TomTom's added an inbuilt heart rate monitor to its multisport watches - no need for a chest strap.
There was a lot of hype around Apple unveiling its new watch
last month. One feature it promised was a heart rate monitor built into
the watch - with no need for an old-fashioned chest strap.
Well
there's no need to wait till Apple in 2015 for it - TomTom's Cardio
Multisport watch has it already - I've been trying it out for a couple
of months and it's an intriguing step up for running watches.
The heart rate info is measured through a sensor in the watch that
monitors changes in the blood flowing through the wrist. It does this by
shining a light through the skin and detecting how much the light
reflection changes.
You do have to wear it tightly on the wrist to get the
best measurements, but it gives a good guide to how hard you're pushing
it - whether on the bike, running or doing a gym class. (One area the
heart rate monitor doesn't work is swimming - the sensor won't work in
the water.)
There's five intensity zones offered under the heart
rate option - Sprint, Speed, Endure, Fat burn and Easy. Selecting one of
these zones while you're exercising allows you to know whether it's
time to speed up or slow down.
The practice of using heart rate monitors for
training is controversial - cyclists are largely discarding it in favour
of power meters, which are coming down in price.
It's thought that the variation between individuals people is just too great to apply blanket zones to the population.
So
I was wary about how genuinely useful I'd find it. But now I've got the
bike on a stationary trainer in the garage I'm looking for a more
objective way to ensure I don't waste precious training time.
And
while it's no great hassle to put on a chest strap, the simple act of
attaching another gadget - after the iPhone for Strava tracking and the
watch for GPS device all became a bit too much.
That's why putting cardiac monitoring on the watch is perfect - unobtrusive, but available to use easily when you need it.
The
swim function is still one of the more impressive features on these
watches, allowing me to be the go-to man for distance queries in my
slowpoke lane at the Roskill Masters Swimming club.
Being
able to see the heart rate info has been useful - the TomTom website
that displays all the data has improved greatly. There have also been
some good updates of the watch itself sent out online over the past few
months, ironing out some of the options available on the watch (ie: it
used to ask for left or right arm to be selected while picking swimming
options, but no longer needs the info now)
It's a pretty simple
watch to use - and is especially good for triathlon training, since it
can map and display swim, bike and run info all in one place. The
addition of heart rate takes it up a notch when it comes to more
technical training methods but it's easy enough to take the step - and
ditch that sweaty, smelly chest strap for good.
Weight and Dimensions
Battery lifetime:
Up to 8 hours (GPS+HR), up to 10 hours (GPS)
Display size 22x25mm / Display resolution 144x168
Thickness 13.8 mm / Weight 63 grams / Strap length 233 mm
Location: Location GPS + GLONASS /Location boost QuickGPSFix
Sensors:
Sensors (internal)
Motion sensor, compass, optical heart rate monitor / Sensors (wireless)
Bluetooth® Smart
Alerts: Beep & Vibrate
Water Resistance: Waterproofing 50m / 165 feet (5 ATM)
Measurements:Pace/Speed Yes
Distance/Calories
Yes
Heart Rate
Yes (Built-in Heart Rate Monitor)
Cadence
Yes (Cadence sensor - optional accessory)
Activities
Indoor Running
Yes
Outdoor Running
Yes
Cycling
Yes
Dedicated Bike mount
Yes
Swimming
Yes
Training
Race
Past activities + favourites
Goals
Time, distance or calories
Zone
Pace or Heart Rate
Laps
Time, distance or manual
Intervals
Yes
Battery lifetime:
Up to 8 hours (GPS+HR), up to 10 hours (GPS)
Display size 22x25mm / Display resolution 144x168
Thickness 13.8 mm / Weight 63 grams / Strap length 233 mm
Location: Location GPS + GLONASS /Location boost QuickGPSFix
Sensors:
Sensors (internal)
Motion sensor, compass, optical heart rate monitor / Sensors (wireless)
Bluetooth® Smart
Alerts: Beep & Vibrate
Water Resistance: Waterproofing 50m / 165 feet (5 ATM)
Measurements:Pace/Speed Yes
Distance/Calories
Yes
Heart Rate
Yes (Built-in Heart Rate Monitor)
Cadence
Yes (Cadence sensor - optional accessory)
Activities
Indoor Running
Yes
Outdoor Running
Yes
Cycling
Yes
Dedicated Bike mount
Yes
Swimming
Yes
Training
Race
Past activities + favourites
Goals
Time, distance or calories
Zone
Pace or Heart Rate
Laps
Time, distance or manual
Intervals
Yes
Source : DC Rainmaker/ RunnerWorld/ Telegraph.co.uk
ReplyDeleteCardio is a Waste of Time for Fat Loss
While the mainstream fitness media still insists that aerobic
exercise is a great way to lose weight, Turbulence Training users
know that interval training is the better way to burn body fat.
Still not convinced?
A recent study published by the North American Association for the
Study of Obesity, subjects aged 40 to 75 were instructed to do 60
minutes of aerobic exercise per day for 6 days per week for an
entire year.
Given the amount of exercise, you'd expect weight losses of 20, 30
pounds, or more, right?
Well, the surprise findings showed the average fat loss for female
subjects was only 4 pounds for the entire year, while men lost 6.6
pounds of fat over the year. That's over 300 hours of aerobic
exercise just to lose a measly 6 pounds of blubber. Not time well
spent, in my opinion.
So what's the better way? Stick with Turbulence Training, using
interval training and strength training to get better bodysculpting
results. With intervals, you'll achieve more fat burning results in
less workout time.
The next time you are out exercising, perform a session of interval
training. If you are walking or running outside, find an incline
that can challenge you for 60 seconds, then walk down for 60-120
seconds, and repeat up to 6 times.
If you walk or run on a treadmill, adjust the incline or speed to
safely increase the challenge for 60 seconds, then return to the
normal pace for 60-120 seconds, and repeat up to 6 times.
You can also use a rowing machine, bicycle or stationary bike, or
even an elliptical machine to do intervals.
But whatever you do, stay away from boring, ineffective cardio
exercise workouts and stick with Turbulence Training for your fat
burning program.
===> Fast fat loss workouts... <=====
Save time, burn fat,
Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer
Author, Turbulence Training
"I'm 25 and was seriously overweight at the start of this year. I've
been doing the TT for Fat Loss Workouts and after 5 months of
training. I've lost nearly 28lbs. I want to take this opportunity
to thank Craig for making your knowledge so accessible and your
articles and blogs that not only make us think about our
lifestyles, but encourage us to change them for better health."
Kevin Thow, Sydney, Australia
Get your very own copy of Turbulence Training & the Nutrition Guide here: ===> Cardio is a Waste of Time for Fat Loss <=====
"Turbulence Training makes so much sense and I really enjoy the
different workouts so never get bored. From an aussie that was
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with the same old moves this has been a real eye opener for me and
I have been telling my friends just how great the TT method is."
Kelli Tomkins, Australia