Polar Heart Rate Monitors

It is important to consider your current fitness level before you begin designing your exercise plan. Having this information will help you choose a more accurate and realistic goal for yourself, and, in fact, will influence the entire makeup of your program.

There are numerous ways to test your aerobic fitness, ranging from sophisticated lab tests to simple field tests. All are designed to measure or predict maximal oxygen uptake. The easiest way to test your own fitness level is the Polar Fitness Test™.

You can perform the Polar Fitness Test easily and reliably in the privacy of your own home. All you need is your Polar Heart Rate Monitor with Fitness Test feature and five, short minutes to get a measure of your current fitness level. It is a safe test, even if you are unfit, as it does not require any physical exertion whatsoever. In fact, you should perform the test at complete rest. The test is based on several variables (heart rate, heart rate variability, age, body weight, gender and level of physical activity).

The result of the Polar Fitness Test is OwnIndex. This is a value that is comparable to your maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), a commonly used descriptor of aerobic fitness. OwnIndex rises as you get fitter, and can range from about 25 for sedentary or unfit persons to 95, a level reached by some Olympic-level endurance athletes.

Progress in your OwnIndex will gradually occur over time. Testing yourself once a month will give you a good picture of these changes, making the OwnIndex an excellent yardstick to track the way your aerobic fitness is improving.

The makeup of an exercise program should depend on your current fitness level and fitness goals. You know where you are at now, and where you want to be in the future. What you still need is a plan to reach your target, a plan that will let you know how, what and when. The Polar Keeps U Fit™ – Own workout program is designed just for that. Alternatively, you can obtain your personal program at www.polarpersonaltrainer.com.

The elements in a Polar Keeps U Fit™ – Own Workout Program include

how often – the number of exercise sessions per week

how hard – the intensity of each exercise session (as heart rate)

how long – the duration of each exercise session

These comprise your exercise dose. The type of sports or exercise is, of course, free for you to choose. The Polar Keeps U Fit™ – Own Workout Program will recommend an individual exercise dose per week according to your fitness level and goal. An exercise dose is expressed in kilocalories to be burnt during one week, and is broken down into a specific number of exercise sessions per week, with assigned exercise duration, a heart rate target zone and kilocalorie target for every session.

The Polar Keeps U Fit™ – Own Workout Program is divided into three categories based on your personal exercise target: to maintain, improve or maximize aerobic fitness.

Program Targets

Maintain

This is a program to maintain the fitness level you are currently at. Such a program requires not more than three exercise sessions a week. Since it is advisable to start out slowly, this program is also suitable for beginners or if you haven’t exercised in a long time. But even if your fitness level is high, following a maintain program during recovery periods, for instance, is beneficial.

Improve:

If improving fitness is your goal, then your exercise program will be about twice as demanding as a program to maintain fitness at current level. For this, you will need to reserve time for more sessions per week, and some of the sessions will need to be longer and tougher.

Maximize:

A program that maximizes your fitness level goes slightly towards what athletes do in their training. To move on from the Improve level, this program increases exercise volumes even further. Go for this program only after a 10-12 week period of regular training in maintain or improve volumes.

What is Polar OwnZone®?

The unique Polar OwnZone is a feature that defines your personal exercise zone for aerobic training. The OwnZone guides you through a warm-up and, taking your present physical and mental condition into account, will automatically determine an individual and safe exercise intensity zone, called your OwnZone.

When do I use the Polar OwnZone?

Determine your OwnZone for every individual exercise session, especially in a new environment, when changing types of exercise, or if you are unsure about your current physical or mental state. For effective and versatile training, make use of the entire OwnZone range by exercising at moderate and lower intensities and, if you are fit, occasionally at hard intensity, too.

Why Train With Polar OwnZone?

Listening to and interpreting the signals your body sends during physical exertion is an important part of getting fit. Since warm-up routines differ for different types of exercise, and since your physical and mental state may also vary from day to day (due to stress or illness), using the OwnZone function for every session guarantees the most effective heart rate target zone for that particular type of exercise and day. Training within the heart rate limits of your Polar OwnZone:

•improves overall fitness

•supports your weight management goals

•decreases stress levels improves

•health boosts general performance