You are here: Settings > Physical settings

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
  • Activity goal
  • Preferred sleep time
  • Maximum heart rate
  • Resting heart rate
  • VO2max

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.

Activity goal

Daily activity goal is a good way to find out how active you really are in your everyday life. Choose your typical activity level from three options and see how active you need to be to reach your daily activity goal.

The time you need to complete your daily activity goal depends on the level you have chosen and the intensity of your activities. Age and gender also affect the intensity you need to reach your daily activity goal.

Level 1

If your day includes only a little sports and a lot of sitting, commuting by car or public transport and so on, we recommend you pick this activity level.

Level 2

If you spend most of your day on your feet, perhaps due to the type of work you do or your daily chores, this is the right activity level for you.

Level 3

If your work is physically demanding, you’re into sports or otherwise tend to be on the move and active, this is the activity level for you.

Preferred sleep time

Set Your preferred sleep time to define how long you aim to sleep every night. By default, it is set to the average recommendation for your age group (eight hours for adults from 18 to 64 years). If you feel that eight hours of sleep is too much or too little for you, we recommend you adjust your preferred sleep time to meet your individual needs. By doing this, you’ll get accurate feedback on how much sleep you got in comparison to your preferred sleep time.

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.

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

Resting heart rate

Your resting heart rate is the lowest number of heartbeats per minute (bpm) when fully relaxed and without distractions. Your age, fitness level, genetics, health status and sex affect the resting heart rate. A typical value for an adult is 55–75 bpm, but your resting heart rate can be significantly lower than that, for example, if you’re very fit.

It’s best to measure your resting heart rate in the morning after a good night’s sleep, right after you wake up. It’s OK to go to the bathroom first if it helps you to relax. Don’t do any strenuous training leading up to the measurement and make sure you’re fully recovered from any activity. You should do the measurement more than once, preferably on consecutive mornings, and calculate your average resting heart rate.

To measure your resting heart rate:

  1. Wear your watch. Lie down on your back and relax.
  2. After about 1 minute, start a training session on your wearable. Choose any sport profile, for example Other indoor.
  3. Lie still and breathe calmly for 3–5 minutes. Don’t look at your training data during the measuring.
  4. Stop the training session on your Polar device. Sync the wearable with the Polar Flow app or web service and check the training summary for the value of your lowest heart rate (HR min)—this is your resting heart rate. Update your resting heart rate to your physical settings in Polar Flow.

VO2max

Set your VO2max.

VO2max (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. VO2max can be measured or predicted by fitness tests (e.g. maximal exercise tests and submaximal exercise tests). You can also use your Running Index score, which is an estimation of your VO2max.