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THE POLAR FS1 HEART RATE MONITOR What is the best heart rate monitor? That question was recently posed to the readers of rowingillustrated.com, a leading rowing bulletin board in the United States. Three models emerged as being popular. Which one you choose will depend upon the type of training that you do. Here is our review of the Polar FS1 which came out tops for people who tend to train alone and those interested in general fitness. The POLAR FS1 is an entry level Heart Rate Monitor which is perfect for those who want the training benefits of heart rate monitoring, without spending a fortune on features that they will never use. The Polar FS1 has a clear easy to read display which shows the time of day, heart rate (HR), exercise time and average HR. Easy one-button operation makes the Polar FS1 extremely easy to use. Polar FS1 Features: * Wireless ECG accurate heart rate. * Average heart rate of total exercise. * Exercise Time. * Heart rate (displayed as bpm). * Visual and audible alarm in target zones. * Manual target zone. * Time of day. * Stopwatch. * Water resistant 50m. * Polar T31 transmitter and elastic chest strap. If you're the kind of person who likes to spend lots of money for lots of flashy options then this is not the right heart rate monitor for you. However if you want something that is simple to use, well thought out, and does what it says on the packaging this monitor is a winner. It comes from Polar, a well known and respected heart rate monitor manufacturer. It uses the popular Polar standard chest strap so reliability shouldn't ever be a problem. The strap itself is easy to adjust and is as comfortable as any other on the market. This watch is ridiculously simple to operate as it has only a single button. The uncluttered display with extra large numbers makes reading the watch while working out, jogging, using the indoor rowing machine or sculling on the water very easy. Polar claims the batteries will last for 2 years with 1 hour of exercise use per day. Sadly after this you have to send the watch off to Polar for a battery replacement. While not expensive,it is an inconvenience, even if it does help maintain the unit's water resistance. This watch is a great value way to complement your training, it provides simple-to-understand feedback during exercise. The only down side to this particular model is that it doesn't have Polar's shielding technology. This means that it is possible the monitor might pick up signals from other monitors being used in close proximity, like on the next rowing machine, or other rowers in a team boat. This is a very easy to use product, it does what is required at an unbelievably cheap price. However the lack of shielding technology and thus potential interference from similar devices means it is probably best suited to those who tend to work out by themselves. There are definitely better monitors out there, but with the Polar FS1 the price is most definitely right and you have to honestly ask yourself - do I really need more? The Polar FS1 and other heart rate monitors can be purchased from http://athletesbooks.com I. DePutney http://athletesbooks.com I. DePutney
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