Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Silver / Black)
The Polar FT4 heart rate monitor provides a smarter training experience. Whether your goal is to lose weight or improve your fitness, Polar’s easy-to-use heart rate based Smart Coaching features will guide you to exercise efficiently and motivate you to reach your fitness goals. The FT4 provides continuous, accurate heart rate and lets you know exactly how many calories you’ve burned. In addition, it stores your last ten training sessions so you can track your progress. Requires and includes comfortable fabric heart rate chest strap (adjustable size M-XXL). Operational Instruction: Getting started with a Polar heart rate monitor is easy. First, make sure you thoroughly wet the electrodes on back of the heart rate chest strap with water and snap the transmitter into place. Then place the strap on your chest prior to starting the watch. Tip: it is best to stand away from others when starting the watch. When you are finished with your workout detach transmitter, rinse the strap with water and hang dry.Stay within your ideal training and intensity range while working out with the Polar FT4M men’s heart rate monitor watch. The FT4M’s training computer starts by automatically determining your heart rate target zone according to your age-based maximum heart rate (220 beats per minute minus age). The computer then guides you to the ideal training intensity for your age and health. Knowing your heart rate not only helps you reach your personal fitness goals, but also improves your physical condition in general, as it’s important to train at the appropriate intensity level to get the results you want. 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 FT4M helps overcome these problems by encouraging you to map out a complete fitness routine.
The FT4M is packed with innovative training features. In addition to displaying your heart rate as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, as beats per minute, and within a graphical target zone indicator, the watch offers a visual and audible alarm for when you exceed or dip below your target zone–a great way to stay motivated while on the track. The FT4M also includes Polar’s OwnCal, the most accurate calorie counter on the market. OwnCal calculates the number of calories expended during a training session based on your weight, height, age, gender, individual maximum heart rate (HRmax), and how hard you’re training. You can also set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure, helping you achieve both short-term and long-term goals.
The FT4M also records your training totals, which includes your training data starting from the last reset. With this feature, it’s easy to follow your long-term training. All in all, the watch records up to 10 training files (with summaries). Other features include HeartTouch, which gives you access to your preferred training information without requiring you to press buttons; Polar OwnCode, which prevents interference from other training computers by locking into to your transmitter only; water resistance to 30 meters; a 12/24-hour clock with an alarm and snooze; a low battery indicator; and a built-in backlight. Operational Instruction: Getting started with a Polar heart rate monitor is easy. First, make sure you thoroughly wet the electrodes on back of the strap with water and snap the transmitter into place. Then place the strap on your chest prior to starting the watch. Tip: it is best to stand away from others when starting the watch. When you are finished with your workout detach transmitter, rinse the strap with water and hang dry. END
Product Features
- Provides continuous, accurate heart rate to keep your fitness training simple
- Smart Calorie feature uses your personal data to provide accurate calories burned
- Includes heart rate chest strap made of soft fabric material that adapts to your body shape. Requires and includes chest strap for accurate heart rate
- User replaceable battery and water resistant (30m)
- Connects with compatible gym equipment using GymLink
Best Watch I Have Ever Used *Updates Included!*_____________________________________________________ORIGINAL REVIEW:_____________________________________________________Thoughts:First off, all that i was looking for in a heart monitor was the ability to see my heart rate, see if i’m in the zone, and see how many calories i have burned. This watch does all of those functions flawlessly! My family has a history of heart related problems so when i workout, i need to make sure that i am not putting too much stress on my heart while still maintaining a high level of work. I use this primarily during cardio routines of P90X but i will use this more for running once it gets warm outside.Functionality/Use:The watch is incredibly easy to use. When you first open the box, you go through a setup wizard on the watch asking you to input information such a weight, gender, and units preferences to better tailor the results to the individual. After that, you are literally all set to workout. While many people have had trouble getting the watch to pick up the signal from the strap, i have found that licking or wetting the strap works wonders!Something else that i would like to point out is that the watch have the ability to **beep** when you’re out of your zone (either not working hard enough or working way harder than you should be) that is priceless! I have found sometimes during my workouts that i’m pushing myself really hard and i end up getting my heart rate above 185 BPM which is not really the best thing to do. This **beep** is great for some workouts but terrible for others. Luckily, you can turn the **beep** off very easily. I prefer to turn the beep off if i’m going to do interval training like sprints or something where my BPM is not always in the zone.Other:Just a few quick things i would like to point out. I’ve read online that detaching the heart rate pod from the strap will make the battery last longer. I am not sure this actually does anything, but it gives me ease of mind thinking that i am actually making it last longer.Pros:LightweightComfortableEasy to use**Beep** while outside of the “zone” is a great feature that can be turned on/offCons:NoneOverall:Overall, i can’t think of a better watch to spend my money on. No, this doesn’t give graphs on how you’re doing over time but that is not what I was looking for. This is a great buy and i have used it for a good period of time and have had no issues at all with it._____________________________________________________UPDATE #1: AFTER 2 MONTHS_____________________________________________________After two months, this watch is still working perfectly! I have had no issues and i love that i have the ability to look at combined totals of my workouts! As of today, i have burned over 35,000 calories!!! This feature is something that keeps you motivated to keep working hard. Before this watch, i never was that into working out. Now when i run, instead of going a certain distance, i like to aim for a caloric goal (about 1,000) before i end my workout.I still highly recommend this watch to anyone looking for a great heart monitor!_____________________________________________________UPDATE #2: April 4th, 2013_____________________________________________________I just started the Insanity workout series today and this watch comes in handy! I am able to see if I am over/underworking so that i can obtain my goals. Something i wanted to throw out there was cleaning this unit. I know that sweating all over something causes bacteria to grow and i also noticed after a while, salt (from my sweat) would build up on the chest strap.I clean it like so;CLEANING:-Watch~Wipe down with a Clorox Bleach Wipe~Soak in some hot water for a few seconds~Dry~Strap~Wipe down with a Clorox Bleach Wipe~Place in the washing machine on A VERY GENTLE SETTINGS~Allow to air-dry~HRM Pod~Wipe down with a Clorox Bleach Wipe~Soak in some hot water for a few seconds~Dry
It fits even us big girls! I have spent months looking for a heart rate monitor that would fit me comfortably, but still be pretty. This is it! I’ve decided to finally get off my big butt and start doing something healthy – walking or biking every day – but I wanted to be able to keep track of the time AND make sure I was working at the right heart rate. As someone who is really out of shape, I find that I might feel like I am really working hard, but my heart rate ends up being at the very low end, so I needed something that I could use to be sure my workouts are actually worth it.This watch is very accurate and stylish. I also like that it tracks my calories burned and my previous workouts so I can see if I am getting healthier. I was worried that it wouldn’t fit my wrist because it is a women’s watch and they tend to run small, but this fits my 7 3/4″ wrist with a little room to spare. The chest strap also fits and is super comfy! I am almost 300lbs (at the time of purchase) and the M/XXL strap that comes with this fit me just fine – again with room to spare. I don’t even feel it once I get it on and start moving.So, for you bigger girls out there who are looking for a rate monitor that will fit, be accurate and comfortable AND is pretty – get this one!