Fitness App for the Apple Watch

[George Ponder]

I'm seriously considering moving from a Garmin watch to the Apple watch but with Apple being more smartwatch oriented than fitness oriented, I'm at a loss as to which app is best.

Is there anything out there that would compare to the Garmin software or even the Fitbit app? I need to track daily activities (steps, stairs, etc.) along with tracking time on the treadmill and rowing.

Any suggestions?

 

[Tartarus]

The Apple Watch already keeps track of the basic stuff and in the workout app on the watch you can start a rowing session.

Here are some screenshots:

 

[salscott]

I was very much a Garmin fan and switched 1.5 years ago to Apple watch and I can tell you the best full feature workout app is fitiv pulse.

it is the most customizable and well thought out. Has a lot that nobody else does and apple should buy them and make it the stock app.
Enjoy!

 

[George Ponder]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I went from Fitbit to Garmin years ago and I'm a lost as to what else is out there.
I like Garmin but they have a lot of room for improvement in the software development and support. I'm tired of dealing with bugs that never seem to be addressed.

Again, thanks for the tips.

 

[Annie_M]

For what it’s worth, I’m quite happy with the native fitness app on the Apple Watch.

 

[imwjl]

I'm seriously considering moving from a Garmin watch to the Apple watch but with Apple being more smartwatch oriented than fitness oriented, I'm at a loss as to which app is best.

Is there anything out there that would compare to the Garmin software or even the Fitbit app? I need to track daily activities (steps, stairs, etc.) along with tracking time on the treadmill and rowing.

Any suggestions?

None of that reads like you need the extreme batter life endurance athletes are after nor even a specialty app. Your first consideration should be that some apps use the phone and are not watch only. That can be a good thing where I'll use very big bike rides or skiing as examples.

I was a fan of the Abvio apps before I had the watches (Series 2 and 4 now). They're really the same app but default to the one you purchase. Mine's the Cyclemeter. It has mountain biking and skiing recording the stock watch app lacks but also imports exercise from the stock app and that's really nice if you want to leave your phone home. It keeps your data private or can export to Strava and other services.

Some friends use Strava that works without the phone.

You did post in Series 4 and I do suggest a Series 4 watch now that I've had the 2 and time with Series 4. The display is great and it has overall speed and performance including cellular that I appreciate. The Series 4 finger on crown to aid heart rate and facilitate the ECG help your sports apps get heartbeat in a hurry.

For battery management, basic good workouts have never caused a battery life problem with my 2 or 4 but rather "epic" days mountain biking or skiing have needed the way my Abvio app and watch can work together. These are when you have the GPS, HRM, speed & distance capture working for hours.

Finally, know the watch is really helping you have a baseline and know how to quantify what you do. As examples, my family members burn the calories at different rate than I do for same stuff, and a third party app can count them differently than what's built into the watch.

They're not for everyone but I see what many do for personal tech because I'm an IT manager by day and a leader in a sports club. Apple Watch has clearly had more keep using it than other purchases but people who do endurance competition still get some others for that special purpose.

 

[George Ponder]

They're not for everyone but I see what many do for personal tech because I'm an IT manager by day and a leader in a sports club. Apple Watch has clearly had more keep using it than other purchases but people who do endurance competition still get some others for that special purpose.

Thanks for the advice. I went from Fitbit to Garmin mainly because at the time, Fitbit did not offer a water resistant model. This is a must have feature in that in the warmer months I take the kayak out on the lake and I've never had a dry outing on the kayak. I do like the level of detail Garmin offers through their Connect software.

Where Garmin drops the ball is with software development. Over the years we've seen updates produce elevated heart rates, instability in the watch causing it to freeze and most recently major decline in battery life. I went from 5 days of battery life to 2 with the last update.

Battery life is important, but I'm not opposed to placing the device on the charger at night. I do want to avoid having the watch peter out in mid-workout though and it doesn't seem as if Apple has that issue. If I had to keep the Garmin, I could live with the 2 days but it's irritating knowing that the watch should be getting 5 days.

I'm leaning towards the Apple Watch because it is a natural fit as a companion device for my iPhone and the EKG feature looks interesting. My hesitation is that I simply do not know what fitness/health options are out there and which can replace the Garmin system the best. I've dabbled with Strava and Endomondo before during my years writing for Windows Central, but focused more on the app performance than device compatibility (didn't have many Windows Phone compatible devices).

Again, thanks for the input and it gives me a little bit more information to digest and research.

 

[imwjl]

Thanks for the advice. I went from Fitbit to Garmin mainly because at the time, Fitbit did not offer a water resistant model. This is a must have feature in that in the warmer months I take the kayak out on the lake and I've never had a dry outing on the kayak. I do like the level of detail Garmin offers through their Connect software.

Where Garmin drops the ball is with software development. Over the years we've seen updates produce elevated heart rates, instability in the watch causing it to freeze and most recently major decline in battery life. I went from 5 days of battery life to 2 with the last update.

Battery life is important, but I'm not opposed to placing the device on the charger at night. I do want to avoid having the watch peter out in mid-workout though and it doesn't seem as if Apple has that issue. If I had to keep the Garmin, I could live with the 2 days but it's irritating knowing that the watch should be getting 5 days.

I'm leaning towards the Apple Watch because it is a natural fit as a companion device for my iPhone and the EKG feature looks interesting. My hesitation is that I simply do not know what fitness/health options are out there and which can replace the Garmin system the best. I've dabbled with Strava and Endomondo before during my years writing for Windows Central, but focused more on the app performance than device compatibility (didn't have many Windows Phone compatible devices).

Again, thanks for the input and it gives me a little bit more information to digest and research.

You're welcome. The setup is very easy and I'm sure you have an option to return with most purchase locations - US Apple Stores for sure. My wife and I were sold before the return date came with our original purchases (Series 2). The Series 4 with cellular was more expensive but I was sold even sooner.

All 4 in the family with these watches have used them in salt water, for general water sports, sailing, sailboarding, paddling & snorkeling.

One of the finance journals I read had some Apple Watch news recently and features aside, that made it really clear that people are happy with this product family. Not being satisfied seems to be the exception.

 

[Elizabeth2]

I'm seriously considering moving from a Garmin watch to the Apple watch but with Apple being more smartwatch oriented than fitness oriented, I'm at a loss as to which app is best.

Is there anything out there that would compare to the Garmin software or even the Fitbit app? I need to track daily activities (steps, stairs, etc.) along with tracking time on the treadmill and rowing.

Any suggestions?

Hi George I’m one of the crazy people that actually run with a Fitbit and an Apple Watch now a series 4. I’ve had them all.
One reason I run with a Fitbit it drops mile markers on the map when you run outside. Yes there are other apps but I like it’s map. Apple does not drop mile markers on any outdoor walk or run it tracks. Yes it will keep track of your splits and total mileage but if you want to know where you were when you hit mile 13 good luck with that.
I have a suggestion for 4 different apps to try for your watch and iPhone to use. Nike Run club which will show mile markers, Pedometer++, Workouts++, and Stepz.
Workouts++ keeps track of everything and I mean everything automatically.
I run almost exclusively 40-45 treadmill and outdoor miles a week with the Run selection in the Activity app on my watch. The pedometer++ workouts++ and Stepz will automatically keep track without having to go to to them before you start an activity and are interesting to compare and fill in the gaps. You’ll love your Apple Watch
Have fun and keep moving!

 

[Lee_Bo]

Battery life is important, but I'm not opposed to placing the device on the charger at night. I do want to avoid having the watch peter out in mid-workout though and it doesn't seem as if Apple has that issue. If I had to keep the Garmin, I could live with the 2 days but it's irritating knowing that the watch should be getting 5 days.

Add a sleep app and place your watch in airplane and theater mode at night and let the watch track your sleep too. Place it on the charger when you wake up and grab it before you leave in the mornings and it's fully charged.

 

[imwjl]

Hi George I’m one of the crazy people that actually run with a Fitbit and an Apple Watch now a series 4. I’ve had them all.
One reason I run with a Fitbit it drops mile markers on the map when you run outside. Yes there are other apps but I like it’s map. Apple does not drop mile markers on any outdoor walk or run it tracks. Yes it will keep track of your splits and total mileage but if you want to know where you were when you hit mile 13 good luck with that.
I have a suggestion for 4 different apps to try for your watch and iPhone to use. Nike Run club which will show mile markers, Pedometer++, Workouts++, and Stepz.
Workouts++ keeps track of everything and I mean everything automatically.
I run almost exclusively 40-45 treadmill and outdoor miles a week with the Run selection in the Activity app on my watch. The pedometer++ workouts++ and Stepz will automatically keep track without having to go to to them before you start an activity and are interesting to compare and fill in the gaps. You’ll love your Apple Watch
Have fun and keep moving!

The Abvio app (I have Cyclemeter version of essentialy same app) shows the miles on its map. I don't mean that as a knock against others or more devices but that has given me the simplicity I've wanted.

Maybe my hard sell for the cellular watch is bias from my work - the always on call situation - but more and more I keep loving the cellular watch and display improvements the Series 4 has. It's wonderful to leave the phone home.