Suunto T4 Black Volcano

Suunto T4 - A Personal Coach on your wrist

Structuring an appropriate work out routine can be as challenging as the actual exercise. Fortunately the T4 from Suunto is able to step in as a Coach, monitor your progress  and suggest workout intensities 5 days into the future. The 5 day program is designed to maintain a balance between workout and rest. The Coach software makes recommendations on exercise frequency, duration and intensity. But don't worry if you've missed a day because of a hot date or bad chinese food, the T4 Coach will adjust future workouts based on what actually happens...not what is suggested.

Just like the T3, the T4 is customized to your body type and fitness level. The setup process is a simple menu driven affair which takes roughly 10 minutes. Once it is completed you are ready to have the T4 monitor your heart rate (via the included interference free heart rate monitor), calculate calories burned and provide you with real-time Training Effect data.

Training Effect is calculated by the T4 during your workout and quantifies the intensity of workout you are achieving. A Training Effect reading in the 1-2 range indicates a recovery session training level. In the 3-3.9 range you are achieving increased aerobic efficiencies. A Training Effect of 4-5 indicates an intense workout which is pushing the athletes capabilities. Utilizing the TE zones allows you to better understand the efficacy of a workout and prevent over/under training on successive days.

For further analysis, pair the T4 with one of Suunto's Pods (not included). The foot pod allows you to track speed and distance during a run. The Bike pod provides speed and distance traveled information for a cycling workout. For the utmost versatility, pair the T4 with a GPS pod to track your speed and distance over any terrain or circumstance. Ultimately, you may incorporate the Suunto PC pod and wirelessly download performance data to a home computer for analysis in the Suunto Training Lite software.