I own several different kinds of sport watches including higher priced ones like the Garmin Forerunner, Magellan, and Timex Ironman. I also have some that are meant to gauge my overall health and fitness rate like the Basis. If you’re a serious athlete you’ll want to take a pass on the bodyWares and head for the ones loaded with features that have apps that will gauge your minute to minute progress. Many of these have things such as GPS coordinates and have varying degrees of waterproofing.

However, if you are an everyday athlete, but are serious about your health and
want to gauge how well you are doing via your heart rate, the bodyWares heart rate monitor is something you may wish to consider. One of my expensive ones had all the bells and whistles, including fancy apps, but the online access to data was atrocious. With the bodyWares heart rate monitor, the information is right on your wrist. Yes, these are hard to get used to and that strap is a pain to get used to, but is vital to operation.

Many people find the heart rate chest monitors (HRM) difficult to use and this does take a bit of experimentation. On the watch you’ll see three dashes if it’s not transmitting. It’s essentially a not to worry situation and your strap needs adjustment or additional moisture. The bodyWares is a basic heart rate monitor with three zones. The really pricey watches do have more zones, but for the person who wants basic information this watch is affordable and an excellent one.

Now, a couple of hints to get that strap going. It does need that moisture. It has grooved electrodes. These are located in the rectangular areas (they have rounded corners) on the back of the strap. These need to be wet. If need be, you can put both of them under running water before putting it on. Just make sure you don’t douse the center portion of the strap where the battery is located. Once you get going your sweat should keep the grooved electrodes moist. Keep that bodyWares logo up and centralized. When you are connected the digital display will start up. You can also use Buh-Bump Heart Rate Monitor Electrode Cream to moisten the grooved electrodes.

FEATURES:

► Stylish designer heart rate monitor and fitness sport watch (<0.6” thick and < 1.6 oz. light) for ALL your training needs regardless of age, sex and weight
► Includes heart rate chest belt (2 oz.) made of a comfortable elastic band and soft polyurethane strap that adjusts to most body types
► 3 selectable heart rate zones to workout at your own pace and intensity – [1] 55-70%: sustain healthy heart and lose weight, [2] 70-80%: develop endurance and stamina, [3] 80-100%: increase muscle strength
► EL backlight display with audio/visual alarms, timers and stopwatch plus graphical heart rate (max/%) display with arrows showing if you are in/out of zone

ZONES:

LEVEL 1

55 – 70%

Sustain a healthy heart and lose weight.

LEVEL 2

70 – 80%

Develop endurance and increase stamina.

LEVEL 3

80 – 100%

Sustain excellent fitness condition and increase muscle strength.

Simplicity sometimes works better for me than the watches I’ve bought for my son, a person who does participate in Spartan events. When I use this watch I can see how long I’ve been exercising, the time, how many calories I’ve burned, and the average heart rate, etc. This information can be stored in the watch and not on another site, the very thing I found problematic before.

The bodyWares can be used as an everyday watch, but it’s rather bulky for a woman’s watch. I do like the instructions, which come in the form of a small manual (I dislike ones I have to download). It’s quite well-written, clear, and has plenty of visuals for the non-tech person. It even has a “Heart rate Intensity” chart to reference. It’s divided up by age, sex, and levels. This is a nice watch for those who do want to improved their overall fitness levels, but like to keep things a bit simple and affordable.

Sample provided for review.

This watch is a good training companion. The watch itself is complemented with a chest strap with a heart rate monitor. The dial and the display are of ideal size to glance and obtain vitals when training.

In addition to the standard features in a digital watch, it provides the heart rate vitals monitor gives you a guide to your maximum heart rate and the percentage of maximum heart rate for you to get the best out of workout, whether you are targeting weight loss, do endurance , general fitness. The work outs data can be saved for future reference which makes it easier to compare results.

Happy with the purchase!

Very impressed by this watch! One of the best purchases I’ve made, the smart feature recalled my workout and showed my exercise time, heart rate, and calories burned! Definitely a good buy!