With the new year comes new resolutions and new fitness goals to become your best you, and what better way to achieve those goals than with the help of the best workout watches? Not only is a workout watch something that can keep you informed of your daily steps, but it can be a great tool to track your progress, schedule and plan your workouts, and document important health markers. Here are what we believe to be the best workout watches to help you achieve your fitness goals for 2024.
Best Overall: Apple Watch Series 9
We think the Apple Watch is the best overall workout watch because of its multiple fitness and lifestyle features. If you are looking for one of the best workout watches, but also want something that will benefit you in your daily life, the Apple Watch Series 9 is a stylish and nifty addition to your life.
This watch can take an ECG anytime to help you keep track of your heart health and will notify you of any heart irregularities. We love that it has a fitness app to give you insights into your performance and progress. Purchasing the Apple Watch will give you Apple Fitness+ for free for three months.
We also enjoy that this watch can keep track of your sleeping patterns and breaks down how long you stay in the different stages of sleep at night. With advanced health sensors, this workout watch gives accurate readings and will also be able to detect if you have fallen or have been in a car crash. After that, simply press a button to call for emergency services.
Garmin fenixo Solar Smartwatch
This is one of the best workout watches for those who like to be active outside. Runners, hikers, and rock climbers can all benefit from this watch since it has a GPS function so you can track where you are at any given time and it has a flashlight that has different intensities.
We love how detailed this watch is in tracking your progress since it can see how well you run on inclines and it can track specific activities. It also functions off of solar energy and can charge via the sunlight so you don’t have to worry about it running out of battery.
This is the choice for those who stay active outdoors and want to get a clearer vision of their workout progress when it comes to specific activities. We love that the data is clear and easy to read and understand, and it can sync with your smartphone so you get emails and text messages.
SUUNTO 5 Peak-Compact GPS Sports Watch
Another GPS workout watch we love is the Suunto 5 Peak-Compact. This workout watch is made with a Scandinavian design, making it ultra-durable and stylish. It comes in two different styles, original and peak, and different color options like all black or graphite and copper, but our favorite has to be the burgundy and copper style.
You can choose between 80 different sports modes, which helps this watch specify the fitness data to you and your main modes of exercise. It has a long battery life, and it is waterproof up to 50 meters so you can track your swim data, or be confident knowing your sweat won’t ruin it.
We like the Suunto app, which can connect you with various communities that share similar workout interests, and it provides analysis and guidance specifically catered to you.
Polar Ignite – GPS Smartwatch
The Polar Ignite is one of the best workout watches you can get at an affordable price. This doesn’t mean it’s cheap, but for what you get, it’s a great deal. It contains a GPS feature so you can track where you are on runs, hikes, or bike trips, and it also tracks your speed and distance.
If you feel a bit lost on your workout plan, the Polar Ignite has FitSpark, which gives you on-demand workouts that are provided based on your readiness and recovery. At the same time this, watch provides the Serene breathing exercise to help you refocus and tackle stress.
One of our favorite aspects of this watch is its ability to track your recovery from the day’s exercise overnight. It will show you if you have successfully recharged, giving you deeper insight into your sleep and training intensity.
COROS PACE 3 Sport Watch
Weighing in at only 30g this workout watch makes for a light, comfortable watch that won’t interrupt your workout or add any discomfort. Accurate GPS tells you what elevation you are at and the air pressure so you can better track your progress when running, biking, or hiking outdoors.
We find it pretty cool that you can plan your routes on the Coros App, and that the watch can sync with other apps, such as Nike Run Club, Health Connect, and Strava. You can also control an Insta360 or GoPro camera from your watch.
The PACE 3 is equipped with an easy-to-navigate touch-screen display as well as a next-gen optical heart rate sensor, which more accurately can track your heart health and progress. If you are looking to mix and match, the PACE 3 comes in 6 different styles, such as white silicone, black nylon, and the Eliud Kipchoge Edition.
Fitbit Inspire 3 Health & Fitness Tracker
You may be looking for something a little smaller and less intrusive, and for that, we would recommend the Fitbit Inspire 3, which is an affordable option for those who don’t mind choosing something different. Up until now, the best workout watches we have featured have had the appearance of a normal watch, but this Fitbit fitness watch
This workout watch wants you to move, and it lets you know with a notification to get up if you’ve been sitting for too long. It also tracks irregular heart rhythms during exercise and throughout your day, and it’s able to properly track the different zones, including cardio, peak, and fat burn so you can know how much effort you need to put in to reach your goals.
Something we love about this Fitbit is that the clock face can be detached from the band allowing you to mix and match looks, or you can clip it to your bag or clothing.
SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active 2
This watch from Samsung is a sleek watch that can be worn not only for workouts but also out and about. It has an aluminum casing, you can mix and match wristbands, and you can change the look and style of the clock face.
We especially enjoy the battery life of this watch since it can last for over a day on a single charge. It can update you on travel routes, accept calls, send texts, and even allows you to stream.
We like that you can listen to music off of this watch, just use a Bluetooth connection to hook up your headphones and fill your workout or run with the music you need.
Fitbit Sense Advanced Smartwatch
If you want to keep track of your health and what your body is saying, this workout watch from Fitbit should be a New Year’s buy for you. It tracks heart rate, calories, steps, and all of those standard functions of today’s best workout watches, but it can track what others can not.
One of the coolest things about this watch is that it tracks your stress with an EDA Scan app, which senses certain activities that may show that your body is experiencing stress. This helps you better understand moments of stress so that you can work to resolve it.
There is also a skin temperature sensor that tracks your body temperature throughout the night as well as a scan of blood oxygen levels. With an assessment for atrial fibrillation as well, this workout watch gives you a clearer picture of your baseline health and wellness, allowing you to make the health and fitness adjustments needed to get in the best shape possible.
TIMEX Ironman T300
Maybe it’s our love of nostalgia, or maybe we like to keep things simple, but one thing is for sure, we love this Timex Ironman. This is one of the best workout watches for the individual who likes to keep things simple because it has the old-style digital clock face.
But don’t worry, it still has plenty of features, such as hydration and nutrition alerts as well as an interval tracker with 6 customizable segments. It doubles as a stopwatch so you can track lap times, and it also has a 500-lap memory so you can see your performance over time.
This watch comes in black or white and uses a silicon strap that can comfortably wrap around the wrist without irritating the skin. We also like that this is water resistant up to 50m so that you can track swim laps as well.
Polar Grit X – Rugged Multisport GPS Smart Watch
If you are looking for something that could take a beating, whether it is from bouldering, long arduous hikes, or just a rugged lifestyle, the Grit X from Polar should be your go-to for the best workout watches.
This workout watch is durable and water resistant up to 100m, which allows you to swim for long bouts and gain accurate swimming metrics. It can also sense when you are going uphill or downhill to accurately track your heart rate, calories burned, and distance traveled.
We also like that this watch has the FuelWise Fueling Assistant, which estimates the amount of carbs you need to refuel and gives you regular reminders to drink water.
Garmin Venu Sq 2 GPS Smartwatch
For an impressive battery life, the Garmin Venu can last up to 11 days without charging. With the smartwatch mode, you will be able to track your sleep over multiple nights and get a clearer picture of your health.
What we find to be the coolest is the Body Battery monitor. This keeps track of the energy you have used in the day and evaluates which activities have taken up most energy. It also tracks stress levels, the restfulness of your sleep, and your moments of inactivity so it gives a clearer picture of how much energy you can use throughout the day and how.
After evaluating all of your health markers it can give your fitness age, which in itself can provide a little motivation. We also like the size of the screen; since it’s a square shape, it allows for more space, and it makes the watch stand out.
Amazfit GTR 4 Smart Watch for Men
Okay, 11 days is a long battery life, but two weeks is even better, and that’s where this workout watch from Amazfit comes in. The battery-saver mode on this watch will give you a full uninterrupted picture of your health, and with water-resistant capabilities, you can even wear it in the shower.
The personalized training from Zepp Coach analyzes your progress and status and with AI develops personalized programs and workouts to cater to your progress.
Since it’s a smartwatch it does have the capability to store your cards as well, so if you are out for a run and don’t want to bring your cash or cards, you can stop by the store on the way home with no issue.
