Training by heart rate is one of the best ways to tell if you’re pushing too hard or not hard enough. But some heart rate monitors have so many features that turning them on is an accomplishment in itself. Not so with Polar’s FT1 heart rate monitor. This is as simple and intuitive as they come. The large and easy-to-read display will show your heart rate as you train and also functions as a watch with a backlight. It will display a summary of your latest workout with your average and maximum heart rates and the transmitter works with most gym equipment so you can see your heart rate on the treadmill display for example. Also you can set a target heart rate zone and the watch will give you visual and audio alarms when you’re not in your zone. What you get in the box: the computer (the watch) the transmitter (the chest strap) and a getting started guide. We were up and running in under 5 minutes with this monitor—can’t beat that! Black and turquoise.
