Polar Electro Oy

Polar has been at the top of the wearable sports and fitness technology market for quite some time and now, they have introduced a completely new ‘Polar Club’ system. With 35 years of experience behind them, Polar has created a training system that can be used by trainers and it helps to build programs through ‘cloud’ technology. As long as the consumer has the Polar H7 heart rate sensor, the app and an iPad, they will be able to receive help as well as view analysis when leading a gym or exercise class.

Polar’s Group Product Director, Marco Suvilaakso, has said “Polar Club provides clubs with a unique personal touch to the member experience. We’ve built Club to support an in-club experience as well as an online community where instructors and club members can share trainings, post and comment and share announcements. The system is not only an effective community-building, class management and reporting tool, but it also provides a way for instructors to make real-time adjustments to help their clients meet fitness goals.”

The Polar Club is expected to change the way in which a training session will run because the trainers will see trainees’ heart rates fluctuate on the screen and will see how best to make the most of each session. The app will also give tips for keeping the class motivated and ways to burn more calories and train more efficiently. In addition to this, it is also good for trainers to have to schedule their classes, keep tabs on members, and review each session upon completion.

Furthermore, gym owners will quickly be able to evaluate all the classes that are offered in their establishment through monthly reports to review which are the most popular and which classes worked the clients the hardest; these comparisons can be vital for both the business and the clients. The app will also be beneficial for club members too as they will be able to post comments and ask questions for others to answer; they will also be able to sign up for classes and read announcements regarding a change of time or change of trainer for the next session.

The Polar Flow system is an added extra that completes the whole experience and is one that will be utilised by trainers and trainees alike. Members can access their progress and performance through their Flow accounts and will be able to add to this information if they exercise away from the gym. The Flow will act as a training diary which can then be synced up with all the other information that is held in the system. Personal trainers and coaches will then see how their clients are working outside of class and can advise ways in which to improve their out-of-class training. With Polar Flow for coaches and for trainees, a full training experience can be offered by gyms and clients will progress quicker and more efficiently than ever before.

Director of Fitness for MVP Sports Clubs, Joe Casalese, has said “Integrating Polar into our club was a natural transition as many of our members were already using Polar products. Our members enjoy coming to the MVP Zone Training classes on a weekly basis where they are coached through heart rate zones and can track their progress live in class and then continue tracking activity outside of class through Polar Flow and Polar Beat.”

New innovations in sports technologies are helping athletes, from professionals to novices, improve their performance. These technologies can analyze an athlete’s form, style and health, giving them data they can work with to improve their training and technique.

2014 has been declared the year of the Activity Tracker, a year that will give us new equipment that can precisely track movement and energy output. These devices are designed to increase training productivity and motivation, by giving you a coach that is analyzing your fitness 24/7. 

The Polar V800 combines Polar’s innovative technology from their ‘Loop’ daily activity tracker with a multifunctional sports watch.  The watch will go far beyond counting steps and tracking heart rate. The V800 takes the GPS tracking unit from the RC3 model, combining it with the Loop’s Activity Tracker which allows the user to track their training efficiency and recovery progress, adds in a waterproof casing so you can track your heart rate even while swimming, and finishes off with a barometer for tracking your altitude level.

This watch was designed with the triathlon in mind, while also maintaining useful everyday features. The GPS and Activity Tracker will allow you to track your movements, even if that is in the mall or walking to work. This everyday approach to exercise tracking can help calculate every calorie burned and help you plan the level of rest and training intensity you need. This watch won’t just help you with exercise but supports you in recovery as well.

The design is simple to use but with a hi-tech interior. The watch is made from stainless steel and the face protected with shock-proof gorilla glass. Giving the user a seamless transition between training and 24/7 practicality, the Polar V800 has rightly won the design category for the ISPO Award 2014. Frederik Van Lierde, Ironman World Champion, uses the Polar V800 for his training because of its ease of use, allowing him to track his training sessions in every triathlon sport, all with one device.

Equipped with Bluetooth, the Polar V800 can transfer its stored data to smart phones on the go, allowing for easy data analysis anywhere. The mobile app Flow will allow the user to set up profiles for different training goals, and analyze movement, heart rate and calories burned. One battery charge will take you through an entire days’ worth of training, lasting 14 hours in training mode, 50 hours in low power mode and 30 days in time mode which includes daily activity monitoring.

You can purchase the Polar V800 from the Polar online store, starting at EUR 300.95 (EUR 449.94 with heart rate sensor). It is currently available in black with a blue model to follow shortly.