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Fitness Test with wrist-based heart rate

The Polar Fitness Test with wrist-based heart rate is an easy, safe and quick way to estimate your aerobic (cardiovascular) fitness at rest. It's a simple 5-minute fitness level assessment that gives you an estimate of your maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). The Fitness Test calculation is based on your resting heart rate, heart rate variability and your personal information: gender, age, height, weight, and self-assessment of your physical activity level called the training background. The Polar Fitness Test is developed for use by healthy adults.

Aerobic fitness relates to how well your cardiovascular system works to transport oxygen to your body. The better your aerobic fitness, the stronger and more efficient your heart is. Good aerobic fitness has many health benefits. For example, it helps in decreasing the risk of high blood pressure and your risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. If you want to improve your aerobic fitness it takes, on average, six weeks of regular training to see a noticeable change in your fitness test result. Less fit individuals see progress even more rapidly. The better your aerobic fitness, the smaller the improvements in your result.

Aerobic fitness is best improved by training types that use large muscle groups. Such activities include running, cycling, walking, rowing, swimming, skating, and cross-country skiing. To monitor your progress, start by performing the test a couple of times during the first two weeks in order to get a baseline value, and then repeat the test approximately once a month.

To make sure the test results are reliable, the following basic requirements apply:

  • You can perform the test anywhere - at home, at the office, at a health club - provided the testing environment is peaceful. There should be no disturbing noises (e.g. television, radio, or telephone) and no other people talking to you.
  • Always take the test in the same environment and at the same hour.
  • Avoid eating a heavy meal or smoking 2-3 hours prior to testing.
  • Avoid heavy physical exertion, alcohol, and pharmaceutical stimulants on the test day and the previous day.
  • You should be relaxed and calm. Lie down and relax for 1-3 minutes before starting the test.

Before the test

Before starting the test, make sure your physical settings including training background are accurate in Settings > Physical settings.

Wear your watch snugly on top of your wrist, at least a finger’s width up from the wrist bone. The heart rate sensor on the back of your watch must be in constant touch with your skin.

Performing the test

To perform the fitness test, press the button and swipe down to find Fitness Test. First, tap Fitness Test and then on Relax and start the test.

  • When heart rate is found, your current heart rate and Lie down & relax is shown on the display. Stay relaxed and limit body movements and communication with other people.
  • You can interrupt the test in any phase by pressing the button. Test canceled is shown.

If the watch cannot receive your heart rate signal, the message Test failed is shown. In which case, you should check that the heart rate sensor on the back of the watch is in constant touch with your skin. See Wrist-based heart rate measurement for detailed instructions on wearing your watch when measuring heart rate from your wrist.

Test results

When the test is over, your watch notifies you by vibrating and shows a description of your fitness test result and your estimated VO2max.

Update to VO22max to physical settings? is shown.

  • Tap to save the value to your Physical settings.
  • Tap to cancel only if you know your recently measured VO2max value, and if it differs more than one fitness level class from the result.

Your latest test result is shown in Tests > Fitness test > Latest result. Only your most recently performed test result is shown.

For a visual analysis of your Fitness test results, go to the Flow web service and select the test from your Diary to view details from it.

Your watch syncs with the Flow app automatically after the test if your phone is within the Bluetooth range.

Performing the test

On your watch, choose Fitness test > Relax and start the test. The watch starts searching for your heart rate.

When your heart rate is found Lie down & relax is shown on the display. Stay relaxed and limit body movements and communication with other people.

You can interrupt the test in any phase by pressing BACK. Test canceled is shown.

If the watch cannot receive your heart rate signal, the message Test failed is shown. In which case, you should check that the heart rate sensor on the back of the watch is in constant touch with your skin. See Wrist-based heart rate measurement for detailed instructions on wearing your watch when measuring heart rate from your wrist.

Test results

When the test is over, your watch notifies you by vibrating and shows a description of your fitness test result and your estimated VO2max.

Update to VO22max to physical settings? is shown.

  • Press OK to save the value to your Physical settings.
  • Press BACK to cancel only if you know your recently measured VO2max value, and if it differs more than one fitness level class from the result.

Your latest test result is shown in Tests > Fitness test > Latest result. Only your most recently performed test result is shown.

For a visual analysis of your Fitness test results, go to the Flow web service and select the test from your Diary to view details from it.

Your watch syncs with the Flow app automatically after the test if your phone is within the Bluetooth range.

Fitness level classes

Men

Age / Years Very low Low Fair Moderate Good Very good Elite
20-24 < 32 32-37 38-43 44-50 51-56 57-62 > 62
25-29 < 31 31-35 36-42 43-48 49-53 54-59 > 59
30-34 < 29 29-34 35-40 41-45 46-51 52-56 > 56
35-39 < 28 28-32 33-38 39-43 44-48 49-54 > 54
40-44 < 26 26-31 32-35 36-41 42-46 47-51 > 51
45-49 < 25 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-43 44-48 > 48
50-54 < 24 24-27 28-32 33-36 37-41 42-46 > 46
55-59 < 22 22-26 27-30 31-34 35-39 40-43 > 43
60-65 < 21 21-24 25-28 29-32 33-36 37-40 > 40

Women

Age / Years Very low Low Fair Moderate Good Very good Elite
20-24 < 27 27-31 32-36 37-41 42-46 47-51 > 51
25-29 < 26 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-44 45-49 > 49
30-34 < 25 25-29 30-33 34-37 38-42 43-46 > 46
35-39 < 24 24-27 28-31 32-35 36-40 41-44 > 44
40-44 < 22 22-25 26-29 30-33 34-37 38-41 > 41
45-49 < 21 21-23 24-27 28-31 32-35 36-38 > 38
50-54 < 19 19-22 23-25 26-29 30-32 33-36 > 36
55-59 < 18 18-20 21-23 24-27 28-30 31-33 > 33
60-65 < 16 16-18 19-21 22-24 25-27 28-30 > 30

The classification is based on a literature review of 62 studies where VO2max was measured directly in healthy adult subjects in the USA, Canada and 7 European countries. Reference: Shvartz E, Reibold RC. Aerobic fitness norms for males and females aged 6 to 75 years: a review. Aviat Space Environ Med; 61:3-11, 1990.

VO2max

A clear link exists between maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) of the body and cardiorespiratory fitness because oxygen delivery to tissues is dependent on lung and heart function. 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, submaximal exercise tests, Polar Fitness Test). VO2max 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.

VO2max 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).