The Polar Vantage V is packed full of features to motivate you and help you improve you fitness, suitable for a whole variety of workouts and triathlon training. Let me say straight off that this is a Multisport watch - not a smart watch - but it still has some useful features to keep you connected when on the move. This watch is water resistant, so it can follow you into the water and provide you with swimming metrics including your heart rate, swimming style, distance, pace, strokes and rest times, the distance and strokes are also tracked in open water swimming (so you have no excuse).
The Vantage V has wrist-based heart rate monitors that produce accurate data, it won’t beat a chest strap but it is a very close second, plus it’s way more comfortable and the information it provides will help you push your limits. The Vantage V helps you find a balance between training and rest, something many of us forget to manage which is one of the ways we can end up with injuries, the new Training Load Pro provides you with a full break down on how your training sessions strain your body in different ways so you can use this to see whether your body is ready for training and get recovery feedback with Recovery Pro. If you are a runner (and if you a looking at this watch, you are in luck) the Running Power feature works with the heart rate monitoring letting you monitor the external load of your running, it responds to changes in intensity faster than your heart rate, guiding you through interval and hill sessions. It also calculates Muscle Load, the load that your training session puts on your joints and your muscular and skeletal systems, therefore helping you avoid injury.
The Running Index estimates your running VO2 max and assesses how your running performance is developing, you can also get a personal and adaptive training plan that fits you and your goals. When you train you get access to the full Polar ecosystem where everything is connected, all your training data is available on one platform in Polar Flow app, you can also automatically sync your training data to Strava, TrainingPeaks and other fitness services. You will never forget a session with an automatic training diary, you can share your data with your PT or coach and even plan a season together with your coach with the free Polar Flow for Coach service. The Vantage V gives you a comprehensive insight into the intensity of your running sessions, but will also support over 130 different sports, you can add your favourite sports to your watch in Polar Flow. You can stay connected by receiving alerts for incoming calls, messages, emails, calendar events and more, get information on calories burned, receive motivating feedback immediately after training describing the effect of the session. Other features include sleep tracking via Sleep Plus, share highlights on the Polar Flow community, connect with online sports communities and get an insight into how your heart behaves throughout the day. Phew! I feel exhausted working though all those features, this is an accurate and reliable sports watch, it is comfortable enough for all day wear, the buttons and menus are easy to work through, the touch screen can be a little hit and miss with its responsiveness, but we can let that slide. The Polar Vantage V is a high performing watch that will help you become a high performing athlete. RRP £439
4.8 out of 5
Pros
Accurate wrist-based heart rate
Training Load Pro, Recovery Pro and Running Power Features
Swimming metrics
Running Index and Running Programme
Comfortable for all day wear
Lightweight (66g)
Up to 40h battery life with GPS and HR monitoring
Built in GPS
Two sizes available
Compatible with Polar BLE heart rate sensors
Cons
Touch screen lacks responsiveness
- Log in to post comments