There’s no shortage of multi-sport GPS watches in the market, all fighting their way to the wrists of athletes and fitness enthusiasts. And they do that with, generally, the same features, from tracking dozens of sports and logging detailed stats to offering coaching and monitoring your sleep cycle. The Polar Ignite makes its case by coming with a smarter algorithm.
Unlike other multi-sport watches, the device uses data from your sleep cycle and your recovery measurements to suggest exercises for the day, in addition to the other metrics usually employed by similar systems. Basically, it can detect if you’re too tired to go full out in training, in which case it will recommend lighter exercises to make sure you don’t run the risk of injury or overtraining. That way, you can still put in your workout without putting your body in jeopardy, giving it room to properly recover, so you can come back and give it your all another day.
The Polar Ignite is an erstwhile standard multi-sport watch, with a built-in GPS, wrist-based heart rate monitoring, and the usual array of sensors to track your physical movements. Using those components, the watch can track your heart rate, running metrics (speed, distance, route, and altitude), swimming metrics (style, distance, pace, strokes, and rest times), and other information, depending on the kind of workout you’re performing. It supports full monitoring and tracking for over 100 different sports, so whether you want to spend your workout time cycling, rowing, or lifting weights, this thing is properly equipped to capture your data.
It uses an algorithm called the FitSpark training guide, which offers ready-made workouts for your training sessions on-demand, allowing you to focus on execution, instead of worrying about designing your program. It doesn’t just offer a single workout, either, instead presenting you with various options, all designed based on your recorded stats, including fitness level, recovery status, and training history. That means, if you’ve been focusing on cardio workouts and mobility exercises the past two weeks, you can opt to take on a strength training routine this time around, allowing you to vary your workouts as you see the need.
The Polar Ignite has a full-color 43mm touch display with 240 x 204 resolution, so you can interact with it directly through the screen, while a Dragontrail glass lens and stainless steel bezel keeps it protected from the bumps of everyday life. It comes with two bands, a TPU plastic strap (black and silver) and a silicone strap, with both sporting a stainless steel buckle. Battery life, by the way, is 17 hours with the GPS and heart-rate monitoring running, all while stretching to five days with only the heart-rate function activated. Other features include breathing exercises, compatibility with Polar’s heart rate chest strap (in case you want more accurate monitoring), a companion app, compatibility with third-party apps (e.g. Strava, Nike+ Run Club, and more), basic phone notifications, and 30 meters of water resistance.
The Polar Ignite is available now, priced at $229.95.