As I write this column, the Garmin watch on my wrist tells me I’ve recovered “moderately” from my last run, and recommends sprint training workouts combined with 30 minutes of light running before and after. Nearly 1 hour total. Meanwhile, my partner’s Apple Watch is telling her to close her ring in her haste. Maybe it’s time to go for a walk?
The current outside temperature is 103°F. For those sticking to the metric system, it’s closer to 40°C.
My watch “knows” this. It showed up in my watch’s morning report and a small weather widget on the watch face. But the algorithms that determine how many steps to take or how many miles to run are unaware or indifferent. The same applies to other fitness smartwatches with daily goals, step streaks, and more.
randay on sunday
In his new weekly column, Android Central Fitness Editor Michael Hicks discusses the world of wearables, apps, and the entirety of running and wellness-related fitness tech.
I am currently testing a Garmin Forerunner 965 for review. Aside from its predecessor (the Forerunner 955), this is the only watch I’ve tested that claims to have a “heat acclimation” statistic, indicating how well you’re adapting to temperature and adjusting your VO2 Max estimates and training prep accordingly.
But despite showing that I’m only up to 48% altitude acclimatization, the watch asks me to go to my local shaded track (which isn’t open early in the morning) and do a few dozen 100-yard dashes. Not to mention that most other sub-$500 Garmin watches don’t have this tool yet, so you usually don’t know how “ready” you are for the heat.
Instead, I plan to go on a power walk at 9pm in the low 80s “only” after I’ve finished writing this, rather than lag behind in the step challenge and watch the load drop.
I’ve used these stats and daily recommendations as a way to motivate myself to run more often, but when I’ve hit a goal or my health stats are trending upward, I’m inherently impatient. But when you gamify your fitness, there will inevitably come a time when you start losing the game. And suddenly these stats triggered a feeling of guilt in my stomach.
I objectively know that going out for sprints or interval training (another recommended workout earlier this week) works. fool And it’s unhealthy in this weather. But I still feel like I should because the algorithm dictates so.
This is not just for hot weather! When I lived in Boston and New York, there were long periods when activity was very unwise due to blizzards and black ice. And after a hard fall on my knee during a half marathon that left me unable to walk without pain, my healthcare app of choice didn’t have a setting that said, “I’m injured, can I reduce my goals a bit?”
Yes, tools like Body Battery and Daily Readiness Score can tell you when you’re feeling unwell due to lack of sleep or irregular heart rate data. But more often than not, you should be “ready” to exercise even when you really can’t.
Moments like this often have the effect of turning off notifications or tossing the watch in the drawer. Because I “break” the device due to circumstances beyond my control. objectively Measure my health and fitness. Either that, or you’re making things worse by continuing to train when you shouldn’t be.
Then, when you get healthy or the snow melts, you’ll see all your stats pick up where they left off. That means it’s always “lowering”.
There are more and more smartwatches designed to “coach” you. Garmin and Fitbit have been providing recommended workouts for years. COROS EvoLab and Polar FitSpark provide similar guidance based on VO2 Max, fatigue, training load and other data. Amazfit’s Zepp Coach uses AI to deliver personalized training plans.
Two giants, Apple and Samsung, are not catching up not yet, but don’t be surprised if they take that step soon. Apple’s running and cycling tools have gotten a lot better with recent updates, and new Fitness+ Custom Plans can easily lead to a personalized workout schedule. And as I wrote in a previous column, I really hope Samsung closes the fitness gap with his upcoming Galaxy Watch 6 launch and upgrades Samsung Health.
But even though watches are getting “smart” for fitness coaching, no one has the common sense of a real-life running coach to say, “Whoa, it’s hot today! Stick to short, easy runs” or “You’re obviously injured, go home and rest until you’re ready.”
I didn’t say yes Appropriate To expect my smartwatch to know everything going on in my life. If so, it might be a little unnerving. And by following the watch’s advice, I’ve gotten closer than ever to my pre-pandemic, pre-injury fitness levels.
But much like Garmin Coach could let you know how often and how far you ran in a week before sending you a 12-week training schedule, I wish your fitness app had an “injury” setting to adjust your goals. Or (if you’ve given your watch a local zip code), it would be nice if it adjusted its recommended workouts based on the local weather. Context is everything!
