Frequently Asked Polar Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about HR Monitors

Q: Why heart rate monitors?

A: As adults, we tend to think back to our personal experiences in “gym” class, where a sport-based model was the norm and athletes set the bar for participation. Grading was typically based on observed effort. As a result, some students ended up hating P.E. class and became adverse to physical activity because they struggled to run, jump, catch, throw or perform other various sport-related skills during game play to achieve perceived success. This method wasn’t a pleasant learning experience and as a result (among other factors) we have an unhealthy adult population in the US. Whatever your experience was; times have changed. We’re not a “gym” class; we aim to for students to have fun, improve fitness, and get focused! We have high expectations for students in physical education classes, where the values, standards and competencies for physically literate 21st century learners are worked on every day.

Since the mid 1990’s, physical education has been undergoing a major shift. The focus has moved from the assessment of performing sports skills toward maintaining or improving overall health related fitness.

Of course we still participate in sport activities but the focus is on functional movement, physical literacy and effectively increasing and maintaining heart rate; not on wins, losses or how many baskets you can make. As a result, we’ve begun to use technology to assist with the assessment of physical activity and overall fitness levels.

We’d like to provide you with these FAQs that will help explain the process and procedure for the use of this type of equipment. As a district, we are dedicated to developing both the mind and bodies of our students so they may live an active and healthy lifestyle. We would like our students to have a strong understanding of exercise principles and how to accurately and safely apply them in their lives.

Q: How often will my child use heart rate monitors in PE/Fitness class?

A: At the middle school level, we typically utilize heart rate monitors every time we are active, which is just about every class period. Occasionally, at the beginning of the year, there may be a few class periods that we do not use the HRMs. Or in fitness class, we discuss body image, self-esteem, nutrition or exercise and the brain lessons.

Q: How do you determine how hard my child should be working?

A: The department’s main focus is to help students understand how they can get into their personal target heart rate zone (THRZ) for health and cognitive benefits. We also teach how to determine the proper level of intensity in a workout. The target heart rate zone/intensity make up a range, expressed as percentages but measured in beats per minute or bpm, of heart beats for our students to strive to achieve. We start by finding your resting heart rate (RHR). To assess an accurate RHR, we have students relax and lie down for 5-10 minutes at the start of the trimester. We do this periodically to get a better assessment of their personal RHR. Once students have an accurate RHR recording, we adjust a students THRZ individually. There are some individual cases that this does not apply and we take it student by student bases depending on the circumstances. We also observe students during class and make adjustments based on the Polar feedback we’re getting for that particular student.

Q: What exactly is a Training Zone and why is that important?

A: With the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and the CDC, we recently updated the learning targets for physical education. Among these updates is the expectation that physical activity intensity occur in the moderate to maximum zones for at least 50% of the class period (18-20+ minutes).

The most effective and accurate way to assess this is to use heart monitors. Zones are divided into percentages. Students that are in the Green, Yellow/Orange or Red zone will “get time in zone”.

Q: Is it fair to grade/assess students who are unconditioned with a Heart Rate Monitor?

A: The purpose of heart rate monitors and the basics of calculating a target heart zone is to assure fairness, accuracy, safety and so students can get instant, individualized feedback. Our heart rate monitors are set at a level that is consistent with the American College of Sports Medicine and CDC recommendations. Students should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day and at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week.. All students can safely get into the their target zone and then modify activity as needed to stay there. Polar Heart Rate Monitors allow your students to see the effect of exercise on their body (important aspect of physical literacy). This also allows us to objectively assess students of all abilities while safely monitoring them with instant feedback.

Q: Is it fair to grade/assess students who are athletic with a Heart Rate Monitor?

A: Yes it is fair. We find every student’s individual target heart rate. This is achievable for every student with consistent effort. All students can elevate their heart rate to any stated level. If a student’s resting HR tends to be lower (heart tends to be healthier), we lower the target HR zone for that student so that it mirrors their resting HR. When looking at our HR monitor data, fitness levels can look different. We could have one student walking and one student running and both are in the orange zone which means that both students’ hearts are working the same amount yet observationally can look different. We encourage students to put in consistent effort so that their heart health can strengthen and that might look different for each student just like their fitness level might be different. The Polar HR sensors are utilized mainly because it makes Physical Education accessible for all students where no matter their fitness level, they can be successful.

Q: Are heart rate monitors an accurate measure of my student’s effort/productivity in class?

A: Yes. Heart rate monitor technology has been around for over 50 years used on the field, in the pool, at the track, in the lab and at hospitals and schools. It is used in every athletic endeavor and to help measure human performance. It is a tried and true, valid and reliable measure of human physiology. The middle schools have been using Polar heart rate monitors since 2009. We have found the H7 and H10 Bluetooth sensors to be an accurate/reliable measure of a student’s heart rate while exercising.

Q: I’ve heard the technology is temperamental and is constantly experiencing technical difficulties. Is this true?

A: During the first few years 2009-2011, we found that the older equipment (T31 hard plastic chest strap) was occasionally temperamental but still gave accurate and reliable data. Now, with the new Bluetooth technology (H7 & H10 sensors & soft straps) we’ve seen much better connectivity and they’ve been even more accurate and valid. Whenever we have students’ report that the transmitters are not working, we check to make sure it was applied correctly (water on strap, senor snapped in and snug fit to the torso). More often than not, it is an application issue and not a technical glitch. In some instances, the battery is weak and we can troubleshoot this and quickly put in a new battery. When using any technology, there is always the possibility that there can be electrical interference or a glitch. If this is the case, we can see this on the student’s individual Polar Gofit screen. The Bluetooth connectivity percentage is listed and we can easily see if the signal was repeatedly lost during recording. This does not count against the student’s grade.

Below are two video links regarding Polar heart rate monitors we use at the middle schools.

HRM example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMhicvxnu7w

Polar GoFit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1LDeVXLzkA