The useful question is not which tracker is best overall, because that answer changes every autumn. It is which type of tracker matches the training you actually do.
Glenn Coburn
Tutor & S&C Coach · 6 June 2022 · 5 min read
Reviewed by
Josie Winfield
Competed in CrossFit at elite level, worldwide
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Almost everyone in the gym has something strapped to a wrist, and every device claims to do everything. The useful question is not which tracker is best overall, because that answer changes every autumn. It is which type of tracker matches the training you actually do.
This guide covers what each type of device is good at, where the whole category is weak, and the questions worth answering before you spend anything. It is written for people who train seriously, and for the coaches who end up reading their data.
Individual models come and go, but the categories are stable. Work out which of these four you are, and the shortlist takes care of itself.
| Type | Best for | Trade off |
|---|---|---|
| Full smartwatch | Running, cycling, swimming, mapped routes, notifications and contactless payment | Shortest battery life, usually tied to one phone platform, most expensive bracket |
| Slim fitness band | All day steps, heart rate and sleep with the least fuss | Small screen, fewer sport profiles, GPS often borrowed from your phone |
| Screenless recovery strap | Continuous heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep and recovery scoring | No display during a session, sold as an ongoing subscription rather than a one off purchase, aimed at people already training hard |
| Phone app plus a logbook | Strength work, simplicity, cost | No passive data at all, and it only works if you write things down |
How many times your heart beats in a minute. Useful for judging effort during a session and for tracking resting heart rate over weeks.
The variation in time between individual beats, measured at rest. It is not a measure of effort. It is used as a rough proxy for how recovered your nervous system is, which is why recovery straps lead with it.
A high heart rate and a high heart rate variability mean completely different things.
A device's guess at your maximum rate of oxygen use, inferred from heart rate and pace. It is a trend line to watch, not a lab result.
Trackers are strong on anything continuous and repetitive. Steps, resting heart rate, sleep duration and steady state cardio are all recorded well enough to show a genuine trend across weeks, which is where the value sits.
They are weak on anything that needs a number typed in mid session. Logging four sets of bench press at a given load is slow on a small screen, so most people give up and the session gets saved as generic activity. Short mixed sessions, the CrossFit style conditioning piece for example, come back as a heart rate trace with almost no usable structure.
Calorie figures deserve particular caution. No wrist device measures energy expenditure. It is inferred from movement, heart rate and the height, weight, age and sex you entered during setup, so it is useful for comparing this week against last week and not much else.
If you mainly lift, paper is hard to beat. It is instant, it never needs charging, and it holds the numbers that actually drive progress: the exercise, the load, the sets and the reps. We sell an A6 workout logbook made for the job if you want one.
Plenty of people end up running both. The watch handles cardio and sleep in the background, the logbook handles the lifting, and nobody wastes a rest period tapping at a screen.
Client tracker data is worth having as long as you read it as context. Sleep and resting heart rate trends tell you something about recovery and adherence between sessions. Step counts tell you whether the daily activity you asked for is happening. Neither replaces asking how the week went, and neither is a substitute for the load and rep data you record yourself.
Knowing how to use that information, and when to ignore it, is part of coaching rather than a technology skill. It is covered on our Level 2 and 3 combined personal trainer diploma.
Last reviewed August 2026. Rebuilt around choosing a type of tracker rather than four specific 2022 models, with the model by model comparison withdrawn pending a fresh review.
Glenn Coburn
Tutor & S&C Coach
Glenn has 15 years in the fitness industry and has been tutoring and assessing since 2013, including as Curriculum Manager at YMCAfit. He holds a degree in Health and Fitness and Level 4 qualifications in both Strength and Conditioning and Nutrition.
Reviewed by Josie Winfield, Competed in CrossFit at elite level, worldwide.
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