Polar OwnIndex

Polar heart rate monitors have a fitness test (used to on old models, I don't know about current models) they call OwnIndex. Strap on your HRM and sit down and relax and start the test and after about 3 minutes it calculates your fitness level (somehow)
Has anybody ever used it and is it of any value or is it a gimmick? Since starting this season I have meusured a steady inprovement in fitness according to the HRM.
Your thoughts?

Ride your bike to find out how fit your are.
Sitting on a couch doesn't cut it I'm afraid.

__________________
Custom Training Plans -- cyclecoach.com -- My Blog -- Power Meter Hire in Australia

... that's why you gotta add lots of 'beer curls'

I think this is probably based on the idea that resting heart rates are lower for fitter people, but I don't think it'll probably actually tell you anything about your cycling specific fitness.

I looked at it a few times back when I got my HRM. Over the course of a few weeks of training, the number did move in the right direction (upward) slightly, so that was good. There were also times when the number would not move despite my RHR dropping slightly.

I wouldn't put a lot of faith in it, since you typically know the answer before the number confirms it. As Alex said, you can usually tell how fit you are just by riding.

FWIW, when I used the Polar S725 HRM a few years ago, the fitness result (VO2max) I got using OwnIndex was roughly the same as one calculated using this formula:

1.8*(pVO2max*6.12/weight)+3.5

If you can get your accurate power at VO2max, the formula will give you a decent approximation of your VO2max (fitness).

YMMV

__________________

Since pVO2max has quite a wide range, not sure how "decent" one's approximation could be?

Besides, actual sustainable power output is a much better fitness indicator than VO2Max. Using any approximation formula when you already have power measurement is a step backwards.

For those sans power meter, then steep hillclimbs are probably the best way:
Training: Homebrew Fitness Testing - BikeRadar

__________________
Custom Training Plans -- cyclecoach.com -- My Blog -- Power Meter Hire in Australia

Yeah, I was careful to put in that "FWIW" statement. I do remember the discussion of the value knowing pVO2max without knowing VO2max (or was it vice versa?).

Back on topic, what I should've said is that the OwnIndex feature is probably as accurate as a redundant formula I found on the internet , or for that matter Polar's way of calculating Calorie expenditure based on heart rate.

__________________

Thanx for the replies, I think what happens with alot of people is that we get caught up in the mumbo jumbo of fitness and it can happen that you spend more time reading about cycling than actually cycling!

As Alex said, you cannot get fit by sitting on the coach, although I feel so much better watching le Tour!

Anyone who sits on me gets a double dose of HOP workouts and lactate tolerance work until their eyes bleed

__________________
Custom Training Plans -- cyclecoach.com -- My Blog -- Power Meter Hire in Australia

I trust Polar products 100 % but i don't pay much attention to the ownindex/ownzone feature.

It works by assesing how your body responds to the first 5 minutes of a given exercise, setting then the HR zone where that particular workout/ride should be