Should I buy a smartwatch for tracking workouts?
I was thinking about getting an Apple Watch or Garmin to track my heart rate and calories while running. Maybe it's just marketing and a regular fitness band would be enough?
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The main difference isn't in marketing, but in the fact that cheap bracelets often give you a wrong heart rate reading when you're moving - especially when running, when your arm shakes more and the sensor loses contact with your skin.
Apple Watch and Garmin are pricier, but their optical sensors are noticeably more accurate, though not perfect either.
If you're planning to base your training on this data (figuring out intensity zones, tracking progress), then the extra cost makes sense; if you just want a general sense of your activity level, a basic bracelet will do the job.
How often do you actually run? That's the main thing. I had a friend with a dog who started running more seriously with her, and at first a regular fitness tracker for a couple thousand rubles was enough for him.
But then, when he started tracking his workload by heart rate zones and planning training weeks, he realized that the sensors in the tracker were off by 10-15 beats - and that messed with his plan.
If it's just a couple of times a week of activity for you, a tracker will do fine, but if you're thinking about progress and how your body adapts, then more expensive running watches with GPS and a reliable heart rate monitor actually make sense.
Do you even look at your stats during a run or after? Honestly, for most people smartwatches are more of a luxury than a necessity!
A fitness tracker will definitely do the job for basic metrics, but smartwatches give you more context: you can see your heart rate zones in real time, analyze your recovery, plan your workouts based on the data.
If you're running seriously and want to optimize your training - then yeah, it's worth it! But if you're just staying in shape - expensive watches will just sit in a drawer, a tracker will do the job!
The main thing is to figure out what you actually need it for. If you just want to count steps and get a rough idea of your heart rate, a fitness band will do the job. But if you want to analyze your workouts, see progress in detail, and understand how effective your training actually is, then smartwatches make sense.
I know this guy who started running and immediately bought an Apple Watch. For the first couple of months he was constantly checking it, tracking every run, then he lost interest - the watch is just lying around, he puts it on sometimes. But another friend of mine has a Garmin and he's been running for three years now, constantly checking his stats, comparing results, and it really motivates him. So the question isn't really about the watches themselves, but whether you'll have the motivation to actually use them.
As for choosing between Apple Watch and Garmin - it depends on your ecosystem. If you've got an iPhone, Apple Watch integrates more smoothly. Garmin works better with Android and is generally more universal. The sensor accuracy on both is fine for amateur level, though Garmin is usually a bit better in that regard. And don't rush to buy an expensive model - the entry-level versions do the job pretty well.
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