Timex Ironman Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review

by Kate on January 21, 2011

Kate Edwards is an amateur athlete and fitness fanatic. She regularly writes product reviews on health and fitness to share her latest thoughts and findings.

Timex Ironman Men’s Race Trainer Review by Kate Edwards

My Overall Rating:

Available on Amazon for $99.98

For under $100, this product from Timex hits the mark for amateur triathletes.   It’s not a GPS watch, so if you’re looking to spend more money on a GPS-enabled product this is not for you.  The Timex Ironman Race Trainer is designed for men who want a good entry level heart rate monitor and training partner.

This heart rate monitor will help you train by letting you know when you should be pushing yourself harder, or when you should take it easy and pace yourself better during your race.  It’s an ideal first-buy as far as heart rate monitors go because you won’t break the bank to determine if you are a serious enough athlete to make regular use of this kind of tool.

If you fit into this category, then the Timex Ironman Men’s Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor watch is probably just the right product for you.

If you’re interested in the best pricing on the Timex Ironman Men’s Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch I think you’ll find it at Amazon. Click here to see their latest pricing.

Here is a display of what we feel are the best Timex Ironman products on the market right now. Click on any product for more details.

TIP: Make sure you look at all of the various training watches and read user feedback. The bestsellers are a great place to start looking. This watch is ONE bestseller. But if you’d rather see a whole list click here instead

Check out this link for the lowest price we’ve found at Amazon’s website.

Here are the features of the Timex Ironman Men’s Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor watch that you will definitely appreciate:

  • With its Wireless Data Xchanger USB, you can keep track of your training developments on your PC
  • Its digital heart rate monitor is particularly designed for professional training regimens
  • It has a memory capacity for 10 workouts and is compatible with special training software, TrainingPeaks
  • Capable of calculating average heart rate per lap for a coverage of 50 laps
  • It has 5 interval timers each equipped with heart rate target zones

If you want to purchase the Timex Ironman Men’s Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, you will find the best price at Amazon through this link.

The Timex Ironman Men’s Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor watch has been known for its durability and simplicity. You can be sure that while performing an intense workout, it will do a great job monitoring your heart rate.

Its users find this as just the right HRM for:

  • Men who want to know exactly how had to push themselves for triathlon training
  • Those who are just getting into training, and are new to using a heart rate monitor
  • Guys who don’t want to break the bank for a good watch

Why Timex Ironman Men’s Trainer Heart Rate Monitor watch? Here are the advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:
  • It is durable enough to be used for highly active outdoor sports such as triathlon
  • Its data can be synchronized using a PC
  • With greater memory capacity, more records on heart rate can be kept.
  • Battery can easily be replaced by the user himself
  • Elastic strap makes it comfortable to wear
Cons:
  • Since it’s under $100, it is build to lower quality standards than more expensive super-rugged watches.
  • If the heart rate strap band breaks, you might need to buy a whole new watch, not just the strap.
  • Some customers have said it takes a long time to setup the watch.  That said, you only do this one time.

Here are what one of its owners and user say:

Customer from Magpie “Ink is Evidence”,

This watch is all that I ever needed! I am a semi-serious runner, training between 15-30 miles per week. I think that this watch works great for my level, and for anybody above or below it. I don’t find myself needing a $350 watch with GPS – I’m just not that obsessive. What I DO want is a watch that has an accurate heart rate monitor, an easy-to read screen, and all of the split/lap/review/interval settings of the really expensive watches.

This is a portion of a real customer review. Click here to read this and other complete customer reviews at Amazon.com.

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Value For Your Dollar? Polar FT60 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Review

by Kate on January 18, 2011

Kate Edwards is an amateur athlete and fitness fanatic. She regularly writes product reviews on health and fitness to share her latest thoughts and findings.

Polar FT60 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review by Kate Edwards

My Overall Rating:

Available on Amazon for $199.95

Polar’s new FT60 Heart Rate Monitor Watch was introduced alongside the lesser-featured FT40.  It is a simple product that customers have fallen in love with.  Besides, it’s available in purple.  Finally the watch guys are doing what cellphone manufacturers have been doing for a while now … giving us something other than black!

You can see from the photo that all of the key workout information you need is presented on the simple screen.  The Polar FT60 features a training program that helps determine your current fitness level, and then gently nudges you towards a higher level of fitness.  This makes it great for someone just starting a fitness program, but doesn’t take away from it’s value to an experienced fitness fanatic like me.

Easy setup is probably another major factor to mention.  People love how easy it is to setup this watch.  You don’t need to figure anything out beyond following the simple steps provided in the manual.  If you remember how these watches worked years ago, Polar has made great strides in user friendly setup.  That’s important to getting you off and running quickly, and with a smile.

For best possible pricing, I recommend Amazon’s website. Click here to see what their latest sale price is on the Polar FT60 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch.

Here is a display of what we feel are the best Polar Heart Rate Monitor Watch on the market right now. Click on any product for more details.

TIP: If you are unsure what model to buy, looking at a list of the best selling products can really help you understand what people are buying. Just be careful to avoid the cheapest models unless they are getting great reviews. To see a freshly updated list of best selling heart rate monitor watch click here.

Check out this link for the lowest price we’ve found at Amazon’s website.

Here are the main features that women can really appreciate about the Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor Watch:

  • Simple and easy-to-read display provides information regarding percentage of heart rate in relation to maximum, beats per minute, as well as the target zone indicator
  • With Polar Star personalized training program, reports and training targets for the week are provided.
  • Energy spent for a one workout schedule or for series of workouts is provided through the Polar OwnCal mode tracks.
  • The watch also has the distinct Polar modes ZonePointer and the Polar Own Zone. The OwnZone is one distinct feature that the F60 has which more basic models such as the F40 do not have.
  • Since it is water-resistant up to 30 meters of depth, it can be used while swimming.
  • The watch has a two-year warranty.
  • Unlike F40, the FT60 is capable of employing a foot pod or a GPS sensor, thereby providing users the convenience of being able to determine speed and distance.

If you’re looking to buy the Polar FT60 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch, you will find the best price at Amazon through this link.

With those features, the Polar FT60 is a great choice for Women (and it comes in a funky purple color so you’ll look great too).

This watch can be used by women who are:

  • Engaged in active sports
  • Regularly do workouts to keep shape
  • Want a heard rate monitor watch that can challenge you to stay in your fitness zone or fat burning zone
  • Prefer a slick, attractive design versus many of the Mens watches on the market.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of the Polar FT60 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch.

Pros:
  • Great for women who are buying their first heart rate monitor watch since it will first measure your performance and then slowly guide you to your ideal target zone.
  • Intuitive setup.  Customers say the manual is pretty good.
  • If you need to call to get questions answered, Polar actually has decent customer service and you won’t have to navigate all kinds of phone menus to speak to a real person.
  • The optional Flow-link cradle allows you to push data to the Polar website and this accessory is truly n0-fuss.  It just works.
  • Being water-resistant, it can withstand profuse sweating or actually being wet while swimming.
Cons:
  • For women with slimmer wrists, the size may be a turn-off.
  • This watch, like most Polar watches, requires a battery to be purchased through an authorized dealer.  But these are easy to find.
  • It has lots of features, so if you are afraid of a small learning curve, stick with a more basic model.
  • Women who have experience working out may not benefit from the training feature.  The watch tends to be conservative in how far it pushes you, resulting in easy workouts that my frustrate you.  But you don’t have to use this feature for a “do it yourself” workout, and novices may appreciate this “start easy” experience.

A few words from actual Polar FT60 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch users:

Customer review from Laurie,

I just bought this HRM two weeks ago. It is my 3rd polar hrm. It is certainly the best one yet. It is a little pricey but worth it. I like the way it monitors your progress. Then depending on what you did this week it will adjust what you need to do the next. For instance if you train too hard this week. It will tell you that you need some recovery days! Plus I love the fact that it sets goals for the whole week and just not for the day like the F11. Not that F11 isn’t a good hrm. I just think if you are interested it buying one. Just spend the extra 50$. It’s well worth it. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that you can’t not see your heartrate and the calories at the same time. However, I like the fact that it displays what zone you are in!

This is a portion of a real customer review. Click here to read this and other complete customer reviews at Amazon.com.

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Don’t Buy the Garmin Forerunner 305 HRM Until You Read This Review

by Kate on January 16, 2011

Kate Edwards is an amateur athlete and fitness fanatic. She regularly writes product reviews on health and fitness to share her latest thoughts and findings.

Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor Review by Kate Edwards

My Overall Rating:

Available on Amazon for $128.00

Garmin has been a powerhouse name in the GPS market for a long time, and has made a strong splash into the heart rate monitor watch market over the last few years. Garmin specializes in bringing GPS functionality to its products.  This means they are a great choice for athletes who train outdoors.  So whether it’s running, swimming, biking or juggling bowling balls in the park the Garmin Forerunner 305 is an awesome product. Garmin’s engineering team completely redesigned the product since the Forerunner 301 hit the market.  Instead of being a bulky mess, it’s now quite sleak and well-designed. Garmin has made sure the GPS antenna points to the sky so that you get maximum receiver sensitivity.

Sales are often available for the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor over at Amazon, so please check out their website at this link for the best price.

Choosing the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS receiver with heart rate monitor is a wise move for outdoor athletes who want the best. What really make the 305 rock are the data screens.  You can get a real-time view of nearly any aspect of your workout.  This includes calories burned, speed, elevation, pace, distance, and heading. If you are a biker, you can buy the optional wireless cadence sensor to display cadence right on your watch. Here’s another cool feature for competitive athletes who are training alone – virtual competitors!  You can use the GarminForerunner 305 to establish other virtual racers who bike or run against you.  Obviously this wouldn’t be practical for swimmers!  Anyway, this is a cool feature for people who like the feeling of a bit of pressure – even if it’s virtual.

Here is a display of what we feel are the best Garmin Heart Rate Monitor on the market right now. Click on any product for more details.

TIP: In case you still are not sure what model to buy, it might really help you to look at the best sellers. Here is a freshly updated list of best selling heart rate monitor watches. Just be sure to read customer reviews and avoid products that sell well only because of low price, and corresponding low quality. Click here

Check out this link for the lowest price we’ve found at Amazon’s website.

The following features of the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS are what make it the choice of many serious runners:

  • A highly sensitive GPS receiver with sky-facing antenna (as it should be).  Great reception and satellite locking in about 3 minutes.
  • Training Center Software included in the package, providing users the capability to transfer to PC the workout data previously recorded
  • With 1-piece Training Assistant, user is given the accurate measurement of speed, distance covered, and pace
  • Can be used for cross-training or triathlons
  • The data recorded can be subjected to analysis through Motionbased, a means of online mapping

If you would like to buy the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor, we recommend Amazon.

The capabilities of the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS make it the right choice for:

  • Competitive swimmers, bikers, runners (and triathletes).
  • Those who love to workout in an outdoor setting
  • Athletes who like to analyze numbers and track results with PC software
  • Middle-aged persons or older who exercise but who also need constant monitoring of their heart rates

Now let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS:

Pros:
  • Ultra-modern and sleek design compared to the older 301 model
  • Very precise in all the information provided, including the satellite GPS data
  • Although it looks quite advanced, it is actually quite easy to use and scores major points from customers on this fact
  • Gives required information instantaneously
  • Garmin is a trusted name in GPS equipment
Cons:
  • Don’t buy it as a navigation device. It only has very basic mapping and navigation capabilities.  If you need navigation stick to a plain GPS nav unit.
  • It’s well-designed, but still bulky on a smaller wrist.  Most women don’t seem to mind.
  • Point-in-time pace measurement can swing too wildly, making the reading less accurate sometimes
  • It is a bit more expensive than other sports watches and HRMs
  • In terms of customer feedback at Amazon, the biggest complaints seem to be the occasional bad customer service experience and the occasional faulty product that needed warranty service.  You can’t really avoid this with any consumer product.

From the perspectives of a user:

Customer review from Allen G.,

My Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor is a total assistant in my training. With just this device strapped on my wrist, it already seems that I have a coach, a trainer, and a medical aid right beside me while I take my routine 4-mile run. I do not have to actually bring along anyone to keep a record of how I am doing, my watch does it all for me. I also use this for cycling and another great thing about it is that I can actually see my route and my pace from Google Earth. The heart rate is quite accurate and this is provided through the help of a very comfortable strap which has a battery that can easily be replaced. I have used a Forerunner 201 previous but I found the 305 GP receiver so much better. It is also easy for me to adjust the display according to my own taste and style. However, I have to make sure always that I turn it off when not used. The battery drains quite fast.

This is a portion of a real customer review. Click here to read this and other complete customer reviews at Amazon.com.

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Is it Right For You? Read our Polar F11 Review to Find Out.

by Kate on January 14, 2011

Kate Edwards is an amateur athlete and fitness fanatic. She regularly writes product reviews on health and fitness to share her latest thoughts and findings.

Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review by Kate Edwards

My Overall Rating:

Available on Amazon for $159.95

Want to have a perfect partner for your workout without actually tagging someone to shed off some sweat? Then I introduce to you the Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor Watch, your ideal pal to stay fit. This powerful wrist monitor provides an accurate gauge for getting the most out from your exercise sessions.

I’ve noticed the best price on the Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor Watch is available at Amazon. Click here to see their latest sale price.

This Polar Heart Rate Monitor is perfect for those who are starting with their fitness trainings as it creates a workout program that tells you how much, how hard and how long to exercise based on a program that it builds for you. More than that, it is also ideal for health conscious individuals who want to monitor energy outflow during their exercise routines and lets you set your daily and weekly exercise goals by programming the calorie expenditure.

Here is a display of what we feel are the best Polar Heart Rate Monitor products on the market right now. Click on any product for more details.

TIP: Ultimately you’ll be happier if you get a product that is of good quality, not just low price. One great way to help you make up your mind is to look at this freshly update list of best selling products in the heart rate monitor market. Click here

Check out this link for the lowest price we’ve found at Amazon’s website.

Now, let’s have a good look at the Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor’s features:

  • Accurately gauge your heart rate and calorie burn during your workout
  • Creates a workout program that will guide you on how hard, how long, and how often you must exercise
  • Features a Wearlink Transmitter
  • Has the exclusive Polar OwnCal feature that tracks your calories and % of fat burned
  • Features Heart Touch- button free operation
  • Has a special OwnZone feature that automatically establishes your personal target heart rate zone
  • Has a special OwnCode feature that eliminates interference from other HRM’s OwnIndex measures your fitness level and track improvements
  • Features a large display that includes 12/24-hour time of day, alarm, and stopwatch
  • Manual and automatic heart rate limit settings
  • Water resistant to 30 meters (100 feet)

If you would like to buy the Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor Watch, you will find the best price at Amazon through this link.

With continuous innovations on the Polar Heart Monitor watches , you are well-assured of being provided with a workout buddy that you’ll love (and your Mom will approve of)

This highly useful tool is suitable for the following:

  • Health buffs
  • Those who have health conditions or simply want to get fit and aren’t sure what to do or for how long
  • Athletes who are always on the go

Let me show you some of the advantages of the Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor’s features.

Pros:
  • Provides an accurate guage for a well-monitored workout
  • The Polar F11 has a lot of great features that are rarely found among cheaper heart rate monitor watches
  • User friendly and has great display
  • The automatic program reports your fitness improvement
  • The strap is really comfortable
Cons:
  • It might appear too big for petite women, but you’re working out right? This ain’t no fashion contest, ladies.
  • You are not advised to change the battery yourself so you have to go to an authorized Polar Service Center to have your battery replaced. This is always the case with Polar monitors and it hasn’t stopped them from being the market leader.
  • Might be a bit confusing to the first time user, but you’ll quickly figure it out and turn into a pro operator!

Let’s see what one current owner of the Polar F11 has to say:

Customer review from Anna “Truth Seeker”,

In my humble opinion, Polar HRM watches, a Finnish company, appear to be in a class all by themselves without worthy competitors. New to HRM watches, I decided on Polar after perusing countless websites (i.e. bike racing, marathon runners, health sites you name it!). I decided on Polar because so often someone would write in about another brand “good watch, but I miss my Polar” “my watch died, should have bought a Polar.” I almost gave in at one point tantalized by the beauty and cool design of a different brand, Polar watches are pretty basic looking, but then I would find reviews stating the watch did not function properly or did not have the myriad of features I was looking for.

This is a portion of a real customer review. Click here to read this and other complete customer reviews at Amazon.com.

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Will You Benefit from the Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch?

by Kate on January 12, 2011

Kate Edwards is an amateur athlete and fitness fanatic. She regularly writes product reviews on health and fitness to share her latest thoughts and findings.

Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review by Kate Edwards

My Overall Rating:

Available on Amazon for $102.51

The Polar RS300X lets sports enthusiasts and those who simply want to get more fit to train at the right level of intensity. If you own one of these, you’ll be able to use it to track and improve performance related to heart rate, velocity, distance, calorie burn and more. This watch includes the Polar exclusive OwnZone feature – a personalized heart rate zone calculated for you and based on your own training goals.

The Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch also includes the capability to do a fitness test, track automatic lap splits, and show you important metrics such as your average heart rate. You can save up to 16 of your last workouts on the watch so you can quickly skim through them to track your progress without having to sync anything to a computer. With this in mind, the Polar RS300X is a pretty good choice among heart rate monitor watches without breaking the bank.

Looking for the best price on the Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch? Make sure you check out Amazon’s latest sale price by clicking here.

Here is a display of what we feel are the best Polar Heart Rate Monitor on the market right now. Click on any product for more details.

TIP: Make sure you look at all of the various heart rate monitor watches and read user feedback. The bestsellers are a great place to start looking. This watch is ONE bestseller. But if you’d rather see a whole list click here instead.

Check out this link for the lowest price we’ve found at Amazon’s website.

Below are the unique features that people will love about the Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor watch and why they prefer this over the other brands:

  • With the heart rate monitor right at the wrist, checking out your stats is a breeze.
  • Not just information on the heart rate can be acquired but also quantification of calorie burn, speed, and distance.
  • The tracking or monitoring can be recorded for a maximum of 16 consecutive training sessions for as long as 16 weeks.
  • OwnZone allows one to record and keep track of his individual workout regimen. It keeps a record of his heart rate corresponding to the routines performed.
  • This heart rate monitor has the state-of-the-art Polar Wear Link+31 coded transmitter.

If you’re looking to buy the Polar RS300X, the lowest price is available at Amazon through this link.

The features mentioned above definitely makes the Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch a good choice for very active people who love sports and are keeping themselves fit.

The watch is highly recommended for those who are:

  • Competitive athletes who want to push themselves harder
  • People who are goal-oriented and love analyzing numbers associated to their workouts
  • Told by a doctor to make sure they stay in a safe heart rate zone.

The pros and cons of the Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch are the following:

Pros:
  • Clear display that makes it easy for the user to read the metrics and other important information that it provides.
  • The features that it possesses make it perfect for cross-training athletes aside from the fact it that it is lightweight.
  • There are alarms that can provide the necessary warning if the monitor watch considers the situation as one that needs immediate attention.
  • Water-resistant and can be worn even at a depth of 50 meters, making it perfect for swimming.
  • With backlight and display zoom, metrics can be read even at night or underwater.
Cons:
  • Although battery lasts long, you need to have the battery replaced by a Polar service center. This is usually not a big problem in most cities..
  • For some people, the display may be too small, which is why they have to make the extra effort of enlarging it through the zoom features.
  • It doesn’t allow you to set a specific warm up or cool down period. You would have to treat those as individual workouts.
  • The price is higher than a low-end heart rate monitor watch, but remember Polar is one of the best in the business and you get what you pay for, in general.

Here is what a Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor Watch owner has to say about his device:

Customer review from K. McLeland,

I love my heart rate monitor. It was easy to set up, is easy to use and is very helpful in gauging my workouts and getting the most out of them. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good heart-rate monitor at a reasonable price.

This is a portion of a real customer review. Click here to read this and other complete customer reviews at Amazon.com.

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