polar hrm experiences? A5-S120-S210



R

RobFilms

Guest
looking to use a hrm to get more from my training

right now i'm running about 20miles a week

running three 5k on a very hilly course on consectutive days with the 1st day
at coversational pace, the 2nd day as a tempo run and the 3rd day at
conversational

i then take a day off

i get back to it runninng a series of sprints up a quarter mile hill, usually 6
repeats all between 1:40 and 1:55 (hey, i'm doing the best i can!). back and
forth w/ warm-ups and cool down usually equals five miles

i then take a day off

i get back to it by running a hilly 10k

i wanted to use a hrm to expand my speed workouts and to continue to build up
endurance.

with these workouts, i also lift weights for 45 mins every other day

i'm 50 years old, 6'1" but can't seem to find my way under 200 lbs (i'm
currently at 206) i eat small meals, try not to eat sweets and eat my fair
share of veggies, fruits and yogarts. so i thoughts a hrm would give me a
chance for more info

so which polar hrm has anyone used?

A5, S120, S210?

thanks in advance for any thoughtful input

be well

rob
 
[email protected] (RobFilms) wrote:

> looking to use a hrm to get more from my training
>
> right now i'm running about 20miles a week
>
> running three 5k on a very hilly course on consectutive days with the
> 1st day at coversational pace, the 2nd day as a tempo run and the 3rd
> day at conversational
>
> i then take a day off
>
> i get back to it runninng a series of sprints up a quarter mile hill,
> usually 6 repeats all between 1:40 and 1:55 (hey, i'm doing the best i
> can!). back and forth w/ warm-ups and cool down usually equals five
> miles
>
> i then take a day off
>
> i get back to it by running a hilly 10k
>
> i wanted to use a hrm to expand my speed workouts and to continue to
> build up endurance.


In what way do you want to increase your speed workouts? I think you're
OK now with the speed workouts. However, I question the 1/4 mile uphill
sprints. If you want to increase speed and you're still relatively new at
running, then simply adding more weekly mileage and increasing your long
run will increase your speed as well as burn more calories.

> with these workouts, i also lift weights for 45 mins every other day
>
> i'm 50 years old, 6'1" but can't seem to find my way under 200 lbs
> (i'm currently at 206) i eat small meals, try not to eat sweets and
> eat my fair share of veggies, fruits and yogarts. so i thoughts a hrm
> would give me a chance for more info


I don't think a HRM will give you the info you need to lose weight. It
may inspire you to eat less and run more, but that's about it. If you
really want to lose weight, you need to take in less calories than you
burn. You can do that either by eating less or exercising more, or a
combination thereof. Sometimes people don't realize the amount of
calories they are eating. I suggest you keep track of all the calories
you eat on a daily basis. Do that for a few weeks and watch your weight
at the same time. You will then be able to see where you can cut the
calories.

> so which polar hrm has anyone used?
>
> A5, S120, S210?


I use the Polar S610i. The main reason I use it is to make sure I am
recovering properly on my easy days. I like it for its easy PC interface
abilities and included software. I'm also sort of a computer/number
cruncher geek, so I enjoy getting lots of data from my runs and analyzing
it later.

Phil M.

--
"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make
them all yourself." ­Martin Vanbee
 
RobFilms wrote:

> i'm 50 years old, 6'1" but can't seem to find my way under 200 lbs (i'm
> currently at 206) i eat small meals, try not to eat sweets and eat my fair
> share of veggies, fruits and yogarts. so i thoughts a hrm would give me a
> chance for more info
>
> so which polar hrm has anyone used?
>
> A5, S120, S210?


I used an A5 for a few weeks. It shows either heart rate
or stopwatch, but not both at the same time. I wanted
both. I don't like yellow, so I bought the S210 and have
been using it since. It shows the HR and stopwatch
together, which allows me to pace my duration runs.

I don't think your choice of HRM has anything to do with your
diet/weight goals. There is no secret to losing weight.
The formula is just: (calories in) minus (calories out).
There are always fashionable ways to reduce (calories in).
Running is one way to increase (calories out), but you have
to be careful to also refrain from increasing (calories in)
when you are hungry after running.

You might try paying attention for a week, to see where
your calories are really coming from. Make a detailed
diary of _everything_ that you stick in your mouth.
Every meal. Every between-meal snack. Every soda/coffee
at work. (Those can add up really fast.) Everything.
Use a little pocket-size book to write things down before
you eat them. Read it at the end of the week. I suspect
you will be surprised. Then, you will be able to make some
informed decisions on the (calories in) side of the equation.

And, a little pocket-size notebook is a lot cheaper than
a new high-end HRM. It's not much of a toy, but I think you
will find it much more helpful.


Steve