Can You Trust Your Wrist Heart Rate When Exercising? A Validation Study of the Polar Ignite and the Garmin Vivoactive 4S

Erbil Murat Aydın; Sema Can; Erkan Demirkan; Ali Fatih Sağlam; Burak Gündoğan; Pilar Martín Escudero

doi:10.5334/paah.559

Can You Trust Your Wrist Heart Rate When Exercising? A Validation Study of the Polar Ignite and the Garmin Vivoactive 4S

Physical Activity and Health

Volume 10 (2026): Issue 1

By: Erbil Murat Aydın , Sema Can , Erkan Demirkan , Ali Fatih Sağlam , Burak Gündoğan and Pilar Martín Escudero

Open Access

|Jul 2026

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine the accuracy of Polar Ignite and Garmin Vivoactive 4S wrist-worn devices for measuring heart rate during various physical activities.

Methods: A total of 29 participants (14 women and 15 men) took part in this study. Heart rate was measured by Polar H10 chest strap, Polar Ignite, and Garmin Vivoactive 4S devices. Heart rate measurements were conducted during resting, walking/running on a treadmill at speeds of 5, 8, and 10 km/h, and five different resistance exercises. The Polar H10 was used as the reference standard. Mean absolute percentage error was used to compare the devices with Polar H10.

Results: Both devices showed good agreement with the Polar H10 at rest. Additionally, the Polar Ignite showed good agreement with the Polar H10 during walking and running while Garmin did not show good agreement. Both devices had poor accuracy during various resistance exercises.

Conclusions: In conclusion, while using both devices is recommended for resting, Polar Ignite is recommended for walking and running. It should also be taken into account that both devices showed poor accuracy in heart rate during resistance training.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/paah.559 | Journal eISSN: 2515-2270

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Language: English

Page range: 107 - 116

Submitted on: Mar 8, 2026

Accepted on: Jul 2, 2026

Published on: Jul 24, 2026

Published by: Ubiquity Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

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© 2026 Erbil Murat Aydın, Sema Can, Erkan Demirkan, Ali Fatih Sağlam, Burak Gündoğan, Pilar Martín Escudero, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 10 (2026): Issue 1