The motto for the Suunto M series is “taking the thinking out of training” and the M5 lives up to that.
Right at the start, the Suunto M5 will allow you to take a fitness test. During this test, the M5 will monitor your body metrics to identify your current fitness level. Once your basic fitness level has been identified, the Suunto M5 allows you to choose your fitness goal between improving fitness, weight loss or basic free training and will tailor a training program for you if you select one of the first two options.
From that point on, the Suunto M5 will tell you which days you should train and which days should be recovery days. Not only that, but it will give you feedback as you train telling you whether you are training too hard or going too easy. All these options are easy to use and the user interface is intuitive.
The Suunto M5 comes in a few different color option and it should be noted that the display on the one illustrated can sometimes be a bit hard to read when in dim light. I have not tried the models with a more standard “black on white” display but from what I hear they are much easier to read.
The Suunto M5 can easily be linked to Suunto’s foot POD, Bike Pod or GPS Pod to provide distance and speed data. A running pack is even sold which include the Suunto M5 and a foot POD. If you purchase the Movestick Mini (also included in the running kit) you can easily upload your training sessions to Suunto’s online community and training diary, Movescount. You can even customize the M5 training program by downloading one from Movescount.
Pros:
- Fitness test and personalised training program
- Easy to use interface
- Connectivity to various PODs
Cons:
- Missing some advanced measures such as Training Effect
- White on black display can be hard to read.
is clearly targeted at people who take their training seriously. In fact, all of that data can be intimidating at first, but the 
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. Pairing these devices is easy and the data they provide can be added to your customizable displays.
(20 customer reviews)