Sunday, Sunday
In this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks about the world of wearables, apps and fitness technology as it relates to running and health in his quest to get faster and fitter.
In an age where fitness watches and smart rings use passive health data and hidden algorithms to assess your health and athleticism, Polar takes a direct-to-user approach. The Vantage V3 has a dedicated section for “tests” on everything from nighttime recovery to EKGs to VO2 Max. And while automatic tracking is more futuristic, I’m a fan of this alternative.
The annoying part of buying a new smartwatch is the learning phase. You are promised the equivalent of a constant medical exam and a PE test on your wrist. But once you put it on, you’ll be wearing it for days, if not weeks, before the software reports its results or properly measures your health and fitness status.
This may be due to the fact that I can’t sleep well when wearing a smartwatch, or the fact that this job requires me to change watches every few weeks, but I have a hard time maintaining interest in a new product long enough to to use these features or remember to look for information once it’s finally ready.
When it comes to fitness, I can’t tell you how often the VO2 Max data on a smartwatch is completely wrong to begin with, based on running data that couldn’t possibly provide the insights necessary to make such an assessment.
Polar isn’t that different from these other fitness watch brands as it also passively measures your VO2 Max, nightly charge, and other data over time. With the active test area you can also take this into your own hands, so to speak.
I can view my “cardio load status” to see if the Polar algorithm thinks I’m ready to workout based on my abilities or if I’m “overdoing it.” But if the estimate doesn’t match mine perceived Polar has an orthostatic test that takes a snapshot of my heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) at rest or standing.
A full night of HRV data gives Polar more data to work with. However, if you don’t sleep with your Polar or wear another tracker to bed (like my Ultrahuman Ring Air), four minutes of relaxation will give you the information you need to make an assessment.
Even better, Polar has a “leg stiffness test” that measures your muscle recovery after running.
Every post marathon runner knows the feeling when your heart has recovered but your legs still need a week. Sometimes my legs are fine, but my exhausted heart treats a run like a sprint. Still, most fitness watches necessarily lump cardiovascular and muscular recovery together.
It would be nice if these watches could use running form analysis to adjust recovery time. I’m sure tired muscles could affect our vertical lift, affect our cadence, or unbalance our stride. Instead, Polar has you jump up and down three times with your hands on your hips. After a few tests it will have a base value for your normal jumping abilities; If you come up short, you know you’re not ready for a hard run.
I appreciate that Polar allows me to check my physical recovery myself instead of blindly relying on the algorithm.
Then we have my absolute favorite: the VO2 Max running test from Polar. I first tried it with the Polar Pacer Pro, one of my first running watch reviews, and now that I’m testing the Vantage V3 I’m happy to go back to it. Essentially it involves slowly increasing your pace from 15:00/mile down until you can no longer keep up, for about 10-15 minutes of easy to max running.
I ended up getting tired as I reached the sub-6:00 pace window and was rewarded with a 53. For comparison, that’s two points more than my Garmin VO2 Max average (51). Polar calls it “Very Good” for my age and gender, while Garmin would call it “Excellent.” In any case, it’s an improvement compared to my VO2 Max value a year ago.
I don’t know which is more precise; Garmin works with months of data, while Polar uses the traditional self-guided method. The only finally The best way would be to go to a testing lab that measures your breathing on a treadmill.
Honestly, I don’t care which is better. I just want to have multiple opportunities to test myself.
Increasing your VO2 Max is a long, arduous process that involves increasing your training load week after week. The more you improve, the longer it takes to gain a point. Sometimes I wondered whether it was me or not Strictly speaking Improvement or when my Garmin Forerunner 965 and its algorithm simply rewards me for following training load suggestions.
That’s why it’s so encouraging to have a way to spot-check your VO2 Max. That 53 validated all the hard track runs and boring low aerobic runs I’ve done over the last year to improve.
It also made me competitive: next time I do a manual VO2 max test, I won’t do it let I’ll stay behind until I push further into the 5:XX range and score higher!
Whichever brand of smartwatch you buy, you have to trust its algorithm and have no ability to change the numbers or peek behind the scenes. You have to have faith in a brand’s reputation and then spend weeks or months figuring out whether the algorithm truly understands your fitness level and how often you need rest.
But even with the most reliable brand that you’ve been wearing for a long time, you can’t always do everything perfectly. And that is to be expected!
Polar’s algorithm is no more imperfect than other brands’ data. But the Vantage V3 test suite is aimed at athletes who want to double-check Polar’s suggestions for themselves, especially when starting to use the watch, and I appreciate that Polar doesn’t insist on blind trust – like other brands do .
I will have my review of the Polar Vantage V3 ready by next week. So far it has performed quite well in a fitness test against COROS and Garmin. I appreciate the convenient design and easy access to certain tools – like tests – with one or two keystrokes.
Because it is even more relevant to this discussion, I hope that Polar will continue to expand this portion of testing over time. There are fitness tests for running, walking and cycling, all variations on the same theme, as well as recovery tests. Perhaps Polar could offer a mountain/stair climbing test to see how well you cope with elevation changes, or an arm strength test that fits in with indoor exercise recommendations.
Committed athletes are competitive athletes, and giving them the opportunity to test and compete with themselves and their own fitness metrics is always a recipe for success.