Polar own index

[Guest]

I regularly use my Polar to test my ownindex which is supposed to be equivelant to your Vo2Max. I used to consistently get a readin of 38, which rates as fair (below average)

After only having ridden once since the Argus I measured my own index on Sunday and I got 40, so I think yeah, improvement but still "fair".

This morning I measure it again, it's up to 53, bordering on very good. So I think it's a false reading. I get up, answer nature and then get back into bed and take the reading again (after resting for 5 minutes) same reading. I will take it again tomorow to be 100% sure.

 

[Vo2]

My own index has increased aswell, by 1.

 

[Guest]

My Polar Index recently went up by one to 53. ;D Now it's gone back one to 52! :'(

 

[Guest]

My polar 710 still hasn't arrived :'(

 

[Vo2]

My polar 710 still hasn't arrived  :'(

What's their excuse? :

 

[Guest]

My polar 710 still hasn't arrived  :'(

After seeing my buddies 710 I'm seriously thinking of upgrading my 510. Does anyone know if there is an upgrade option, would hate to have to pay for a anothe HRM.

 

[Guest]

What's their excuse? :

Their excuse is, their are none around.
But while at work today I was chatting to a customer and as it turns out he'll be able to get me one at a nice price  ;D so maybe i'll have one in the next few weeks.

BTW his web address is www.bikenow.com.au .......so if your in melbourne, I recommend you give them a ring or call into their shop if you never need any equipment!

 

[Vo2]

BTW his web address is www.bikenow.com.au .......so if your in melbourne, I recommend you give them a ring or call into their shop if you never need any equipmnt!
[/size]

So what you're saying is that if you don't need anything, go there, 'coz he's got nothing? ;D ;D

 

[Guest]

So what you're saying is that if you don't need anything, go there, 'coz he's got nothing? ;D ;D

NO you have miss read what I wrote.....The shop I first went to hasnt been able to get one in over the last 2 months or so.......but the guy I spoke to at  www.bikenow.com.au is able to get one in for me.

So as I said before, if you live in melbourne this shop is definitely worth checking out!  8)

cheers!

 

[Guest]

Ouzo. I'm pretty certain the Polar S510 can NOT be upgraded to a S710 but you could confirm that at http://www.polar.fi
They are pretty helpful and reply quick to an email.

 

[Guest]

Hey guys,

When I received my Polar HRm in March 2001, I did the fitness(own index) test. It gave me a reading of 39.
I trained like a demon through winter, rode a 3hr 94.7 cycle challenge in 2001(I did 3hr37 in 2000).
When I did the test again shortly before the race my OwnIndex was........39
So I don't place too much faith in that reading!
I see that Wits Tech is now offering full sports testing, maybe we should go there for an accurate V02 test

See you on the road!

 

[Guest]

Well I got my monitor today ;D

Still working out how to use it properly hehe.....anyway my own index was 62 sitting here at the computer, i'm guessing i'll get a slighly better reading in the morning....maybe.

i personnally think this figure means SFA because according to the manual i'm meant to be very fit......ummmmm wel i havent raced in over 18 months duh! how bloody fit could I be?

Have any of you guys had a Vo2 max test done? how did it compare to the polar own index figure?

Apart from that, its worth every cent I paid for it, might have to get the power add-on next week ;D

cheers!

 

[Guest]

My polar own index is 57. My clinically tested vo2max is 62.9. The only subjective variable with ownindex is your "activity level". I used "high" for this variable. I think its going to be hard to test for vo2max with a 5 minute rest, but used independently it might show increases in fitness. At the least, my monitor is consistent. I have done the polar test 3 or 4 times and it always comes back the same

 

[Guest]

Hiya.

I was fortunate enough to attend a talk given by one of the Polar guys at an adventure racing club meeting. I asked him about the accuracy of the OwnIndex (OI) and the advice he gave me was as follows: (If I recall correctly)

For low and middle fitness, the OI is accurate. Once you start reaching high fitness levels the reading becomes less reliable. He advised that we should rather start measuring our resting heart rate at that stage.

Currently my OI ranges between 54 and 63 on a day to day basis, so the readings are too inconsistent to display warnings of illness or overtraining. For this purpose I check my resting heart rate which usually hovers around the 45 - 47 mark. I find this more consistent.

 

[Guest]

Hiya.
Currently my OI ranges between 54 and 63 on a day to day basis, so the readings are too inconsistent to display warnings of illness or overtraining.  For this purpose I check my resting heart rate which usually hovers around the 45 - 47 mark.  I find this more consistent.

Lab Rat, I find that if you are in a resting position and not disturbed when checkin you Oi it is pretty constant. However also agree that the resting Hr is a more accurate measurement.

I normaly check my Oi and Resting Hr while lying in bed, just before I get up, seem to get pretty consistent readings and also noticed when my fitness started to drop.

 

[Guest]

I usually try to do the OI test while lying on my back before getting up, but it gets tough at 4 in the morning. I also found that my readings were not that consistent when I did have an opportunity to lie in.

Part of the problem, I think, is that I ride hard on Tuesdays and Thursdays so the reading on the rest days following are usually lower. (Although RHR is more consistent). I don't do the tests on training days due to the time I have to get up. (4:20am). When I do a test after a rest day, it is usually higher. (e.g Saturday am when our ride only starts at 7am)

It does make it more difficult to measure fitness when you don't have the 5 mins to lie in, so I usually do a quick OI test in the car while driving to our meeting spot. (So the testing conditions are usually constant.)

 

[davykoppen]

Im 18 and im consistently around 55 of my own index
Will measure it again in a few days
Hope it is still that high
NOTE: It is best to do it in the morning, i did it after a good training

 

[rollers]

Originally posted by davykoppen
Im 18 and im consistently around 55 of my own index
Will measure it again in a few days
Hope it is still that high
NOTE: It is best to do it in the morning, i did it after a good training

why is it best to do this in the morning? I did mine for the first time the other night just out of curiosity. I didn't know OI existed but I happened to actually read some of the owners manual one evening (yeah, I know, I was way bored), so I tried it out and got a 52. Anyway I don't recall the manual saying anything about time of day to take the test, only to take it once a month.

Whatever might be the best protocol, I can't imagine how any device can very accurately measure a body's fitness level without measuring that body's response to exertion. To me that's a big flashing sign that says "This Test Is Not Very Accurate".