Polar Pacer : Fitness Tracker with Incredible Swimming Metrics
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that can do it all, look no further than the Polar Pacer. This new watch from Polar is dedicated to running, but it also has incredible swimming metrics. With features like automatic stroke recognition and detailed swim analysis, the Pacer can help you improve your swimming performance. Plus, its heart rate sensor is designed specifically for detecting difficult motion like swimming. So you can always be sure you’re getting accurate data. So if you’re ready to take your swimming workouts to the next level, the Polar Pacer is definitely the tracker for you!
Does The Polar Pacer Track Swimming? Yes, The Polar Pacer has a feature called swimming metrics that can track your swimming activities in the pool and the open water
Swimming Metrics is Available in The Polar Pacer
Swimming metrics help you analyze each swimming session, and follow your performance and progress in the long run. There are 2 separate features, Pool swimming and open water swimming. Each feature is unique and also it’s ability to track your heart rate, pace, cadence and so forth. All you need to do is activate which swimming profile you are going to use and away you go.
To choose your swimming profile you :
- Press BACK to enter the main menu, choose Start training, and then browse to the Swimming, Pool swimming or Open water swimming profile.
- When using the Swimming/Pool swimming profile, check that the pool length is correct. To change the pool length, press LIGHT to access the quick menu, choose Pool length setting and set the correct length.
Please also note that when activating your swim profile, please do so before you enter the water. You dont want to press onto the screen or on the side button as moisture my enter.
What To Expect When You Use The Polar Pacer Swimming Profiles
When you use the swimming profile on your watch, it will identify your swimming style. The watch will also record how far you swim, how long it takes you to swim that distance, your pace, how many strokes you take per minute, and how much time you rest. In addition, with the help of the SWOLF score you can track your progress.
1. Swimming Styles
There are different swimming styles. Your watch can track how you swim, and calculate different metrics for each swimming style. It can also track your total swimming time.
- Freestyle
- Backstroke
- Breaststroke
- Butterfly
2. Pace and Distance
The watch can detect your swimming style and use this information to give you accurate pace and distance measurements. Your pace and distance measurements are based on the number of turns you make, and how long the pool is. Every time you turn, the watch will measure one pool length.
3. Strokes
The number of strokes you take per minute is a good measure of your swimming efficiency. The watch will calculate this for you, and display it on the screen.
4. SWOLF
The SWOLF score is a measure of your swimming efficiency. It takes into account your pace, and the number of strokes you take per pool length. The lower your SWOLF score, the more efficient you are.
5. Pool Length (Used in Pool Swimming Profile Only)
You need to choose the right pool length for you. The length of the pool affects how fast you swim, how far you go, and your SWOLF score. You can choose the pool length in pre-training mode from the quick menu. The default lengths are 25 meters, 50 meters and 25 yards, but you can also set it manually to a custom length. The minimum length that can be chosen is 20 meters/yards.
6. Route (Only Used In Open Swimming Profile)
You can use the Flow app and web service to view your swim route on a map. Your route is recorded using GPS, but GPS does not work underwater. So your route is filtered from GPS data that is collected when your hand is out of the water or very close to the surface. External factors such as water conditions and satellite positions can affect the accuracy of the GPS data, and as a result data from the same route can vary from day to day.
7. Customise Display Screen
You can choose what is shown on the display when you look at someone’s sport profile on the Flow web service. The default setting for swimming profiles show the following information:
Your heart rate and the heart rate
- Your heart rate
- Distance
- Duration
- Rest time (Pool swimming)
- Pace (Open Water swimming)
- Maximum heart rate
- Time of day
A very handy feature to have, especially if there is particular metrics that are important to your fitness or performance goals.
8. Review You Session At The End
Once you have completed your swimming activities. You can review your training metrics at the end. All you need to do is go to the training summary feature on your watch and the watch will display information such as :
- Date and time, Session length, Swim distance
- Average heart rate, maximum heart rate, cardio load
- Heart rate zones
- Calories Fat burn % of calories
- Average pace and Maximum pace
- Stroke rate, average stroke rate, maximum stroke rate
You can use the Flow app to track your swimming sessions and see how you did. You can see your heart rate, pace, and stroke rate curves.
Is The Heart Rate Tracking Reliable During Your Swim Sessions?
It is fairly accurate, and to be fair tracking your heart rate during swimming is very difficult. With so much movement it is hard for the watch to pick up the information to track. However Polar have invested a lot of time into constructing a new sensor to eliminate this anomaly The Polar pacer uses the same type of heart rate tracking sensor as the Polar Vantage. Which is the Precision Prime sensor fusion technology.
Without getting to technical, sensor fusion relies on different information from multiple sensors to authenticate the correct information. Including the design of the sensors. It’s paced in a unique position to allow the sensors to collect data. The end result is a more accurate heart rate, that can be trusted when swimming.
Polar Pacer uses three sensors to obtain your heart rate
- Heart rate monitor
- Skin contact sensor
- 3D accelerometer (movement sensor similar to a gyroscope)
All three sensors work together to track your heart rate during your swim session. Sensor fusion is very reliable, in fact I wrote a article earlier in the year about the Apple Watch 7. With the Latest operating system updates Watch OS9, sensor fusion was used to auto detect multi sport. It took away the manual application and allows the user to just focus on training, and the watch to track your training.
Polar Pacer Is Compatible With Wireless Sensors
If heart rate accuracy is a must for your training, then you may want to invest in 2 different wireless sensors that can be used to pair with the Polar Pacer via Bluetooth.
- Polar H10 sensor
- Polar Verity sensor.
Both very reliable heart rate sensors that are not attached to the wrist. Verity sense can be strapped higher on your arm, where as the H10 Polar sensor is a chest strap. If I was to choose between the 2, definitely go for the H10 Polar sensor. This device is the gold standard of heart rate tracking, and is the best device on the market.
Final Conclusion
The Polar Pacer is a fantastic fitness tracker for those who are looking to improve their swimming. It has a variety of features that make it stand out from other fitness trackers on the market, and its new sensor technology ensures that you get accurate heart rate data while swimming. If you’re serious about improving your swimming, the Polar Pacer is definitely worth considering.
Also if Heart rate accuracy is a must when it comes to your swimming training then you may want to look at getting the H10 Polar pacer heart rate monitor. Because the device is trapped to your chest, it wont be difficult to obtain accurate heart rate information in comparison to recording the info from your watch. Its a small price to pay, for such valuable and accurate information.
I hope you enjoyed this article, if you have any questions please leave them in the comments section below. And I will aim to answer as soon as possible. As always happy training!
