to check at Amazon.com what they had for monitoring the heart while exercizing. I am very glad I did, because I got a fantastic monitor that does what I expected, and much more. And the price, wow!! Costs almost the same now (with the 50% desc)as other good monitors that will not do even half of its funtions. ...And my spinning trainer suggested a Polar monitor, so there! The best part is that, besides heart monitoring, calories, heart rate limits just for me any time I wish, and many other great funtions (work out in the dark, if you wish, because it has a light!), now I feel that I am doing my training right, and the time flies while I keep watch trying to stay in the heart rate zone for burning the most of the fat calories (yes, it tells you the % of these calories that where burned at the end of the exercise). I feel better, and I am starting to look even better too!!! DROWNING - do not drown your money on this one  On: 2007-09-17The very first time I used this product in the pool it was filled up with water. It is supposed to be water proof to 3 atm and it proved wrong. I tried to claim the "international warranty" and havent received a response, though local dealer believes they will claim misusage (like I had not read the directions before use). Such a poor service on that end too. AISoto - Queretaro, Mexico. DROWNING - do not drown your money on this one On: 2007-09-16The very first time I used this product in the pool it was filled up with water. It is supposed to be water proof to 3 atm and it proved wrong. I tried to claim the "international warranty" and havent received a response, though local dealer believes they will claim misusage (like I had not read the directions before use). Such a poor service on that end too. AISoto - Queretaro, Mexico. Excelent HRM On: 2007-09-03This HRM, is basic for start fitness or any other exercise practice. I recomend it. Great Heart Rate Monitor On: 2007-08-27I have had this product for about 2 months now and it has worked great every single time. The Three button interface is much easier to use then the 1-button interface of the Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Dark Blue). I own both systems and this is definitely superior. Also the coded heart rate monitor is a plus. If you are looking for an inexpensive heart rate monitoring system, this is it! M61 was my first HRM. On: 2007-08-13I can really offer no complaints regarding the Polar M61. It doesnt have all of the wiz-bang features that some of the models do, but I think it has all the features that are needed and then some for a general exerciser. I used my M61 for over 2 1/2 years before the battery finally died, which is to say that I used it for hundreds and hundreds of exercise sessions. It was responsive, comfortable to wear, and motivating to track with its fitness bullets and active HR. When exercising was complete, I could track my calories expended, fat percentage burned, duration of workout, etc...If youre interested in a straight forward HRM...the M61 more than does the job. If youre a serious athlete, you probably want to consider a more advanced model. I traded up from the M61 to the F11 and Im very satisfied with my new HRM, however, if the battery wouldnt have finally died on my M61, and if I would have had time to replace it...Id still be using the M61 and Im sure that I would still be pleased. Oh well...it was just time for a new one I guess. I give this product a 4-star rating because there are newer, more advanced models in the market place...not because I was ever dissatisfied with my purchase. Polar M61 Heart Rate Monitor On: 2007-08-03Ive been using the Polar M61 in my runs 2-3 times a week for two months now. The watch is very sensitive and picks up changes in heart rate almost instantly. The band is quite comfortable. I usually forget that its there minutes after I put it on, but I do have friends that said they had to wear body glide to prevent chafing. Overall, the Polar M61 feels like a very well-made piece of equipment. Sometimes I forget to moisten the band before heading out. Its usually not a problem for me as a runner because I usually start perspiring almost immediately. One thing I wish this particular model had is the ability to calculate split time. If I had done a little more research to find out that it doesnt, I probably would have gone with a different model. I do, however, like the more subdued and compact look of this one compared to some of the other models. Lots of Bang for the Bucks On: 2007-07-30This was a gift for my "fitness enthusiast" wife. This HRN replaced her previous polar HRM that simply displayed bpm (and maybe some summary info). She loves it. It is feature rich relative to its bargin price. The watch is easy to use, and the monitor is comfortable to wear. Best of all, the multiple user feature means I can use it as well. JUST WHAT I NEEDED On: 2007-07-18The M61 is a great addition to my already intense workout regimen. I currently train with the VMAX weighted vest, and was a little concerned that the watch would not be able to receive a signal from the transmitter through all the iron from the vest... NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER! As a result my workouts have become more effective by means of being able to monitor, and control my rest and intensity periods. The M61 is also a convenient tool due to the USER settings. Being that there are two user setting, I am able to set up one profile for the use of my weighted vest and one without (ex. difference in weight calculates in different caloric expenditure...). SSgt Jason Lord USAF Fire Department Good heart rate monitor for a great price On: 2007-06-13I mulled over which monitor to buy for a while. I liked the Nike ones because they allowed you to design a workout, Suunto had some cool features and Polar has the best reputation in the business and the most interoperability with electronic gym equipment. Ultimately, I decided on the Polar M61 for several reasons, two of them are already mentioned. I also liked this model over other Polar devices, because I like having the better chest strap with the ability to change the battery (though, the other ones claim to have a 4-5 year battery life, which is probably long enough to justify the cost). I also like the OwnCal feature that calculates the kilocalorie count while working out. Some of the features contained on the unit clearly needed more thinking through. For instance, the Ownzone. If you use the Ownzone feature, you must use Polars settings. During your workout, you can change the zone you are in. The problem is, the zones heart rate numbers are relatively low for some of the running workouts I do. It would be nice if the individual zone settings were customizable (there is a customizable zone, but you need to turn off Ownzone to use it and cant jump back and forth). The another feature that has also been harped on are ability to store only a single workout file. I didnt think this was too big of a deal until I had to stop the stopwatch in order to adjust a setting during one of my runs. Overall, I am happy with the product. It is nice being able to track heart rate during my workouts. If you are interested in getting a monitor, you cant beat the price, plus you get the better quality chest strap. AWESOME! A REAL HELP! by: Anonymous On: 2007-06-08 This thing does some amazing things. Its so nice to know how many calories and fat you have burned from a workout. You really start to ignore the band around your chest after a while. Also, the watch is very light, and easy to learn how to use! First HRM Watch On: 2007-05-22Ive exercised with it five times now, and Im pleased with the stats it reports. The design is quirky and bulky, and the exercise button is easily activated by accident. The manual is not intuitive at all, but I patiently read through it and eventually made sense of it. I like the looks and ergonomics of my last Timex IronMan watch much better, plus it kept 50 stop watch entries in memory (and the watch only cost $40), but that band came apart around the buttons (poor design) which I could not repair, so I upgraded to a HRM watch - choosing Polar. Polar should seriously thin the watch design. I wear it daily to work in the office, and its too bulky. Id also like to gave more than one exercise session stats saved at a time. Polar M61 Review On: 2007-05-21I purchased this item to better help keep track of my fitness goals. The monitor performs as advertised. It is important to thoroughly wet the sensors on the belt prior to using, for best and consistent results. Programming the watch accessory was simplified by going to the Polar website and viewing the mini videos. So far, I have been extremely pleased with my purchase. I use it for walking, and cycling. Thank you. Does everything I need in a heart monitor. On: 2007-05-19If youre looking for a monitor to do the basics the Polar M61 will do you fine. I am very satisfied with mine. One suggestion, when programing your monitor read the directions & add a lot of common sense. Youll have no problems. Polar M61 --super good deal for beginners! On: 2007-05-18I bought it for $75 and has been great for running and swimming. The only thing I wish it had is a way to read your heart rate in percentages. M61 heart rate monitor On: 2007-05-15I was very hesitant about buying this product based on some reviews I read on Amazon and another website. However, I though that its usually the people who trouble that complain the most and the price was so discounted that I took the chance. I was very pleasantly surprised. Most of the issues raised before appeared to be due to not READING THE INSTRUCTIONS! Especially the one about getting the belt wet in order to get the heart rate to register. If you are a man and have hair you have to "wet" the belt electrodes. Basic engineering principle of impedence match. If the connection is not good between the skin and the "lead" then you dont get signal. Wet it with water and works perfectly. I do have a minor complaint about the product - the monitor belt is barely long enough to fit around my 44 inch chest. Move on... On: 2007-05-13I bought a Polar watch about 10 years ago and loved it. I used it off and on throughout the years and never had any problems with it. So, when it came to buying a newer monitor I decided to stick with Polar. I bought this watch and have nothing but problems with it. Theyve made the heart rate so small you can hardly read it during workouts. Also they made the wrist band so small I barely can strap it on. On a plus I love the chest strap. Steps above their older model. But, overall I am not impressed at all. You can do much better with your money! Had my heart set on this monitor On: 2007-04-13Sorry, but the pun just burst out of me. I have this watch on a handlebar mount resting on my Trek 2200zr road bike. I would turn around and ride back home if I forgot it. It is so much part of my exercise now. It works wonderfully, keeping track of my heart rate and warning me when i go under or over my target zone. It will define your zone for you or you can imput your own numbers if you choose. Just imput your age, height, weight and level of activity and it will recommend the lower and higher end of your heart rate during exercise. I did that and eventually tweaked the upper number to give me more latitude when working my way up a steep hill. It registers the time spent in the zone and keeps track of your ride time. The belt around my chest is very comfortable and works perfectly. When I ride off, I push the main button and it measures my heart rate. I push it again and it keeps track of my whole ride and what i am doing during the ride. when I arrive back home, I push the same button and it asks me if i want to quit. I push the top scroll button to quit(there are two more buttons on the side for scrolling)and it goes back to wrist watch mode, but all my info is filed away. A push of the scroll button again and FILE appears. A push of the main button allows me to scroll through my ride info: time exercising, time in the zone, average heart rate during the exercise, calories burned and percent of fat burned. For $77, this is an incredible buy. I am very very happy with this product. Sometimes Ill wear it to the workplace as a watch and when a friend asks me about my ride, I scroll through the details. Everyone wants to borrow it. There are two mounts available for it. I have then both, one for my mountain bike and one for my road bike. Cant go wrong with either. Good but may be overkill On: 2006-12-01Ive used a Polar A1 basic heart monitor for several months, found it useful for losing weight and gaining fitness, but found myself wishing for something a bit better. Now that I also have the much fancier Polar M61, Im seeing anew the virtues of simplicity (not to mention low cost.) Compared to the A1, the M61 usefully adds a stopwatch and regular watch (with either visible along with the current heart rate), and a backlight. It also beeps at you if your heart rate goes above or below a specified target zone. I find all those added features very useful. Sadly, it is also a far more complex watch to set up and operate than the A1, with many features that no longer seem as important as I once thought. Even so, it still lacks features Id expected it to include, such as recording the highest and lowest heart rate reached during a session, and a way to record the drop in heart rate during the first minute after ending an exercise session. I now know Id have been about as happy with the Polar FS2 model, for half the price, but would still prefer the M61 over all other Polar heart monitors. P.S. A great guide to effective use of a heart monitor is "Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until Youre 80 and Beyond" by Chris Cowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. The little Heart Rate Monitor that...well...almost could... On: 2006-11-25There is so much to like about this heart rate monitor I almost feel disappointed in myself for not liking it. The wearlink transmitter is comfortable (if a little odd in the fact that you have to wet the sensors down to use it), the own zones, the custom zone, and the accuracy are exactly what I expected and thought I needed in a heart rate monitor. As with another reviewer, I have lost weight (26 pounds in 14 weeks) while using this monitor to help regulate and target my workouts. That said, there are quite a few quirks to this monitor, and things that it simply will not do, due to design issues and logic flaws. There is no key lock. This means that while doing some work outs, the monitor will stop and reset itself. This is particularly annoying to discover after youve just done 30 minutes of basketball, martial arts, or even weight lifting, only to see the watch showing a minute and a half and asking you if you are sure you want to quit. This monitor also only tracks one exercise session. Which means if you do a split work out (twenty minutes of high intensity cardio followed by twenty minutes of resistance training) you have to manually note your data at the end of each session, and adjust your target heart rates. If you fail to do so, the data (time, time in zone, average heart rate, calories burned, etc, other than total calories burned) is lost. Given its lack of keylock, its entirely possible for you to lose a session just by bumping your wrist against something and having the monitor start again. The user manual (and this seems to be a common complaint with Polar products) is overly complex and not very user friendly to the point that I nearly found it incomprehensible. An excellent training companion. It helped me lose more than 200 lbs by: david_desousa On: 2006-08-02 The Polar M61 is an excellent training tool. I used this watch for many years before I bough the s625x running computer about a year ago, and I loved it. With the help of this Watch I loss more than 200 lbs over a year and a half period. I went from size 44 to size 32 pants, and I have been able of keep in shape for more than 5 years now!!! This watch helped me workout in my fat burning zone, by setting the appropiate HR zone. Once you star using it, you will be so hooked-up to all the useful information you receive during your running, walking, or any kind of training or workout that you embrace, that will never go out again without it. Its the perfect complement to your desire to get in shape, improve your health or competitive level. The best thing is that it is easy to use. As soon as you star training and exercising with this magnificent watch, you feel as if you have a coach or a training partner with you. If you are an athlete, an enthusiastic runner, a hobbyist, or just conscious about your shape and health, you will definitely love this watch. I do. I had owned several Polar HRMs over the years, and this is one of the best. When I bought this watch, about six years ago, I also bought the book "Heart rate monitor training for the complete idiot". I was looking for an introductory reference on the use of heart rate monitors for general fitness improvements, and wasnt disappointed at all, since what I learned really worked out for me: Armed my M61 I was able to drop more than 200 lbs in about eight months, and the heart rate monitor training has helped me keep those lbs off for over six years. Not only I went from size 44 to size 32 pants, but also obtained substantial benefits that included weight control, cardiovascular improvements, lowered blood pressure, and improved muscular-skeletal strength and flexibility, but also the myriad of mental and psychological benefits derived from being in the best shape of my life. The book taught me how to calculate the most important parameters for heart rate monitor training: Maximum Heart Rate, Resting Heart Rate, the Recovery Ceiling, and the Threshold Flour. When I first started training with the heart rate monitor I was unable to jog even for five uninterrupted minutes without gasping for air. After a few months of following one of the training principles lay out in the book (The Hard/Easy Principle): alternating hard training days with easy training days, I was able to go jogging for 90 uninterrupted minutes six days a week. An excellent training companion. It helped me lose more than 200 lbs. by: david_desousa On: 2006-07-11 The Polar M61 is an excellent training tool. I used this watch for many years before I bough the s625x running computer about a year ago, and I loved it. With the help of this Watch I loss more than 200 lbs over a year and a half period. I went from size 44 to size 32 pants, and I have been able of keep in shape for more than 5 years now!!! This watch helped me workout in my fat burning zone, by setting the appropiate HR zone. Once you star using it, you will be so hooked-up to all the useful information you receive during your running, walking, or any kind of training or workout that you embrace, that will never go out again without it. Its the perfect complement to your desire to get in shape, improve your health or competitive level. The best thing is that it is easy to use. As soon as you star training and exercising with this magnificent watch, you feel as if you have a coach or a training partner with you. If you are an athlete, an enthusiastic runner, a hobbyist, or just conscious about your shape and health, you will definitely love this watch. I do. I had owned several Polar HRMs over the years, and this is one of the best. When I bought this watch, about six years ago, I also bought the book "Heart rate monitor training for the complete idiot". I was looking for an introductory reference on the use of heart rate monitors for general fitness improvements, and wasnt disappointed at all, since what I learned really worked out for me: Armed my M61 I was able to drop more than 200 lbs in about eight months, and the heart rate monitor training has helped me keep those lbs off for over six years. Not only I went from size 44 to size 32 pants, but also obtained substantial benefits that included weight control, cardiovascular improvements, lowered blood pressure, and improved muscular-skeletal strength and flexibility, but also the myriad of mental and psychological benefits derived from being in the best shape of my life. The book taught me how to calculate the most important parameters for heart rate monitor training: Maximum Heart Rate, Resting Heart Rate, the Recovery Ceiling, and the Threshold Flour. When I first started training with the heart rate monitor I was unable to jog even for five uninterrupted minutes without gasping for air. After a few months of following one of the training principles lay out in the book (The Hard/Easy Principle): alternating hard training days with easy training days, I was able to go jogging for 90 uninterrupted minutes six days a week. Polar M61 Heart Rate Monitor Watch On: 2006-03-30I cant think of anything that I dont like about the watch. It does what I was looking for; telling me what my HR is while exercising and giving me an average HR per workout session. You can manually set a range that you want your HR to be in between or it can automatically come up with one for you (it will alert you if you go above or fall below these limits). The transmitter fits comfortably and is easy to put on and take off. Well worth the investment. Loses contact  On: 2005-05-28Looking at the watch itself and reading and trying out all the features, it seems like a pretty good deal. It is pretty and comfortable, especially the soft band that holds the transmitter. I liked a cool feature at the gym, where all the machines picked up the waves form the trasnmitter so I wouldnt have to neither grab the bar on the treadmill nor flick my left wrist to get a heart rate reading. Very useful and accurate. I did not even know the machines would pick it up, so I dont know if this is standard thing (I hope it is, since I bought a new Polar model now). If its so great, why the 2 stars? If I were to spend my life on the readmill or running on the road, great. But thats not the reason why I bought it. I wanted to have a monitor so I could practice alternate workouts that would raise my heart rate while working on core muscles. Since the watch would cease to read the heart rate (dropping to zero) whenever I extended my arm laterally, it was of no use to me. What good are a whole gamut of features if the MAIN job of reading your heart rate is failing? I contacted Polars customer service explaining the problem in detail, but all they gave me was the same schpiel you see in the manual and in the website "be sure the contacts are wet etc....". I loved it so much, but I had to return it 3 monhts later when I couldnt deal with it anymore. And I never got to try it swimming... I hope this problem was related to this model only, since I recently bought the F11 (Even more features!). The first thing I did was the "arm test" and it passed it. I need to try it out now on a real workout (full hour) and swimming. Useful for fitness training On: 2005-01-20I have owned a Polar M62 (same as this except the colour) Heart Rate monitor for about two years now. I use it together with their web-based training diary / planner tool to plan and record my exercise sessions. It didnt take long to master the unit but I am still learning new ways to use it to improve my exercise sessions. Here are some of the things I like about it: * It has settings for two people so I can share it with my wife. * The OwnIndex estimates my oxygen uptake capacity in just 10 minutes and is perfect for tracking my fitness level. * The OwnZone feature senses my current form and suggests HR-limits accordingly letting me take it easy on bad days and challenging me on good ones. * The InZone timer controlls my exercise - I wont quit until I have done enough at the right level of exertion. Here are some things I do not like: * It does not have interval timers which would be useful for running and stretching * As a watch it is not that good i.e. lacks many features found even in cheap wrist watches (it does have an alarm though) * It is supposed to work when swimming but I find that it seldom does FÃnally a tip: The OwnZone low and high corresponds to easy and moderate training intensities. If you plan to include high intensity training in your work-out you can set that manually before starting. After that you can switch between the three zones by pressing and holding the up and down buttons for a few seconds. So you can do intervals but you have to time them manually. Good for general fitness On: 2005-01-20I have owned a Polar M62 (same as this except the colour) Heart Rate monitor for about two years now. I use it together with their web-based training diary / planner tool to plan and record my exercise sessions. It didnt take long to master the unit but I am still learning new ways to use it to improve my exercise sessions. Here are some of the things I like about it: * It has settings for two people so I can share it with my wife. * The OwnIndex estimates my oxygen uptake capacity in just 10 minutes and is perfect for tracking my fitness level. * The OwnZone feature senses my current form and suggests HR-limits accordingly letting me take it easy on bad days and challenging me on good ones. * The InZone timer controlls my exercise - I wont quit until I have done enough at the right level of exertion. Here are some things I do not like: * It does not have interval timers which would be useful for running and stretching * As a watch it is not that good i.e. lacks many features found even in cheap wrist watches (it does have an alarm though) * It is supposed to work when swimming but I find that it seldom does FÃnally a tip: The OwnZone low and high corresponds to easy and moderate training intensities. If you plan to include high intensity training in your work-out you can set that manually before starting. After that you can switch between the three zones by pressing and holding the up and down buttons for a few seconds. So you can do intervals but you have to time them manually. Use this several days a week On: 2005-01-04I have owned a Polar M62 (same as this except the colour) Heart Rate monitor for about two years now. I use it together with their web-based training diary / planner tool to plan and record my exercise sessions. It didnt take long to master the unit but I am still learning new ways to use it to improve my exercise sessions. Here are some of the things I like about it: * It has settings for two people so I can share it with my wife. * The OwnIndex estimates my oxygen uptake capacity in just 10 minutes and is perfect for tracking my fitness level. * The OwnZone feature senses my current form and suggests HR-limits accordingly letting me take it easy on bad days and challenging me on good ones. * The InZone timer controlls my exercise - I wont quit until I have done enough at the right level of exertion. Here are some things I do not like: * It does not have interval timers which would be useful for running and stretching * As a watch it is not that good i.e. lacks many features found even in cheap wrist watches (it does have an alarm though) * It is supposed to work when swimming but I find that it seldom does FÃnally a tip: The OwnZone low and high corresponds to easy and moderate training intensities. If you plan to include high intensity training in your work-out you can set that manually before starting. After that you can switch between the three zones by pressing and holding the up and down buttons for a few seconds. So you can do intervals but you have to time them manually. Good concept needs work On: 2005-01-03Ive had this watch for over a year now, and use it all the time. The only problem is that the transmitter always loses contact with the watch, for no apparent reason, the heart rate will just drop to zero. This is very frustrating when you are trying to monitor the rate constantly. |