There’s no doubt that wearable technologies have taken the world by storm. These devices, which can include anything from smartwatches to heart rate monitors, have become an important part of many people’s lives. For athletes, in particular, wearable technologies can be a valuable tool for tracking progress and improving performance. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the top five wearable technologies for endurance athletes. Stay safe and have fun out there!
What exactly is wearable technology?
Wearable technology encompasses a wide range of gadgets, including smartwatches, rings, smart clothing, head-mounted displays, and medical tech that connects your health to the world and makes your life simpler.
The top 5 wearable technologies for endurance athletes
Now that we know a bit more about wearable technologies, let’s take a look at the top five devices that can help endurance athletes.
1. Smartwatches: As mentioned before, smartwatches are one of the most popular types of wearable technology. They can be used to track a variety of data, including heart rate, steps taken, and calories burned. This data can be helpful for endurance athletes, as it can give them a snapshot of their overall physical progress. Additionally, many smartwatches come with GPS tracking capability, which can be useful for tracking location during runs or bike rides.
Apple Watch Series 6 (Chuck’s Pick)
This is the device that Dana and I use. It is a top performer and comes with a great set of features, including ECG, fall detection, and an always-on display.
Polar Vantage V2 Smartwatch
This is another top-of-the-line smartwatch designed for endurance athletes. It comes with a built-in heart rate monitor, GPS, and other features that make it perfect for tracking your progress during workouts.
2. Heart rate monitors: A heart rate monitor is a wearable device that helps you to track your heart rate during physical activity. This is a valuable tool for endurance athletes, as it can help them to ensure that they are working at the correct intensity level. Additionally, heart rate monitors can also help to prevent overtraining, which can be harmful to the body.
Wahoo TICKR HR Strap (Chuck’s Pick)
This heart rate monitor strap is a popular option among endurance athletes. It comes with both Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity, allowing it to work with a variety of devices. Additionally, it is water-resistant, making it perfect for use during strenuous workouts. We use this one while on the bike or the trainer. If we are heading to the gym, we use the Wahoo TICKR Fit.
3. Fitness / Activity trackers: A fitness tracker is a wearable device that tracks your physical activity and calories burned. This data can be helpful for endurance athletes, as it can give them a general idea of how active they are. Additionally, fitness trackers often come with GPS tracking capabilities, which can be useful for tracking location during runs or bike rides.
Oura Ring (Dana’s Pick)
This fitness tracker is designed to be worn on your finger and tracks a wide range of data, including heart rate, body temperature, sleep, and activity level. Dana and I purchased the Oura 3 ring upgrade from our Oura 2 and received a lifetime subscription. A big advantage of the Oura ring is that is pairs effortlessly with HRV for Training. So we can track sleep and HRV. We use the data from HRV for Training to determine if the day is a day to go hard on the bike or take a rest day.
Read More: Training and Racing while sick?
Fitbit Charge 5
The Fitbit Charge 5 is a more budget-friendly option in the wearable tech market, costing less than $200 but providing a lot of features. The device comes with a heart rate monitor, activity and sleep monitoring, GPS tracking for distance covered, calories burned, hourly activity, heart rate, swim-tracking (and some of the company’s most popular top-end sports functions like Active Zone Minutes) as well as advanced sleep monitoring.
4. Head-mounted displays: As the name suggests, a head-mounted display is a wearable device that is worn on the head. This type of device can be used to display information such as cycling metrics or heart rate. Head-mounted displays can be especially useful for endurance athletes, as they can help to keep track of important data without having to stop and look at a separate device.
We have only played with one device and the company has since ceased operations. We are excited about the TCL NXTWear G Glasses and the Bose Frames Audio but I am not convinced that either will provide any benefit to the endurance athlete.
5. Medical Wearables and Biometric monitors: A biometric monitor is a wearable device that tracks a variety of health metrics, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. This type of device can be especially useful for endurance athletes, as it can help to ensure that they are staying healthy during their workouts.
In different ways, the Oura Ring, Wahoo TICKR, and Apple Watch can fall into this category. In many ways, it is the software and how you are going to analyze the data that will show the value. However, here are a few devices that do not meet any of the criteria from above but are worth mentioning.
Airofit Pro Breathing Trainer
This device is designed to help you to improve your breathing. Using the app and the device it is possible to improve your lung function, helping you breathe faster and more efficiently.
Watch Our Review: Will Airofit get me on the podium??
Garmin Index S2 Smart Scale (Chuck’s Pick)
This smart scale is designed to track weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and muscle mass. This data can be helpful for endurance athletes who are looking to track their progress over time.
There are a variety of wearable technologies on the market that can be helpful for endurance athletes. Our top picks include the Apple Watch, Wahoo TICKR Fit, fitness trackers like the Oura Ring, and body weight monitors like those made by Garmin. While there are many other great devices on the market, these five provide some of the most benefits to endurance athletes. Whether you are looking to track your heart rate, breathing rate, or progress over time, there is wearable technology out there that can help you achieve your goals. Thanks for reading!
