The Polar RS100 Heart Rate Monitor and Stopwatch
We live in an information age. And surely some of the most important information to which we now have access is information about our own bodies. Especially information about our heart, and about how our heart rate affects our fitness levels. Research has shown conclusively that our heart rate is a critical element in obtaining optimal exercise results. There are ranges of heart activity that have to be reached for us to achieve maximum benefit in any number of physical activities, ranging from high-impact aerobics to deep meditation. Performing activities at too low a heart rate can radically reduce results, and effectively waste a hard workout in terms of benefits. Exercising at too high a rate can lead to stress, strain, and even injury in the case of those with heart conditions. But once your heart rate is in “the zone”, in the optimal range for you, physical health benefits can skyrocket.
But how can you tell if your heart rate is in the right range as you exercise? The answer, of course, is to use a heart rate monitor. But which one?
There’s really no doubt about it. The Polar RS100.
Why? Partly because of the manufacturer – Polar was there from the beginning. The very first EKG-accurate wireless heart rate monitor made was invented by Polar in 1977. Used at the time as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team, the concept of linking heart rate to training intensity soon received medical confirmation and confirmation in terms of real-world results. Almost instantly heart rate monitors swept the world of sports and athletic competition. And as prices fell, heart rate monitors began to be used not merely a training tool of choice for Olympians and other world-class competitive sports performers, but also by anyone interested in achieving better and more efficient everyday fitness goals.
Whether it’s going for the Olympic Gold, or losing that last five pounds, the concept of heart rate training is has become near-universal. Polar led the way. And Polar is still in the lead, widely acknowledged as the leading heart rate monitor supplier among fitness providers, coaches, and personal trainers throughout the world. And Polar has not only produced what are acknowledged to be the best devices, but also have risen to become the world’s great educator on heart rate based exercise and the benefits that it can provide. The emphasis on information is another Polar plus that puts the RS100 in the lead. What does the Polar RS100 offer? Of course, a device that improves your training as you use its watch-style heart rate monitor. Additionally, it also includes stopwatch functionality that calculates the total exercise time spent in your optimal target zone, and the RS100 includes a Polar T31 coded transmitter, which prevents interference from other nearby monitors.
The RS100 displays heart rate both in terms of beats per minute, and as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Your target zone can be set manually or automatically for your weight or age using the special Target Rate feature – the Polar RS100 has both visual and auditory alarms that notify you immediately once you are outside your target zone. Plus there is a snooze alarm, dual time zone settings, and it’s even water resistant up to 50 meters. Monitor your heart rate while swimming? You can’t with every heart rate monitor. You can with the Polar RS100.
Then there are exclusive Polar features like the Polar OwnCal, that shows not just your energy expenditure during one exercise session, but the accumulated kilocalories expended over several exercise sessions. With OwnCal, you can set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure and track your performance and energy expenditure both during a single exercise and overall during multiple sessions. There’s also the Polar OwnZone, which guides you through an appropriate warm-up routine that automatically determines a safe and effective exercise heart rate zone – your ‘OwnZone’ zone. (Should you get a doctor’s input too? That goes without saying. But as rough guides go to what your ideal target zone is, you don’t have to guess with the Polar RS100: it will tell you.)
And yes, it will even tell you the time of day, in extra-large digits that enhance readability, particularly when you can only glance quickly while performing a high-impact activity.
One of the best features of the Polar RS100, in fact, is what it does not do. At a time when many products are awash with high-price functions that most users will never use, the Polar RS100 puts the focus on providing its core functions better than anyone, and doing it affordably.
The designers of the Polar RS100 have concentrated on excelling all competitors in delivering the core basics that make the difference between a great workout and just going through the motions. The result is the best product of its kind on the market, and one that sells for a price lower than many watches whose sole function is simply to tell time. If you need a new watch to tell time, why not buy one that not only tells time, but may also help extend the time you have to live it, by maximizing your health?
Polar was there first, and Polar was and remains the best. Users agree. Sports professionals agree. Olympians agree. And the Polar RS100 continues that very proud tradition. If you work out, and you need a heart monitor, this is the one to get.
