54
Garmin Forerunner 45
This entry-level watch is tailored for
running but packs plenty of other
sport modes. It’s great for zone and
interval training, with reliable optical
BPM tracking on the wrist, an
easy-to-read colour screen and
a lightweight, comfortable design.
Heart rate is used to generate VO2
Max fitness estimates; they aren’t
as accurate as a full lab test, but still
offer a simple (and painless) way to
benchmark your progress.
£170 / garmin.comCoros Apex
If going long and getting a bit more
wild is your preferred way to raise
your heart rate, the Apex packs up
to 35hrs of training time with BPM
and GPS fully firing. You get interval
and zone training, and sport modes
for everything from trail running to
cross-country skiing. It’s waterproof
to 10m and offers heart-rate-based
VO2 Max estimates, plus recovery
time recommendations so you can
monitor your improvement.
£300 / coros.comPolar Ignite
A training watch tailored to general
fitness, the Ignite offers zone training
for a range of activities but also uses
its built-in optical sensor to get deep
into recovery. It tracks your autonomic
nervous system to reveal how well
your body has bounced back from
your last gut-buster, then uses this
data to generate tailored workout
recommendations with duration,
intensity and walkthroughs.
£175 / polar.comFitbit Charge 4
This fitness band’s sensor tends to
read a little high and suffers some
lag, so if accuracy is critical there are
better options – but if you’re after
some general motivation, it’s great.
It encourages you to move with intent,
converting effort into Active Zone
Minutes and setting daily targets. You
get one point each time you hit the
fat-burn zone and two for shifting
gears into the cardio or peak zone.
£130 / fitbit.com1
Weight for it
Smartwatches and
trackers allow you to set
up a body profile, and it’s
really worth doing. Basic
info like age, gender,
height and weight will
improve accuracy with
metrics like stride length
and calories burned.
Trackers estimate
calorie burn by using
your heart rate, weight
and activity levels to
determine your basal
metabolic rate (BMR);
skip the basics and your
data is rendered useless.2
Wrist in peace
A top tip people
often overlook is to
wear your tracker on
your non-dominant
wrist. This might feel
weird at first, but you’ll
soon get used to it. The
reason? Moving your
dominant hand a lot
during the day (oh, the
jokes...) will skew step
data. Some trackers
allow you to input which
wrist you’re using and
which is your dominant
hand; many don’t.3
Smarten app
Don’t forget to
connect with the apps
included in this feature.
Plenty of them have
features tailored to
your needs and will
work in sync with your
wearable. Food tracking,
calorie counting, guided
workouts – all are likely
to be handled better by
a dedicated app.OUTDOOR FITNESS
TIPS FOR
TRACKINGNOW APP THIS
One You
Couch to 5K
An app from Public
Health England worth
downloading, and one
that didn’t cause £12m
to be flushed down
the lavvy, Couch to 5K
is designed to be an
introduction to running.
Not as in when you’re
a toddler and learning
how to hurry to the
toilet, but more a kind
of beginner programme
for couch potatoes to
finally get up and do
some post-lockdown
exercise.
You’re motivated
along the way by your
pick from five coaches:
Olympic legend Michael
Johnson, comedians
Sarah Millican and
Sanjeev Kohli, radio
presenter Jo Whiley
(who presumably
ruins your rhythm
with Mumford & Sons
records every couple of
minutes), and someone
called Laura. It takes
about 3 months and
works alongside your
preferred music player.
£free / iOS, AndroidFULL
REVIEW
p72