Physical Settings

To view and edit your physical settings, go to Settings > Physical settings. It is important that you are precise with the physical settings, especially when setting your weight, height, date of birth and sex, as they have an impact on the accuracy of the measuring values, such as the heart rate zone limits and calorie expenditure.

In Physical settings you'll find:

• Weight
• Height
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Training background
• Maximum heart rate
• Resting heart rate
• VO2_max

Weight

Set your weight in kilograms (kg) or pounds (lbs).

Height

Set your height in centimeters (metric) or in feet and inches (imperial).

Date of Birth

Set your birthday. The order in which the date settings are depends on which time and date format you have chosen (24h: day - month - year / 12h: month - day - year).

Sex

Select Male or Female.

Training background

Training background is an assessment of your long-term physical activity level. Select the alternative that best describes the overall amount and intensity of your physical activity during the past three months.

• Occasional (0-1h/week): You do not participate regularly in programmed recreational sport or heavy physical activity, e.g. you walk only for pleasure or exercise hard enough to cause heavy breathing or perspiration only occasionally.
• Regular (1-3h/week): You participate regularly in recreational sports, e.g. you run 5-10 km or 3-6 miles per week or spend 1-3 hours per week in comparable physical activity, or your work requires modest physical activity.
• Frequent (3-5h/week): You participate at least 3 times a week in heavy physical exercise, e.g. you run 20-50 km/12-31 miles per week or spend 3-5 hours per week in comparable physical activity.
• Heavy (5-8h/week): You participate in heavy physical exercise at least 5 times a week, and you may sometimes take part in mass sports events.
• Semi-pro (8-12h/week): You participate in heavy physical exercise almost daily, and you exercise to improve performance for competitive purposes.
• Pro (>12h/week): You are an endurance athlete. You participate in heavy physical exercise to improve your performance for competitive purposes.

Maximum Heart Rate

Set your maximum heart rate, if you know your current maximum heart rate value. Your age-predicted maximum heart rate value (220-age) is displayed as a default setting when you set this value for the first time.

HR_max is used to estimate energy expenditure. HR_max is the highest number of heartbeats per minute during maximum physical exertion.The most accurate method for determining your individual HR_max is to perform a maximal exercise stress test in a laboratory. HR_max is also crucial when determining training intensity. It is individual and depends on age and hereditary factors.

Resting Heart Rate

Set your resting heart rate.

A person’s resting heart rate (HR_rest) is the lowest number of heart beats per minute (bpm) when fully relaxed and without distractions. Age, fitness level, genetics, health status and gender affect HR_rest. HR_rest is decreased as the result of cardiovascular conditioning. A normal value for an adult is 60-80 bpm, but for top athletes it can even be below 40 bpm.

Vo_2max

Set your VO2_max.

A clear link exists between maximal oxygen consumption (VO2_max) of the body and cardiorespiratory fitness because oxygen delivery to tissues is dependent on lung and heart function. VO2_max (maximal oxygen uptake, maximal aerobic power) is the maximal rate at which oxygen can be used by the body during maximal exercise; it is related directly to the maximal capacity of the heart to deliver blood to the muscles. VO2_max can be measured or predicted by fitness tests (e.g. maximal exercise tests, submaximal exercise tests, Polar Fitness Test). VO2_max is a good index of cardiorespiratory fitness and a good predictor of performance capability in endurance events such as distance running, cycling, cross-country skiing, and swimming.

VO2_max can be expressed either as milliliters per minute (ml/min = ml ■ min-1) or this value can be divided by the person’s body weight in kilograms (ml/kg/min = ml ■ kg-1■ min-1).