An athletic performance monitoring system, including a gesture recognition processor configured to execute gesture recognition processes. Interaction with the athletic performance monitoring system may be based, at least in part, on gestures performed by a user, and may offer an alternative to making selections on the athletic performance monitoring system using physical buttons, which may be cumbersome and/or inconvenient to use while performing an athletic activity. Additionally, recognized gestures may be used to select one or more operational modes for the athletic performance monitoring system, such that a reduction in power consumption may be achieved.