Saturday, October 17, 2009

A Garmin GPS Watch Review - The Forerunner 405 with HRM

By Lance B. Webb

Serious fitness requires serious training. To get seriously fit you need to keep accurate records. The Garmin Forerunner 405 with heart rate monitor makes this possible with the touch of a few buttons.

Even if you are not a marathoner or athlete you will derive a benefit from the Garmin 405. The reason most training is done in a lackluster fashion is that it requires an effort to compile the records that make for a good training regimen. The Garmin 405 keeps an accurate record of time spent training.

It keeps records of the pace and distance travelled. With the entry of a few basic data points it keeps track of the calories expended during training. It also tracks and displays the heart rate on its 124X95 pixel screen.

As GPS Running Watches go the Garmin 405 is a great looking watch. Easily at home on your wrist for everyday use as it is whilst training.

It weighs only 2.1 ounces and the GPS function can be turned off to save the batteries when not training. Including the heart rate monitor the watch retails at just over $300. Instead of equipping the case with a number of function buttons Garmin invented the touch bezel. Tapping the appropriate spot on the bezel will give instructions direct to the watch. Additionally the case is water resistant and shock proof.

Maybe the best feature of the 405 is the ANT+Sport wireless technology. This allows the watch to communicate with other watches so equipped. A training buddy can share the same route and routine if they have a similar watch. It can even communicate with non-Garmin devices.

Data can be downloaded to a PC. Aspects of your training regimen can be downloaded from the watch into Garmin's Training Center software for detailed analysis. This watch and software become the ultimate training tool by keeping track of your heart beat and breaking down section of you training to improve performance. Routines and data entered on the computer can be uploaded to the watch.

The Virtual Partner is a fun motivational function of the Garmin 405. A make believe running partner will appear on the screen next to the user's display. The 405 can even communicate with Garmin's bicycle-mounted GPS computers. Cross-training has never been simpler or more fun.

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