Best Fitness Trackers for Weightlifting in 2021
The wearable technology market is fast expanding. Today, fitness devices are our number one companion when it comes to tracking our workouts. While there are various activity devices to track your runs and swims, it’s a daunting task picking a tracker for weightlifting, in this article, we review the best fitness trackers for weightlifting to ease your search.
The best fitness watches for weight training we discuss in this article
- Garmin Vivoactive 3
- Fitbit Versa
- Garmin Forerunner 935
- Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker
- Polar M200 GPS Running Watch
- Apple Watch Series 5
Buying Tips: What You Should Look In The Best Fitness Trackers For Weightlifting.
While there is no specific wearable fitness tracker for weightlifters, there are some that come close to getting the job done. Before we dive into reviewing some of the best fitness trackers for lifting weights, here are a few buying tips to keep in mind.
Weight of the Tracker
When you train, your arms are always in motion, and sometimes you do a wide range of movements in one workout. You don’t need anything sliding around and distracting you. Picking a fitness watch that is light and fits more fleshy to the wrist will reduce such distractions. For those with a small wrist, we recommend the Versa or Vivoactive 3. They are incredibly light on the wrist.
Battery Life
The last thing you want to worry about when you are busy training is a notification of low battery. While it’s possible to charge your watch regularly to ensure it tracks your workouts without running low, it’s essential to buy fitness trackers with long battery power. Long battery life means you are free from the hassles of regularly charging it.
Accurate Heart Rate Monitoring
Most fitness trackers are not consistent when it comes to tracking your heart rate during intense activity. It’s essential to go for fitness trackers that measure heart rate accurately under all circumstances. Using wearable trackers that pair easily (using ANT+ connectivity, etc.) with a reliable chest strap like the Garmin HRM-Run can be a walkaround to this problem.
Reps Counting
Buying fitness trackers that automatically count exercise reps is essential. Most fitness trackers do not come with the reps scoring feature. The Forerunner 935 (reviewed below) comes with a strength training app that counts reps and allows you to enter weights.
Durability
Lifting weights in the gym may result in accidental drops. Buying a durable device that won’t break or shatter after a single drop is vital. Fitness trackers with a sold design will survive your routine workouts. Also, trackers that are resistant to water will further increase the durability of the device. Constant training eventually leads to sweating, and a waterproof watch will survive that.
Ability to Track Different Exercise Types
For weightlifters to use a fitness tracker to track their activities, these trackers must come with weight specific exercises. In one workout, you can do a wide variety of movements. A good fitness tracker should be able to track all these different types of activities easily. Before you buy a tracker for weightlifting, check that it digs down to the details of each exercise in your workout.
Which Fitness Tracker is best for weight lifting?
Garmin Vivoactive 3
For weightlifters who are after accurate heart rate tracking and calories burned, the Vivoactive 3 is a good fitness tracker in this domain.
This tracker comes with a stylish design, and it’s focused mainly on fitness tracking. It has a touchscreen display, which is 30.4mm in diameter. The screen is easily customizable to the user’s taste.
On the fitness side, this fitness tracker comes with different types of exercises called apps. You can easily set your favorite workout like “Weights” for easy access by merely hitting a side button.
This fitness tracker is a GPS enabled device so you can use it for outdoor tracking too. It can also monitor your VO2 max, which is the measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen you can use. The VO2 max is a fitness indicator.
As earlier mentioned, the Vivoactive 3 accurately tracks your heart rate throughout the day. On the smart tracker, you can see your heart rate and a graph of your heart rate over time. Using the heart rate monitor, this tracker also gauges your heart rate variability (HRV) readings throughout the day. This tracker uses HRV reading to track your stress levels throughout the day.
Besides these features, it also features the Garmin Pay, which is a contactless payment option. The battery power on this device is extraordinary. It will last you up to 7 days on a single charge in smartwatch mode and 13 hours on continuous GPS tracking.
This tracker syncs to the Garmin Connect app giving you the possibility of analyzing the data collected in great detail. An in-depth analysis can help improve your performance.Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Fitbit Versa
For weightlifters looking for basic tracking, the Fitbit Versa is a great pick. This smart fitness device comes with a remarkable anodized aluminum body. Its an incredibly light tracker with a thickness of only 11.2mm.
This fitness tracker comes with a 1.34-inch square touchscreen. The screen is readable under all lighting conditions with a pixel density of approx. 316ppi. The device uses ambient sensors to adjust its brightness under different lighting conditions automatically.
This activity tracker comes with over fifteen modes. In any of these modes, the tracker gives comprehensive real-time info regarding your calories burned and other fitness goals. In the “Weights” mode, the tracker monitors vital measurements like heart rate and time elapsed.
The Fitbit Versa comes equipped with a PurePulse heart rate sensor. Though the heart rate reading may diverge during a high-intense workout, this feature performs well under regular activity.
For a continuous workout, the Versa is both sweatproof and waterproof up to 50 meters. Since this Fitbit is waterproof, its heart rate reading is not affected by sweat.
Connectivity on this smart tracker is seamless. You can check your notifications like SMS, calls, and calendar on this model. The device also reminds you when to move to achieve your fitness goals.
There is also a unique health female tracking feature on this model. It allows women to log and track periods, symptoms, etc. For music lovers, the Versa supports up to 300 music to help you walk your way through your exercises.
To help you continuously track your workouts, the Versa can last four days on a single charge. One downside of this trackers is that it lacks a built-in GPS. The lack of built-in GPS means you can’t use it as a standalone device for outdoor cycling or hiking campaigns. Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Garmin Forerunner 935
Garmin is well known for making robust outdoor sports watches and fitness trackers. While its Garmin Fenix series like the Garmin Fenix 6x is suitable for triathletes, the Forerunner series is appealing, particularly for athletes and strength trainers.
This fitness tracker is the best multi-sports GPS tracker for Crossfit training. It comes with a lightweight silicone body weighing less than 50 grams.
Though not a touchscreen, this sports watch comes with a transflective color screen. Using its transflective technology allows it to take ambient light and reflects it in such a way that it’s always visible outdoors.
This best fitness tracker comes pre-loaded with lots of sports modes. These modes make it easy to track different types of exercises easily. The Forerunner 935 also monitors your workout and recovery cycle. This info can help you improve in case you’re under-training or avoid injury if you’re over-training.
It comes fitted with a barometer for elevation, a compass, a temperature sensor, and an in-built GPS with GLONASS (the Russian equivalent of GPS). You can also connect other sensors like chest strap optical heart rate monitors to it using its ANT+ connectivity. To analyze your workout, the Forerunner 935 is compatible with Garmin Connect.
If you plan to do strength training with other sports activities, this is the watch we recommend.Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Fitbit Charge 3
Following the update from Charge 2, this fitness tracker comes with a lightweight design, and it features more exercise tracking modes. It’s a weightlifting fitness tracker for those who want to go for something much lighter.
This wrist-based fitness tracker comes with a rectangular full touchscreen display. This display size is slightly larger than its predecessors. The display, in this case, is monochrome.
It is thinner and comes in an aluminum casing, which is lighter. Its lightweight makes it very comfortable to wear during your training session. Also, it comes with different bands depending on the version you pick. However, you can change the straps to suit your needs.
On its fitness tracking side, Charge 3 comes with a heart rate monitor that tracks your pulse rate in real-time. This tracker can track up to 20 different exercise modes. For weight training and other outdoor exercises, this watch uses its SmartTrack feature to track them automatically. This means when you’re weightlifting; for example, it detects the activity and starts tracking.
This fitness watch is fully waterproof, with water resistance up to 50 meters. You can use it for swimming but not deep diving. You can also take advantage of its sleep tracking feature to track your sleep quality. Charge 3 connects to your smartphone to receive your notifications like text messages and other third-party notifications.
While this is one of the best fitness trackers for weightlifters, it lacks a built-in GPS. However, you can pair it with your smartphone’s GPS to use its GPS features. Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Polar M200
If you simply want a weightlifting watch that’s simple and easy to use, the Polar M200 is that watch. This watch comes with a round screen with texture silicone bands. The bands come in different colors to fit your outfit. You can use the side buttons (2 of them, one on the right and the other on the left) to navigate the watch as its display is not a touchscreen.
Similar to the other fitness trackers reviewed in this post, the M200 is lightweight, weighing less than 50 grams. It has a good battery power lasting up to 6 days on regular use.
On the fitness side, the M200 comes with 18 exercise modes, including a strength training mode. It comes with a heart rate monitor and an on-board GPS unit. These features make it a perfect outdoor training watch too. These two features on the watch provide a means to track your runs if you use it for running.
Its based heart rate monitoring doesn’t track your heart rate continuously, but it’s activated when you start tracking your activity or use it manually. The watch is also water-resistant to 30 meters, making it suitable for swimming but not snorkeling or deep diving.
To thoroughly analyze your weightlifting workouts, you can sync all the data on the watch to the Polar Flow app. With this app, you can dig deep into your workout data to take note of areas that need improving. To stick to a training schedule, Polar also provides you with a Web app to manage your programs.
While this watch’s performance doesn’t compare to the like of Garmin Fenix 5x, its affordability makes it stand out. A considerable negative though is the fact that you can’t set custom tracking activity on this timepiece. Instead, it uses the information in your online profile to set one for you. Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Apple Watch Series 5
For weightlifters who want an all-round watch that works for their workout, we recommend the Apple Watch Series 5. Though a smartwatch, this watch is among the best fitness trackers you in the market. It’s designed to provide you with most of the activity tracking you need for your daily workout.
With a design similar to the Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5 comes with some added features. Its always-on display permits you to read the watch at any time of the day without the necessity of pressing a button. However, this reduces battery power further.
This smartwatch also comes equipped with a built-in digital compass, which enables you to track your elevation during your outdoor workouts.
As an activity tracker, it utilizes a three-color ringed approach to track your everyday activity. To achieve your fitness goal, you need to complete each ring. For weightlifting, you can use the apps below to track your progress:Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Best Weightlifting Apple Watch Apps
Fitbod
If you are just starting with weightlifting, the Fitbod app could be your personalized trainer. Upon signing up, it prompts you to input your weight, height, ability, and more and uses this info to build a customized weight training program for you.
This app suggests personalized workouts daily with reps, sets, and lifting schemes to keep you fit. It helps you plan your workouts before you storm the gym. Very useful for beginners who don’t know what to do once at the gym.
Gymaholic
If you are serious about weightlifting, the Gymaholic app will help you get better at it. It gives you more detailed data concerning your training.
This app can assist you in HIIT and cardio training. It’s straightforward to use it to track workout sets like pyramid sets, supersets, tri-sets, and more. It also syncs with the Apple health app making your data available across devices.
Strong
Strong is for weightlifters who enjoy varied workouts. Veteran weightlifters will find this app helpful. The app helps your body measurements, including your body weight, body composition, etc. It allows you to log multiple types of exercise, save your workouts as templates, and customize your rest timers.
GymGoal Pro
GymGoal Pro is another workout app that can help you plan and track your training efficiently. You have 65+ routines to choose from and more than 300+ exercises to plan and track in the gym. The app can track your gains as you exercise.
Weight Training Exercises For Beginners
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Conclusion
Now you have it. If you want a tracker that performs both for weightlifting and other activities, we recommend you pick the Garmin Forerunner 935. Overall, we found that the Garmin Vivoactive 3 comes close to everything a weightlifter wants in a fitness tracker.
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