Need help configure Polar Flow to Concept2

[MadsNilsson]

Hi folks,
As I newbee I need some extra motivation to row. I bought the Polar watch m400 and also the puls belt. Pølar has its own application (android and web)
1) how do you set this up to get the right calories registred? Is there som additional information about heart rate max/min. Please bear over with me, as this is totally exotic to me. I want the belt/the watch/the app to calculate HOW much calories I have burned. The result from 5000 m + 1500 interval was calculated to almost 425 cals - isnt that too much? (I am 187 cms, 95 kgs).
2) Do you use other apps that works better for this exersice? Like Endemondo/Shealth/Runkeeper?
3) What would be your best tip to have an app registering my workouts on the rower, combined with an app registering walk distance, meals and other?


I use the machine every day; rowing appr 5000 metres at the morning. 1500 metres of warm up. I would also like to program the Polar Flow with interval acts and so on. Sorry to be this vague, but I actually do not understand the thing yet.

I row 5000 metres about 22.30-23.00 (28/500). Max puls: 176/min 150.

Thank you so much in advance. Any examples/samples - I would love it.

[JLB123]

Not familiar with this exact watch, but some general points that may be of some use:

For inputting heart rate into watch - I assume the watch has asked you to input your age. If so, it will be calculating your max heart rate as 220 - age. This is fairly accurate for most people, so probably is OK. Minimum heart rate is fairly irrelevant for calories burned, as watch will use % of max to calculate.

For keeping track of your calories used on the erg, use the numbers produced by the erg. The erg measures the work you do and transfers this into calories burned, which is more accurate than using heart rate to estimate work done to estimate calories burned. Since all the erg outputs are calibrated for a 90kg rower (in a coxless 4 for splits), as a 95kg rower they're likely to be fairly accurate for you

There are a few apps which allow you to pull the data from your ergs (all that I know of require a connection wire though, which C2 sell), but none that I know of which also store other workouts (e.g. running), so you will probably need to keep these in separate apps. Or you could just go old school and use a log card.

[Citroen]

For inputting heart rate into watch - I assume the watch has asked you to input your age. If so, it will be calculating your max heart rate as 220 - age. This is fairly accurate for most people, so probably is OK. Minimum heart rate is fairly irrelevant for calories burned, as watch will use % of max to calculate.

No it isn't, it's the most badly flawed piece of pseudo-science in the history of the planet. Their sample size wasn't big enough, their testing was incomplete and their curve fitting wasn't accurate for the 19 data points they'd captured. It doesn't work for a much larger number of folk than it ever works for.

[lindsayh]

For inputting heart rate into watch - I assume the watch has asked you to input your age. If so, it will be calculating your max heart rate as 220 - age. This is fairly accurate for most people, so probably is OK. Minimum heart rate is fairly irrelevant for calories burned, as watch will use % of max to calculate.

No it isn't, it's the most badly flawed piece of pseudo-science in the history of the planet. Their sample size wasn't big enough, their testing was incomplete and their curve fitting wasn't accurate for the 19 data points they'd captured. It doesn't work for a much larger number of folk than it ever works for.

This may help reinforce the debunking:

THE SURPRISING HISTORY OF THE “HRmax=220-age” EQUATION. Robert A. Robergs, Roberto Landwehr. JEPonline. 2002;5(2):1-10.

The estimation of maximal heart rate (HRmax) has been a feature of exercise physiology and related applied sciences since the late 1930’s. The estimation of HRmax has been largely based on the formula; HRmax=220-age. This equation is often presented in textbooks without explanation or citation to original research. In addition, the formula and related concepts are included in most certification exams within sports medicine, exercise physiology, and fitness. Despite the acceptance of this formula, research spanning more than two decades reveals the large error inherent in the estimation of HRmax (Sxy=7-11 b/min). Ironically, inquiry into the history of this formula reveals that it was not developed from original research, but resulted from observation based on data from approximately 11 references consisting of
published research or unpublished scientific compilations. Consequently, the formula HRmax=220-age has no scientific merit for use in exercise physiology and related fields. A brief review of alternate HRmax prediction formula reveals that the majority of age-based univariate prediction equations also have large prediction errors (>10 b/min). Clearly, more research of HRmax needs to be done using a multivariate model, and equations may need to be developed that are population (fitness, health status, age, exercise mode) specific.