If you want to improve your fitness level, you need to train. But 30 kilometres of running or 100 kilometres of cycling per day is not enough. To achieve constant and healthy progress, you need a monitored training, which can be done by a trainer, which is more expensive, or by what we suggest – A SPORTS WATCH.

You can think of a sports watch as a personal trainer: it will motivate you, help you execute a training according to your plan. It can also be your loyal companion, recording your every step and enabling you to analyse the activities. Some of them also play music and pay at the cashier’s.

What do you expect from your watch?

Before you decide to buy a sports watch, ask yourself what you will need it for. After you finish an activity, is it enough that the watch shows you how much kilometres you have ran or cycled, and how much time you needed to accomplish this. If the answer is yes, then a low cost basic sports watch will suffice.

On the other hand, sports watches for more demanding users measure and record actually everything. You can monitor height metres (ascent/descent), current elevation, current and average heart rate, speed, temperature, location, you can connect it to your smartphone, and much more. 

Basic sports watches

Despite lower prices, watches in this segment offer more than enough functions for an average user. These watches are all equipped with a heart rate monitor, which is usually embedded in the watch and measures heart rate on the wrist. Many models have integrated activity sensor which counts steps and tells you how many active calories you have burned in a day.

Some watches come with predefined training programmes and training history log. You can set maximum heart rate level and more. Of course all watches in this segment have the usual functions, such as stopwatch, countdown timer, etc.

Sports watches for advanced users

Watches from this group enable you to closely track all the data you need for a professional training. This kind of watch can be your trainer, a guide and a motivator - all in one. The virtual trainer reminds you when to train, when to drink or eat, and helps you accomplish your goals. The training programme guides you through all the stages (warm up, exercise, cooling down) and at the end it notifies you how much time you need for regeneration.

Practically all top quality sports watches are equipped with a GPS sensor which continuously calculates speed, distance, ascent or descent, and also speed of ascent, while memorising coordinates of the route you have ran, cycled or swam in order to later draw it on a map.

They help you navigate through a predefined route which is visible on the screen, your position being marked by an arrow that is moving along the route. If you get lost, the watch alerts you and with the help of the track back function brings you back to the route.

Some of the watches are equipped by a barometer, which in combination with the GPS determines the current elevation even more accurately. It warns you of a sudden air pressure drop that often leads to the creation of storms.

If you wish, a watch can also monitor your sleep and notify you in the morning what was the quality of it. With some newer models can also listen to the music via Bluetooth earphones and pay at the cashier’s.

Connectivity

You can connect all watches for advanced users with many accessories, like heart rate chest strap, which measures your heart rate more accurately, cadence sensor, your computer and of course your smartphone. Connecting the watch with a smartphone enables you to download training data from the watch to the application, receive calls, read SMS messages, and get email and social network notifications.

Summary

In order to have a complete control over your fitness, training progress and body, a sports watch is a great gadget to have. Before you buy one, you only need to decide what will you use it for and which functions you need. If in doubt, you can visit us any time at one of our shops and we will be glad to advise you.