Polar Fitness Test?

[ltsop]

Does anyone know how accurate the Polar Fitness Test is? I've measured my max HR by using the 'sit on a trainer, increasing workload every couple of minutes until you think you can't do any more, then sprint' methodology. My max HR recorded was 190, which they say should be close to you actual maximum. The other night I tried the fitness test on my S410 for the first time. The results I got were max HR = 196 and OwnIndex = 62. Funnily enough I happen to be 24, meaning that according to Polar, my max HR fits the 220 - age formula. Is this purely coincidence? Has anyone compared the Polar test to actual lab testing?

 

[Eldron]

My max heart rate using the incremental ride to death method was 189, with the Polar Test it was 190 - I'm 29 so theoretically it is 191....I'm guessing my max is somewhere between 189 and 191!<br /><br />I reckon anything within 5 or 6 beats/minute is accurate enough.<br /><br />

 

[mnetherc79]

From my understanding the OwnIndex is supposed to be a measure of your aerobic capacity, ie max VO2, is that correct? <br /><br />If so, is there anyone on the forum who has completed a VO2 test, and then done the OwnIndex on their Polar to see how comparable the two tests are?

 

[admin]

[quote author=mnetherc79 link=board=19;threadid=2520;start=0#21663 date=1034822668]<br />From my understanding the OwnIndex is supposed to be a measure of your aerobic capacity, ie max VO2, is that correct? <br /><br />If so, is there anyone on the forum who has completed a VO2 test, and then done the OwnIndex on their Polar to see how comparable the two tests are?<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I havent done both.....but i recall reading that its within 2-3% of your actually vo2max.<br />My ownIndex was 74 the when i tested it the other day......i have doubts about this figure as a measure of my vo2max tho<br /><br />cheers!

 

[2LAP]

If thats your VO2 max Steve you must be one very fit lad! VO2 max tests measure O2 uptake directly so are very accurate at measuring aerobic capacity. Anything based on heart rate is less reliable because heart rate changes with temprature, hydration status, fatigue, etc. Its difficult to control all of these factors. It would be interesting to find out from polar how close the clinical trials have placed these two measures?<br /><br />Anyone from polar in here?

 

[ltsop]

I just emailed Dr. Ed through Polar's web site, asking how closely OwnIndex correlates to max VO2. I'll let you know when (if?) I get an answer ('please allow a week for replies...')<br />

 

[ltsop]

The answer (not from Dr. Ed - I found this on the Korean Polar web site )<br /><br />&quot;Correlation coefficient between the laboratory measured VO2max and the artificial neural network prediction was 0.97 and the mean error in the VO2max prediction was 6.5%. The measured maximal aerobic power values in the data varied between 1-6 l/min (25-60 ml/min/kg). In 95% of the cases in the teaching data and in 60 % of the cases in the validation data, the error in the VO2max prediction was less than 0.5 l/min. &quot;<br /><br />If you want to read the whole thing, check out http://www.polarkorea.co.kr/resech/SCIENTIFICDEVELOPMENT.htm<br /><br />If you're really interested in how to measure your VO2 max, check out http://www.aerobictest.com/index.htm - they have a great device so that you can check how much your fitness has decreased after your workout? ??? ??? What kind of training program are they on???

 

[2LAP]

Good stats, but does that mean it could be +/- 6.5% or 0.5L/min out.<br /><br />That means Steve could have a VO2max of 79 or just 69!

 

[OrangePeel76]

I took the Polar Fitness Test a few days ago. <br /><br />I took a labratory test with a score of VO2 max being 55 (I'm a female btw)<br />I took the Polar Fitness Test under *unideal* conditions as indicated by the manual and got scores from 53-57. So the VO2 part seems to be pretty accurate.<br /><br />However - I've done my own Max HR test - Max HR being 210.<br />The Polar Fit Test shows it being 196-200 which is way off. I can get my HR above 200 during any serious interval.<br /><br />Just my .02<br /><br />OP

 

[admin]

[quote author=2LAP link=board=19;threadid=2520;start=0#21674 date=1034874192]<br />If thats your VO2 max Steve you must be one very fit lad! [/quote]<br /><br />ummmm no, not really.......give me 2 or 3 months, will be interesting how that changes when i lose my last 7-8kg (i've lost about 20 so far.....amazing how fat you get when you step off the bike for a couple of years )

 

[ltsop]

Tell me about it. And to make matters worse, I was living in England for those two years! Anyone ever heard of the 'Heathrow Injection' ?

 

[ltsop]

The reply I received from Dr. Ed is:<br /><br />&quot;Work conducted at a major university in Finland and the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX, show it to be within 8 percent.&quot;<br /><br />(In answer to: How closely does OwnIndex correlate to VO2max?)

 

[2LAP]

[quote author=ltsop link=board=19;threadid=2520;start=0#21873 date=1035422570]<br />Anyone ever heard of the 'Heathrow Injection' ?<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Nope, does it make you go faster up hill as well as down hill. ;D<br /><br />I always loose weight when I stop riding as my appitite just goes away for good! <br /><br />Sorry, but who is Dr. Ed? Wasn't there a Mr. Ed on TV?

 

[ltsop]

Dr. Ed is the guy from the Polar web site - they have a 'Ask Dr. Ed all your questions' section.<br /><br />The Heathrow Injection is the common term for the amount of weight that antipodeans seem to instantly gain when stepping off the plane at Heathrow Generally as a result of drinking s**tloads of beer and eating curries

 

[2LAP]

I think there must also be a condition called the Manchester Injection!

 

[Leon]

Does anybody know how the Polar calculates the Own Index (exact mathematical formula) or is that Polar intellectual property.?

 

[rek]

[quote author=Leon link=board=19;threadid=2520;start=15#22109 date=1036259003]<br />Does anybody know how the Polar calculates the Own Index (exact mathematical formula) or is that Polar intellectual property.?<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I'm sure the exact calculation used in OwnIndex would be a Polar trade secret, but I'm pretty sure the basic research that the formulae have been based on have been published in journals and presented in conferences, etc.<br /><br />(Most pages on the polar.fi site related to the specifics of OwnIndex usually have about 5 or 6 references to scientific journals, etc.)

 

[GearGrinder]

I just got a Polar S710 and the fitness test is giving me very inacurate results i think. Iv reached 206 max heart rate using it the other day yet it predicst my max at 180. Also my Own Index Value is 32 = Im #@$@# unfit. This does not sound right to my. btw im 21 and my resting hr is 40. Iv got the correct details in like height weight etc what could be wrong?

 

[admin]

[quote author=Gear Grinder link=board=19;threadid=2520;start=15#22260 date=1036631857]<br />I just got a Polar S710 and the fitness test is giving me very inacurate results i think. Iv reached 206 max heart rate using it the other day yet it predicst my max at 180. Also my Own Index Value is 32 = Im #@$@# unfit. This does not sound right to my. btw im 21 and my resting hr is 40. Iv got the correct details in like height weight etc what could be wrong?<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Don't take any notice of its predicted max HR, use your own figure if you know it. As for own index, I wouldn't put to much weight on that.

 

[rek]

Yeah the HRmax prediction is pretty dodgy, though it's not that far off for me .. it predicts 185 or so and my maximum is 190.. (resting HR is usually in the low-mid 40s, but was 39 yesterday!)<br /><br />I find the OwnIndex more useful as a relative, rather than absolute, score. i.e. it's more for charting your own fitness progress than comparing to others. I've gone from a 34 (when I got my 710 in April) and am now 51 (I'm 22yo/183cm/91kg; still somewhat overweight.)<br /><br />One thing that does make a significant difference is the &quot;activity level&quot; you give it -- though you're not supposed to change that value until you've been at that different level for a few months or so. My progress was something like:<br /><br />34 -- medium activity level<br />37 -- medium activity level<br />45 -- high activity level<br />51 -- high activity level<br /><br />with 6-8 weeks between each OwnIndex test.