Polar S625X - The five minute guide - part 2 |
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In part one of this article, we set up the
Polar S625X for running with the footpod. |
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Setting up the bike parameters To capture cycling speed and distance data, you will need the Polar Speed Sensor. This is a relatively inexpensive add-on ($39.95) that causes the S625X to capture speed and distance data for cycling. The Polar Cadence Sensor is an optional add-on to capture your pedaling cadence. If you want power data as well, get the Polar power sensor. Once you have the cycling sensor(s) installed on your bike, you will need to set up your bike data in the S625X - which you can do easily from the PC Coach software. Go to the Data Transfer Center - Bike / Footpod Setup. Name your bike so it's easy to identify in the watch (e.g. Road or Trek) and enter your wheel circumference.
If you don't know your wheel circumference, you can measure it using chalk lines on a sidewalk. Roll the bike forward one full wheel rotation making a chalk line at the start and finish. Then measure. Enter the wheel circumference in mm. If you have a cadence sensor, check that box. If you have a power sensor, you will need to enter information about your chain. Click Save and Send To Monitor to upload these settings to the watch. A note about the Polar S625X and bike settings: We have seen a bug in some versions of the S625X firmware when dealing with bike settings. In short, in some rare cases, the bike 2 settings can overwrite bike 1 settings. There is a complete explanation of this phenomenon on our S625X support page. But for users who only have one bike, an easy work around is to put your bike parameters in both bike 1 and bike 2! (Then you never need worry.) Read more about how to avoid this problem. |
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Using the S625X with a training plan If you own a PC Coach training plan, start the plan under Tools - Training Plans - Start a Training Plan. You will go through the starting interview, and the plan will load workouts onto your calendar for one or several weeks (depending on the plan).
Once the plan has scheduled workouts for you on the calendar, you can set up the 625X quickly by using the Quick Setup menu. This menu lets you upload the next five workout definitions, as well as the monitor options for your next workout.
PC Coach can even tell you how to use the monitor during your workout. If you double click on any scheduled workout, then click on the HRM icon to the left of the planned data, you have the option to upload this workout definition to your HRM, or see a movie of how to use the HRM during the workout.
Choose the "Show Me" button, and you will see a movie showing how to start and use your monitor for that workout!
The PC Coach movie tells you exactly which buttons to press during your workout to make the timers, intervals, recovery etc. work correctly. For more information on using HRMs with our training plans, refer to the PC Coach Help guide - Getting started with heart rate monitors section. |
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Using the exercise definition screens If you are not using a training plan, the PC Coach Exercise Definition Manager is an easy way to upload workout settings to the watch. "What is a workout setting?" you ask. The workout settings let you tell the watch you want to do a 50 minute interval workout with a 10 minute warmup at heart rate 110- 120, a 30 minute interval at heart rate 140-160, and a 10 minute cool down back at heart rate 110-120. Being able to set up your workout like this beforehand lets you relax and let the HRM do all the thinking during your workout. To define a workout and send it to the watch, open your PC Coach program and go to the Data Transfer Center - Upload Data - Workout Setup. Here you can add a new workout definition and progress through the screens to set all of the parameters that are available in the watch. (Heart rate limits, timers, pace limits, etc.)
Setting pace limits is a powerful way to use your S625X. Set a pace and a tolerance. During your workout when you stray too far from your pace, the monitor will beep. When you have defined the workout parameters, you can name that workout definition (for uploading later) and then upload that workout definition to the watch. When you upload a workout to the watch in this way, it becomes the default workout. So next time you press the red button to start a workout, it will be the one you start.
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Setting Up the Polar Fitness Test in PC Coach Note: You only need to do a fitness test if you want your monitor to calculate your Max HR and/or VO2 Max. If you don't care about those items, you may skip this section. The User Data screen has fields for VO2Max and Max HR. You don't need to enter these values unless you want the monitor to count calories or you want to track your heart rate as a percentage of your Max HR. But let's suppose you do want to know these numbers! The Polar Fitness Test can calculate these two values for you. To enable the fitness test, go to the Data Transfer Center / Upload Data / User Data. Check Fitness Test and Percent Max. If you haven't already done so, fill in the other user data such as age, weight, sex, and activity level. Click on Save and Upload. To take the test, find a quiet place and put on the chest strap. On the watch, press the UP button until TESTS is displayed and press OK. Scroll UP until FIT TEST is displayed and press OK. Lie down and relax for 3-5 minutes while the monitor figures out your Max Heart Rate and VO2 max. When it is done, the monitor will display this information. Go back to the PC Coach software - Data Transfer Center - Upload user data; enter these two values you received for VO2Max and Max HR, and check the calories box if you want the watch to calculate these for you. Then send the information up to the watch - and you're set to go! After your next workout, you can see the number of calories you burned! |
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The End ! Congratulations! You have completed the short course on the S625X. But this article has only scratched the surface of what the S625X can do. As time allows, read the S625X manual and learn more about this amazing training tool. If you would like to learn more about PC Coach, visit our WebHelp manual, especially the section on getting started with your HRM! To read about bugs you may encounter using your S625X, visit the S625X support page. |
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