Workout watches

Squatitout28

Any opinions on which workout watch is the best to use

healthy491

I have the fitbit blaze and I love it ! It made me a much more active person and helped me lose and maintain my weight its also pretty accurate

TavistockToad

Depends what you want it to do? Step tracker or HRM?

pebble4321

I'm loving my Apple watch. More than just a workout watch, but a winner for me.
It doesn't do everything though, I still use Runkeeper on my phone for intervals - unless they are simple ones where I just keep an eye on the time.
I think it works for me because it has a combo of daily activity tracking plus (basic) workout tracking. I don't log exercise in MFP anymore, just let the watch data feed into MFP and made adjustments.

FitPhillygirl

I have been using the Apple Watch for a few months now and I love it! It doesn't overestimate my calorie burn and the HR sensor mirrors my polar FT 7 plus or minus 2 beats. I don't count calories but I still have it synced to MFP so I have an idea of what my TDEE is for the day. I've had many activity trackers over the years and the Apple Watch is my favorite so far. I think it's because the Apple Watch can do so much more than a activity only tracker can do. I make and receive calls on my watch, texted, and also check my emails when I'm out as well. I use it to track sleep every now and then, but I don't really like having a tracker on my wrist when I'm sleeping.

singletrackmtbr

It depends on your workouts. Google "wrist based heart rate monitor accuracy" and you'll find they aren't accurate except for steady state cardio.

So if you're just walking, running or riding a Fitbit will probably suit your needs. If you're doing strength training, HIIT, etc. I would go the chest strap route.

I love my Garmin Fenix 3 HR. It does everything a Fitbit does, but is also waterproof, pairs with a chest strap, and has built-in GPS for my mountain bike rides. I can use the wrist based HRM for riding and general all day stuff, and the strap for strength and HIIT. It's expensive, but there are cheaper versions like the Vivoactive HR that have a lot of the same functionality without some of the bells and whistles.

Good luck!

traceyc83

I have a Garmin vivofit2 with the HRM strap and I love it. I like that it shows the time, has watch battery that's good for a year, and is waterproof. I haven't taken it off since I got it. It has the cell phone alerts and all that but I don't use it so I don't how well that works. It syncs pretty well with MFP. It's less expensive than the fitbit that does less.

TeaBea

I have a FitBit One, it's great for me because my steady state cardio is step based. If my steady state cardio were something else (cycling or swimming for example) then a HRM would be better. Heart rate monitors with a chest strap are going to be more accurate than wrist only models.

If you are trying to measure other types of workouts the accuracy is going to go way down. HRMs aren't desiged for HIIT, strength training, circuit training, etc.

RosieRose7673

I used to use the Apple Watch. I loved it but I stopped using it a few weeks ago. It always gave me what seemed like a reasonable calorie count. It made me move more for sure.

However, for me the Apple Watch wasn't accurate in my burns. It ended up severely underestimating my total daily calorie burn. It would say my TDEE was 2200 to 2300. That seemed about right for my height and weight (5'5 and 130) and the amount of exercise that I did. But I was still losing about a lb or a little less a week while I was trying to maintain my weight.

I know that all those watches are just rough estimates and don't take into account body fat % which can screw with the calories.

I gave up on it because I knew I needed to eat more but hated seeing the numbers go red when calorie counting. Then again, I started intuitive eating and am much happier maintaining weight.

TL;DR- Apple Watch underestimated my burn by a good amount. They are just starting off points to find what you really burn.

cmtristani

I bought a Fitbit Blaze last weekend. I got it because on paper and the reviews I read seemed to indicate it was the best option for me, for the price. I love the sleep tracker (sleep is a problem for me), and the heart rate monitor is very good. Way better than relying on a cardio machine's HRM. Everything seems to be accurate. It's calorie burn for cardio exercises is lower than what cardio machines say, so I think it is more accurate.

NorthCascades

singletrackmtbr wrote: »

I love my Garmin Fenix 3 HR. It does everything a Fitbit does, but is also waterproof, pairs with a chest strap, and has built-in GPS for my mountain bike rides. I can use the wrist based HRM for riding and general all day stuff, and the strap for strength and HIIT. It's expensive, but there are cheaper versions like the Vivoactive HR that have a lot of the same functionality without some of the bells and whistles.

If you want the best, it's a Fenix 3 or Fenix 3 HR.

I have a trip coming up in a few weeks to Ross Lake, going to spend a lot of time swimming. The F3 has a swimming mode, it gets a GPS fix every time you raise your arm out of the water, records a map, your stroke rate vs your pace, I even get my HR in the water.