Polar AXN 500 Watch

Count on the Polar AXN 500 watch to get you there and back again when the terrain is tough, when the weather turns, when you need accurate bearings to guide you. This altimeter/heart rate monitor shows your current altitude reading with graphical trend curve and your vertical progress. Check your pace down the mountain or up the rock with the Vertical speed feature. The barometer allows you to track the changing weather, while the compass keeps you on course. The AXN 500 comes with the Polar WearLink 31 coded transmitter. The OwnIndex feature tests your fitness level, so you can set a baseline and track your improvements. The OwnCal feature monitors your energy expenditure (calories) so you know when to refuel. –Vendor *Available for US shipment only.

$299.99

Polar AXN 500 Watch
This is a cool watch, but be warned, the product image provided is deceiving; this thing, like the Lance watches, is like wearing a brick on your wrist. So, if you like a big, honkin' watch - this is a beauty, but if you're looking for something a little more streamlined, look elsewhere.

Great training tool for hiking, snow boarding, running, cycling etc.
The design and matte stainless finish are excellent including the strap. The altimeter is ok and varies +/- 75 ft depending on the weather. It's great to watch the effects of altitude on your heart while going from 9,000ft to 12,000ft including vertical ascending speed while climbing/hiking and descending speed while snowboarding. The compass works great and locks on the direction fast. The heart monitor doesn't skip a beat (hope not:) You can set a min/max heart rate for your workout to tell if you are truly pushing yourself. The included software works great to track fitness progress. The Wearlink transmitter is well designed and better than any other transmitter out there. I have also used the heart monitor to determine recovery rate after a hard workout.

Good stuff
Technically good, nice design, maybe a little bit too heavy in the beginning but one gets used quickly :-) It would be even better if one could choose between lap or split time when setting markers but that's because I use it for running training (not the case of everybody).

Polar AXN 500 Watch
I've had this watch about 2 months now and there is one thing for sure, you'll need a minor in cardiology and a major in meteorology to figure it all out. Also, don't expect to get a wake up call from the thing ‘cause you won't ever hear it go off. It does make for good conversation, however. You can always tell how high you are!

Great watch!
I did a lot of research before buying this watch. Only multifunction watch that has a heart-rate monitor and is also "cool" enough to wear pretty much all of the time (as long as you don't mind wearing a big honkin' watch). I highly recommend getting an infrared USB dongle (if your computer doesn't have infrared port already) for your computer (see http://sewelldirect.com/usbtoirda.asp) so the watch can download the action files and other settings/files to your computer. When you do this, your workouts (aka action files) are saved on your computer for a VERY detailed analysis (more than you'll need, trust me), including cool graphs/plots. If you just want to upload settings from your computer to the watch, then you don't need the infrared on your computer (use the "audio" upload feature). Only major beef: the alarm is not loud at all!! Probably won't hear it if anything is going on in the room at all (e.g. in gym with music on).

Training Tips

After each interval, take your pulse rate by counting the number of beats at your wrist or neck for 15 seconds. Multiply that result by four to get your beats per minute. Your next interval should start before your heart rate is less than 60% of your maximum.

The four components of good fitness include flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and cardiorespiratory endurance. For optimum health, include at least two of these groups in three workouts per week.

Your fitness level will improve by overloading, working your body hard enough to stimulate the body, progression, increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise over time, and regularity, working out frequently, at least three times a week.

As your fitness improves over time by following a carefully planned fitness program, your ability to exercise closer to your maximum heart rate will improve.