Sigma PC 25.10 Heart Rate Monitor

Sigma PC 25.10 Heart Rate Monitor

Price Paid    £16    RRP £59.99
Purchased from Halfords Online


One of the secrets to optimal fitness isn't just the amount of exercise you get.
 It's the intensity level of that exercise—not too high, not too low.
 A heart rate monitor (HRM) is a useful tool to find this "sweet spot" of heartbeats per minute.

The Sigma is a chest strap type monitor and consists of a chest strap that fastens around the chest and wirelessly transmits continuous heart rate data to a wristwatch-style receiver.

The Sigma is fairly Basic, it allows you to time your workout and give you continuous, average, high heart rate data, it also has Calories burned data, training zone status which beeps to alert you when you are within your selected training zone (either fat burning or Fitness with an option to specify your own Zone) and a memory function to recall the data for your workouts at a later date.

 

 The Sigma  offers continuous heart rate information without needing to stop during exercise to measure or view it. Accuracy is quoted as ECG accurate.

 

The biggest weakness of the Sigma is the display itself, Whilst clear the curvature of the screen make viewing in sunlight difficult. The watch also has a back light which is totally inadequate and make the display almost disappear.

 

For the price the Sigma is very good monitor and very easy to use with features expected of much higher specification units.

 Feature Details

 

Sport watch: Includes a clock and Alarm.

Time in target zone: Tracks the time you spend exercising within your target zone. Some zones and goals require more time than others.

Calorie counter: Estimates the calories burned during exercise. This can be especially handy if your workouts are part of a weight-loss program.

 

Fitness trainer: This provides alerts for intensity levels that fall above or below your chosen training zones.
 

Coded transmitter: Encrypts transmissions from the chest strap to the wristwatch-style receiver to prevent crosstalk, which are signals from the wireless HRMs of others exercising around you.
 

Bicycle-mounting options: the Sigmal can dock to a bicycle's handlebar, and is supplied with the required hardware for this.

Battery replacement: Both the Chest Strap and Watch use CR2032 Batteries.

 

Why Use a Heart Monitor

 

A key benefit of a heart rate monitor is that it helps you maintain the optimal heart rate target zone for your specific goal. In effect, the HRM is your pacer, telling you when to speed up or slow down. Higher-end models inform you of this via a digital display and/or an audible tone.

Exercising in the right heart rate zone helps optimize your performance. A fat-burning goal may require 40 to 80 minutes in one zone, for example, while an aerobic conditioning workout might mean 10 to 40 minutes in another.

The target zone is a percentage range based on your maximum heart rate (HRmax). Various algorithms have been developed to calculate an HRmax estimate, but the simplest is:

HRmax = 220 – your age.

The American Heart Association offers the chart below as a general guideline. (Note that some medications can affect your target rate zone.) However, it is always best to have a stress test under a physician's supervision to determine your actual HRmax.

	Heart Rate Target Zone 50-85%	Avg. Maximum Heart Rate 100%
Age	Beats/minute	Beats/minute
20	100–170	200
25	98–166	195
30	95–162	190
35	93–157	185
40	90–153	180
45	88–149	175
50	85–145	170
55	83–140	165
60	80–136	160
65	78–132	155
70	75–128	150

A maximum heart rate at different aerobic zones provides specific results:

• Endurance (60%–70%): Considered ideal for endurance and weight-loss programs. Develops cardiovascular and muscular efficiency. The body learns to use stored fat as fuel.
• Aerobic (70%–80%): Ideal for overall cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and weight management. The body burns mostly fat and carbohydrates in this zone.
• Anaerobic (80%–90%): Used for interval workouts or consistent speed. At this zone, your breathing will be heavy and your muscles tired. Enhances lung capacity and increases lactate tolerance.
• VO₂ Max (90%–100%): Helps enhance speed in athletes (who exercise at this level only for short periods as muscles quickly go into oxygen debt).