For Sale: Suunto T6 Wristop Personal Trainer with Heart Rate Monitor

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Suunto T6 Wristop Personal Trainer with Heart Rate Monitor

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08th of January 2009




Suunto t6 precisely records how your body performs throughout exercise, enabling afterward analysis and planning with Suunto Training Manager. By measuring your exercise load and relating it to your personal strength level, Suunto t6 tells you if the session improved your condition or not. matched with wireless Peripheral Observation Devices PODs PC Software/cable


With the introduction of the t6, Suunto is aiming at athletes and fitness minded people who want to track performance and training objectives. On the surface, it is obvious that the t6 is seriously trying to steal some market share from the leader in the biz, Polar. After spending a little time with the t6, we found that it holds own and offers some things that are really distinctive, like the capability to track respiration rate, VO2max, and a new measurement called EPOC excess post exercise oxygen consumption.

The Suunto Training Manager software can track and display EPOC, VO2max, energy expenditure, respiration rate, and more when linked to a PC.

till now, measuring these things obliged sophisticated lab equipment. Suunto teamed up with a company called Firstbeat, which has worked on a way to extrapolate a range of physiological measurements from heart rate alone. While we were not able to independently verify the accuracy of this new measurement technology, Suunto and Firstbeat assert that the accuracy of the t6 is pretty darn close to that of laboratory equipment. If that is true, the t6 represents nothing less than a big breakthrough in strength technology.

Give Me a Beat
The basic t6 unit comes with the wrist unit and a heart rate transmitter which is worn around the chest and proved to be quite comfy. The transmitter is coded, like the newer Polar transmitter units, so you never have to worry about interference from other transmitters a common problem in race events. usually, a heart rate monitor measures how fast or slow your heart is beating throughout exercise, which is an indirect way to measure aerobic capacity and other performance factors. The t6's Firstbeat technology takes this a step more by measuring the intervals between heart beats. as indicated by Suunto and Firstbeat, this measurement may be used to closely estimated seven measurements, most important of which are related to EPOC. Using the EPOC measurement, it's possible to estimate how much one's training improved in general strength. If EPOC levels are high, the body is in a increased state of recuperation, meaning the training was more efficient. Likewise, lower EPOC levels reveal suboptimal training effect.

Other measurements, like oxygen intake VO2max and respiratory rate, are unavailable on any other wrist mounted device. In fact, before the t6, they were available only to people like Lance Armstrong. Knowing oxygen intake data is a priceless tool for anybody who is trying to increase performance.

Adding the Pods
also to tracking heart related data, the t6 can track speed and distance with a little help from some pods. Both the bike pod and the foot pod are cleverly intended little units that transmit data to the wrist device. We were impressed with the way the bike pod attaches cleanly and simply to the front fork dropout no wacky zip ties and sticky rubber to mess with. In the meantime, the foot pod is a lasting little pedometer like device that attaches straight to your shoe for greater accuracy. Both pods are completely weatherproof and add features like a speed alarm, also as interval and lap timing.

The foot pod and the bike pod are easy to mount and deliver correct training data to the wrist unit.

Training with the t6
The wrist unit's displays are easy to read and controls are pretty intuitive. We did have some trouble pairing the bike pod with the wrist unit, but once we were up and running, speed and distance data was correct and consistent. The one thing missing with the t6 is the capability to measure pedaling cadence, an important data point for serious cyclists. A "cadence pod" could be a welcome addition, and it could bring the T6 in line with offerings by Polar.

We tested in the foot pod on a 3 mile jog and were impressed with the accuracy of speed readings. While GPS solutions also offer speed and distance measurement, the foot pod is not reliant on a clear line of sight to the sky to get a reading. This makes it a great choice for indoor tracks or running on city streets with high buildings. As icing on the cake, the t6 also will include a barometric altimeter that can measure altitude, rate of ascent, and temperature. While these are not important for training, it is great to know how high you have been. Plus, you may be able to brag to your friends about the frigid temps you endured on those winter morning runs.

Lastly, heart rate readings were steady and consistent, and we liked the t6's target heart rate zone alerts perfect for those who want to stay under certain heart rate levels for particular training objectives.

Making Connections
In many ways, the things that aren't displayed on the t6 wrist unit are the most interesting, and to view them, you will need a PC. With the t6, Suunto has incorporated USB connectivity instead of serial, and it makes connecting the watch to the computer a breeze. The Suunto Training Manager software can track and display EPOC, VO2max, energy expenditure kcal/min, respiration rate breaths/min, heart rate, and ventilation. This data can then be used to build an in general picture of one's strength level over time an invaluable tool for athletes, also as regular people who want a clear picture of how their training is going. Before the T6, most of this data was not available to mere mortals, and it is nothing short of a revolution that anybody can now track their strength level in such detail.

Pros

• Revolutionary new data types, as well as EPOC and VO2max
• Straightforward watch interface
• Cleverly intended bike and foot pods

Cons

• No pedaling cadence "pod"
• Oxygen intake and EPOC measurements are extrapolated from heart rate, not directly calculated
• Computer obliged to view advanced training data

Suunto T6 Wristop: