Partnerships, Rugby Football League (uk-en)

Polar at the heart of Rugby League referees’ fitness  

Polar Electro UK, the leading manufacturer of heart rate monitors, is helping ensure that Rugby Football League match officials are at the heart of the action in this season’s engage Super League through an exciting deal which sees every elite official supplied with an RS400 sports computer to assist with their fitness training programmes and match analysis. 

The Polar RS400 is a sophisticated sports computer and ideally suited to anyone looking to track and improve fitness and endurance. With systems for planning, monitoring and analysis, this computer will help take the user to new levels of fitness. Its features include a daily information service about personal fitness and running economy, allowing the RS400 to meet all the needs of an active runner. 

Malcolm Douglas, Managing Director of Polar Electro UK, said: “We are delighted to have teamed up with the RFL Match Officials for the current season and we fully believe that the equipment we are supplying will help the officials stay at the top of their game. Working with elite level professionals through this partnership, and others like it, further demonstrates our position as the market leader in heart rate monitoring equipment and services.” 

In addition to becoming the exclusive supplier of heart rate monitors, Polar will also provide first class training support to the match officials, ensuring that the benefits of the RS400 are fully utilised.   

Stuart Cummings, Match Officials Director for the RFL, added: “In the era of full time match officials it is essential that we get accurate information of movement patterns and heart rate response of our referees during performance. The Polar RS400 helps us to monitor heart rate response to situations within the game as well as allow us to work out the exercise levels that they use most frequently during the game.  The information obtained then informs our training. We use the Polar RS400 during our training to make sure we are working at, or above, the levels required during the game as well as enabling us to train different energy systems efficiently. The Polar RS400 has been an invaluable tool to assist our development,” he added.

Ashley Klein, one of the RFL’s top full time match officials and former Referee of the Year, currently trains with a Polar monitor and has been pleased with the additional fitness benefits it has brought to his game. He said: “The Polar monitor has been an invaluable tool in the development of our training.  The use of the system during engage Super League matches has enabled us to get a better understanding of our heart rate and running speeds attained during matches.  As a result our training sessions are now being developed based on the data from the matches.  The Polar monitors have assisted in the professionalism of our training programmes.’ 

Monitoring heart rate is no longer an activity reserved solely for elite level long distance runners, as it now has a comfortable place in increasing the fitness level of every sportsperson, athlete or exerciser, regardless of level or experience. Understanding what your body is telling you is essential for improvement and achieving goals.

 

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