Stuff - UK (2020-02)

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Wrist never

sleeps

Your watch shouldn’t

quit before you do, but

using juice-thirsty

sensors like HRMs

and GPS is a test for

any fitness watch. If

you need to go long,

shoot for a top-end

watch that lets you

customise your

training settings

(selecting low-GPS

modes that sacrifice

accuracy to eke out

battery life) and has

the ability to switch

off the built-in

heart-rate tracking.

O Get this:

Coros Apex Pro

from £450 / coros.com

After the

goal rush

Some sports

watches offer

‘virtual coaching’

with tools that let

you know if your

blood, sweat and

tears on the gym

floor are actually

helping you hit your

goals. The most

useful include instant

post-workout

readouts for the

training impact of

your session and

benchmarking

measures such

as VO2 Max.

O Get this: Garmin

Forerunner 945

£520 / garmin.com

Speakin’

out

Of course, not all

sports watches are

equally talented. If

it’s important that

you can get phone

notifications beamed

to your wrist,

make contactless

payments, bark

orders at a voice

assistant and make

calls – all while

you sweat – look

for watches that

connect to your

phone... or, better

still, have built-in

4G connectivity.

O Get this: Apple

Watch Series 5

£399 / apple.com

Music

is love

Science boffins have

proven that music

can motivate us to

push deeper into the

pain cave – but how

you tap into your

tunes depends on

your device. If you

insist on working

out phone-free, look

for a training partner

that offers offline

music storage. Or

pick a 4G-connected

tracker that puts

streaming services

right on your wrist.

O Get this:

Samsung Galaxy

Watch Active2 4G

£419 / samsung.com

Out on the

weekend?

Fatigue, sleep quality

and stress all affect

how quickly you’re

ready to roll again. A

watch that pairs with

an HRM chest strap

offers deeper insights

to help you maximise

your recovery.

O Get this:

Polar Vantage V

£439 / polar.com

FITBIT VERSA 2

£200 / fitbit.com

This sporty watch delivers

video workouts and has

Alexa built in, so you can order

more Creme Eggs without

stepping off the treadmill.

POLAR IGNITE

£175 / polar.com

It’s all gain, no strain with this

all-round fitness-focused

watch, which matches guided

workouts to your readiness

to train.

HOW TO BUY

A SPORTS

SMARTWATCH

Run, bike, swim or

hike, here’s how to

choose a wearable

that’ll unleash your

superhero potential

KEEP WATCH STRAP YOURSELF IN

OR TRY

ONE OF

THESE...

1 2 3 4 5

TOP TENS HOW TO BUY

JARGON

BUSTER

HRM

Optical heart-rate

monitors are now

built into many

smartwatches to

constantly track

your pulse.

GNSS

Multi-GNSS

devices use three

satnav systems (GPS,

Glonass and Galileo)

to track your every

move.

IP & ATM

An IP rating reveals

how well your watch

can handle sweat, dirt,

dust and knocks. ATM

is just for water

submersion.