New data released by Polar suggests a clear shift in global fitness habits in 2025, with users moving away from casual, ad hoc exercise toward highly structured, data-driven training plans.
In its annual 2025 ‘Reflected’ year-in-review, which draws on global user data and survey responses, the Finnish sports tech company revealed that 59% of its users followed a structured training plan throughout the year.
This shows a major evolution in how its sports watches are being used; rather than simply recording activity for posterity, Polar’s analysis shows users are increasingly using their devices to guide their daily effort, manage intensity, and chase specific performance targets.
Heart rate remains king
The report points out that heart rate tracking is key to this more intentional approach. According to Polar, 87% of users monitored their heart rate during exercise in 2025, using the data to ensure they were training in the correct zones.
This focus on “quality over quantity” didn’t result in lower volume; however, the average user still clocked an impressive 301 minutes of training per week, suggesting high levels of sustained engagement.
Diversity in training also spiked, with over 150 different activity types recorded globally, spanning everything from traditional endurance sports to strength training and niche indoor workouts.
Races driving the calendar
Running remains the dominant force molding these habits. Polar pinpointed April 27th as the single most popular running day of the year globally.
The date coincided with major international events, including the London Marathon, bolstering the argument that mass-participation races act as attractive pulls for training behavior, even for non-elite runners.
This trend of “event-driven fitness” looks set to continue. Polar’s survey data indicates that 52% of its users plan to participate in an organized race in the future, signaling that the shift toward goal-oriented training is a long-term change rather than a fad.
While Polar hasn’t announced new hardware here, the data verifies the brand’s recent software push into recovery tracking and training load guidance—tools engineered for the structured training revealed in this report.
