A person with a smartwatch on their arm in the gym

7 best fitness trackers for gym rats

Many of us avoided Indoor workouts at gyms during the pandemic for more than a year. But those days seem to be behind us and we are starting to open back up — a way to take our fitness routine out of a bedroom, hallway, or the street. A great fitness tracker can help people stick to a new routine and amp up their workouts as well. These seven are ones to consider that work anywhere you're breaking a workout sweat, including your favorite gym.

Garmin Venu 2

Garmin
Garmin Venu 2 smartwatch

The Venu 2 from Garmin can calculate an estimation of your fitness age by considering your age, resting heart rate, and body fat percentage (taken from a smart scale) or BMI number. From there, you'll get advice on improving your fitness and lowering that statistic. There's also something called Body Battery Energy Monitoring, which tracks your body's energy levels throughout the day to help you find the best times for activity and rest. This could be useful to work out when best to go to the gym and when you should stay home.

This data is presented on a circular AMOLED touchscreen display inside a 45mm case, and you can select various colors, including blue, black, pale gold, rose gold, silver, and slate, with a strap to match.

Buy on Amazon

Apple Watch 8

Apple
The New Apple Watch 8 features temperature sensing

The Apple Watch is now in Series 8 and better than ever.  It has advanced sensors and works on the new watchOS 9 operating system.  This smartwatch is durable, dustproof, and swim proof.  It’s made of 100% recycled material and, like other Apple Watches, has a health sensor that can track your blood and heart rate using ECG and more.  But it comes with a new feature, advanced ovulation tracking capability.  This new feature can monitor a woman’s menstrual cycle in real-time.  As a result, it can learn when a woman’s ovulating by tracking her body’s temperature.  And if you want, your data can easily be shared with medical professionals since the Apple Watch 8 data is secure.  

Apple Watch 8 available at Best Buy

Fitbit Charge 5

Fitbit

Fitbit Charge 5


The Fitbit Charge 5 is a fitness tracker that has a sleek, minimalist design with a color AMOLED display. The Charge 5 has a variety of features, including heart rate monitoring, GPS, sleep tracking, stress tracking, an EDA Scan app, and an ECG app. You also get  Active Zone Minutes, 10+ goal-based exercise modes, and water resistance to 50 meters. The Charge 5 has a battery life of up to 7 days in smartwatch mode and up to 20 hours in GPS mode.

The Fitbit Charge 5 is a great fitness tracker for people looking for a sleek, stylish tracker with various features. It is a bit more expensive than some other fitness trackers, but it offers a lot of value for the price.

Buy on Amazon

Garmin Fenix 7S Pro – Solar Edition

Garmin

Garmin Fenix 7S Pro – Solar Edition


It would be best if you were willing to invest a bit for the Garmin Fenix 7S Pro, but this smartwatch can handily go from the gym to the outdoors quickly. With many of the sports and fitness tracking features you see on other smartwatches, this $800 smartwatch also has apps for hiking, expeditions, skiing, golf, and more — a waterproof device that can easily handle some HIIT workouts at the gym and then take you waterskiing or swimming as well.

The Garmin Fenix 7S Pro Solar is an excellent smartwatch for people looking for the best features and performance. It is a bit expensive, but it offers a lot of value for the price.

Buy on Amazon

Withings ScanWatch Horizon

Withings

Withings ScanWatch Horizon


The Withings ScanWatch Horizon is another hybrid smartwatch that combines the traditional look of an analog watch with the advanced health-tracking features of a smartwatch. It has a stainless steel case and a sapphire crystal display and is water resistant to 50 meters. The ScanWatch Horizon tracks a variety of health metrics, including heart rate, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Oxygen saturation (SpO2), sleep tracking, stress tracking, and activity tracking. You can also set up to receive notifications, alarms, and set timers. And the battery life is good for up to 30 days in smartwatch mode and up to 24 hours in ECG mode.

The Withings ScanWatch Horizon has an MSRP of $499.95 and is available in three colors: silver, black, and green.

The Withings ScanWatch Horizon is an excellent smartwatch for people looking for a stylish, accurate, and feature-rich health tracker. It is a bit more expensive than some other smartwatches, but it offers a lot of value for the price.

Buy on Amazon

Garmin Vivoactive 4

Garmiin

Garmin Vivoactive 4


The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a GPS smartwatch that tracks your health and fitness. It has a broad range of features, including the following:

  • 20+ preloaded sports apps: Track your workouts for running, cycling, swimming, and more.
  • Animated workouts: Get easy-to-follow animated workouts on your wrist.
  • Body energy monitoring: Track your daily energy levels to optimize your workouts.
  • Pulse Ox sensor: Measure your blood oxygen saturation levels to track your fitness and sleep.
  • Sleep tracking: Track your sleep stages and get insights into your sleep quality.
  • Stress tracking: Track your stress levels and learn how to manage them.
  • Music storage: Store up to 500 songs on your watch to listen to your favorite tunes while you work out.
  • Garmin Pay: Pay for purchases with your watch using Garmin Pay contactless payments.
  • Cost: The MSRP is $349.99 but is on sale for less on Garmin's site, Amazon, and other major retailers.

The Vivoactive 4 has a battery life of up to 8 days in smartwatch mode and up to 5 hours in GPS mode with music. It is available in two sizes: 45mm and 40mm. This smart fitness tracker is an excellent smartwatch for people looking for a comprehensive way to track their health and fitness. It has many features, long battery life, and a stylish design.

Buy Garmin Vivoactive 4 on Amazon

Garmin Vivomove Sport


If you are looking for a stylish-looking fitness tracker, look no further than Garmin's Vivomove Sport. It's a hybrid smartwatch that combines the traditional look of an analog watch with the essential smart features you need to keep up with your busy life. It has a hidden touchscreen display that only appears when you need it, so you can still look stylish while you're tracking your steps, sleep, stress, and more.

The Vivomove Sport also includes a hidden touchscreen display, activity tracking, and Stress tracking. You also get body battery energy monitoring, smart notifications, music control, and water resistance to 5 ATM.

The Vivomove Sport has a battery life of up to 5 days in smartwatch mode and up to 1 additional day as an analog-only timepiece. It is available in a variety of colors, so you can find one that matches your style. And has an MSRP of $179.99.

Buy on Amazon

Check out The GearBrain, our compatibility find engine, to see the other smartwatches and fitness trackers that work with your smartphone.




the fitness tracker buying guide video - GearBrainwww.youtube.com


Like GearBrain's content? Be sure to follow us.