POLAR CS600 - Manual (Page 37)

Functions During Exercise
Change the same settings in a programmed exercise as with any other exercise type. For further
information on different functions during exercise, see Button Functions During Exercise.
The programmed exercise uses the sport profile settings set in the Polar ProTrainer 5 software. If you
change the cycling computer settings during exercise (e.g. calibration factor), the changes will only
apply to the current exercise. Next time you start the same exercise, the cycling computer will use the
sport profile settings defined in the software.
Lap Menu
To see the lap menu during programmed exercise, press and hold OK . Scroll between options with UP
or DOWN and select with OK. The contents of the lap menu depend on your exercise.
• End phase: End current phase and move to the next phase in the exercise.
• Jump to: Move to any other phase in your exercise.
To view exercise results Select File > Exercise log
After completing a programmed exercise, your training data will be saved under File . For further
information, see Analyze Exercise Results.
9 . T E S T S
Polar Fitness Test™
Select Test > Fitness
The Polar Fitness Test™ is an easy, safe, and quick way to measure your aerobic (cardiovascular)
fitness at rest. The result, Polar OwnIndex, is comparable to maximal oxygen uptake (VO
2max
), which is
commonly used to evaluate aerobic fitness. Your long-term level of physical activity, heart rate, heart
rate variability at rest, gender, age, height, and body weight all influence OwnIndex. The Polar Fitness
Test is developed for use by healthy adults.
Aerobic fitness relates to how well your cardiovascular system works to transport oxygen to your body.
The better your aerobic fitness, the stronger and more efficient your heart is. Good aerobic fitness has
many health benefits. For example, it helps in decreasing high blood pressure and your risk of
cardiovascular diseases and stroke. If you want to improve your aerobic fitness it takes, on average, six
weeks of regular training to see a noticeable change in your OwnIndex. Less fit individuals see progress
even more rapidly. The better your aerobic fitness, the smaller the improvements in your OwnIndex.
Aerobic fitness is best improved by exercise types that use large muscle groups. Such activities
include running, cycling, walking, rowing, swimming, skating, and cross-country skiing.
To monitor your progress, start by measuring your OwnIndex a couple of times during the first two
weeks in order to get a baseline value, and then repeat the test approximately once a month.
With the Polar Fitness Test, you can also calculate the predicted maximum heart rate value (HR
max
-p).
The HR
max
-p score predicts your individual maximum heart rate more accurately than the age-based
formula (220 - age). For further information on HR
max
, see User Settings.
To make sure the test results are reliable, the following basic requirements apply:
• You can perform the test anywhere - at home, at the office, at a health club - provided the testing
environment is peaceful. There should be no disturbing noises (e.g. television, radio, or telephone)
and no other people talking to you.
• Always take the test in the same environment and at the same hour.
• Avoid eating a heavy meal or smoking 2-3 hours prior to testing.
• Avoid heavy physical exertion, alcohol, and pharmacological stimulants on the test day and the
previous day.
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