Fitness Catch-All

TLDR of the TLDR: Garmin Instinct

TLDR: Get a Garmin or an Apple Watch. Apple watch if you want all the smart watch thingies and Garmin for less smart watch thingies but better tracking and significantly better battery life.

I have an apple watch gen 4 and it's very good at HR monitoring, distance/step tracking, and smart watch thingies. It has poor battery life compared to Garmin.

My wife has a Garmin Instinct and had a Garmin Forerunner 35 (or whatever they lowest model of Forerunner is). Both worked great. Good HR tracking and great tracking for running, biking, hiking. Battery life very good for most Garmins. My wife's instinct lasts 5-7 days. Her forerunner lasted longer. The instinct is great and it's now $199 (was $300 last May when I got it). Even the 35 was very good for running (not sure about interval/weight training - the Instinct is very good though).

Garmin has several more smart watches than the Instinct and some better run trackers as well (Instinct doesn't do VO2 Max). The instinct, however, has smart watch things, has great battery life, isn't too big, does running/walking/biking/hiking/exercise stuff really well, and is well priced. For fitness it's really tough to beat IMO. I envy the empty charging cradle she has but I do like having more smart watch capability. Our walks/runs/bikes are always very close to each other for distance traveled.

The Techy Agent does a ton of fitness watch reviews and goes pretty in depth. He even tests them with weight/interval training which is where most wrist monitors stumble.

Honestly, several newer watches are pretty close to a chest strap these days. I've compared my apple watch to a chest strap and it catches up very quickly. Much better than my Samsung Gear S2 or Moto 360 (which are OLD and not indicative of current gen Android/Tizen watches).

The Garmin Forerunner 45S is $200 and came out this year. I like it because it's not giant and the battery life is great. The pace and distance monitoring via GPS is fairly good and syncing with the app on your phone after the run is super easy. The BPM monitoring via your wrist seems pretty accurate although I haven't double checked it.

I only got it for running but ended up just wearing it every day since I quite like it.

Truff specific question but others can answer: Do you use a shell or anything when running in the wet?

boogle wrote:

Truff specific question but others can answer: Do you use a shell or anything when running in the wet?

Lately I've been just using this Columbia fleece vest along with a t-shirt and long sleeve baselayer. Since I only run four miles usually, I'll get a bit soggy from the rain, but I sweat a lot, so there's no avoiding getting soggy. I have a Pearl Izumi light jacket I've used along with a thermal, but it's not waterproof. I think I just focus on having stuff on that will keep me warm when wet. It's all just gonna have to get washed regardless. I have some gore-tex socks that I've used to keep my feet dry instead of having waterproof shoes. That works pretty well. I'm a little reluctant to buy nice running clothes because I'm hard on them, and I have enough old clothes that I don't wear anymore on the regular that I can make work.

Since I really like Ring Fit Adventure, I plan on just doing that if it's really nasty outside.

boogle wrote:

Truff specific question but others can answer: Do you use a shell or anything when running in the wet?

If it's warm and raining, no.

If it's cold and raining, yeah, I've got a Brooks ultra-light shell. Like tuffalo, I sweat when I'm running anyway, so it' doesn't really keep me dry so much as keeps the cold rain off my skin and helps keep me warm.

I had a goretex pair of running shoes years ago that were amazing for short winter rainy runs, but at any kind of distance, the socks just got drenched and wicked water into the shoes anyway, which kind of defeated the purpose. Wool socks ftw for cold weather running is my current MO.

Perfect timing! I just bought a Garmin Forerunner 945 because I didn't feel like my FitBit Charge 2 distance tracking was very accurate (connected to my iPhone GPS). I've been wearing both the Charge 2 and the 945 for a week now.

Observations
Garmin Forerunner 945
- Distance measuring seems very accurate. I like the running interface and the feedback you get.
- Body Battery feature is kind of neat. It shows how much energy you have on a 0-100 scale. Not sure I trust it yet, but it seems to have a good measure of fatigue in my body
- Sleep tracking is crap.
- Step counting seems way too low for me, but I haven't messed with it much yet.
- Battery life (which I read complaints about) seems really good to me. I've got about 1/3 of a charge left after a week, and have probably had the GPS running for a couple of hours during that stretch.
- Garmin community seems kind of 'meh' but I haven't explored much yet.
- Can wear swimming and track swimming distance.
- Heart-rate tracking seems quite good. There is a lag, however (about 30 seconds maybe?). When weight-lifting, for example, it'll have my heart rate low at the end of a set, then while I'm resting it'll show my heart rate rising, when I know the reality is the opposite.
- This really feels like an awesome sports tracking watch, but not an activity tracking watch.

FitBit Charge 2
- Fairly accurate. On a 3.28-mile run on the Forerunner 945, the Charge 2 had me at 3.36 miles, so only .08 off.
- Sleep tracking is really accurate for me.
- I like the activity reminders to get up every hour.
- Community is active and challenges are fun.
- Step counting is good enough for me, probably within 10% on the whole.
- Battery life is great for me, maybe 5-6 days and only needs a short recharge.
- Cheap compared to the Forerunner.
- Can't wear swimming, doesn't track distance in water.
- Heart-rate tracking on the whole is okay, but about 20% of the time when exercising it seems to just fart and not get anything right for stretches at a time.
- This is a great activity tracking watch, but lacks fine precision if high accuracy for running or other distance training is important.

I thought I'd ditch the Charge 2 and just use the Forerunner 945, but I'm thinking to wear the Charge 2 as my daily device and use the Forerunning 945 for tracking sports.

Jonman wrote:

I had a goretex pair of running shoes years ago that were amazing for short winter rainy runs, but at any kind of distance, the socks just got drenched and wicked water into the shoes anyway, which kind of defeated the purpose. Wool socks ftw for cold weather running is my current MO.

I've had some nice gore-tex merrell's but I don't buy them anymore because I run through the soles fast and they're like $30 extra. And like you mention, the water will find a way in there somehow once you hit a puddle or whatever. I like the wool sock idea. I might have to try that if my gore-tex socks wear out. They do feel a little weird when running and get pretty sweaty.

By the way, I didn't get into the Chicago Marathon, so I'm thinking to switch to the Twin Cities Marathon instead. Registration in March, race in October.

I'm still adding a mile per week of running distance. This week will be an 11-mile week. Baby steps, baby steps.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Jonman wrote:

I had a goretex pair of running shoes years ago that were amazing for short winter rainy runs, but at any kind of distance, the socks just got drenched and wicked water into the shoes anyway, which kind of defeated the purpose. Wool socks ftw for cold weather running is my current MO.

I've had some nice gore-tex merrell's but I don't buy them anymore because I run through the soles fast and they're like $30 extra. And like you mention, the water will find a way in there somehow once you hit a puddle or whatever. I like the wool sock idea. I might have to try that if my gore-tex socks wear out. They do feel a little weird when running and get pretty sweaty.

You can get nice thin wool socks - I'm not suggesting wearing a honking massive pair of hiking socks (though to be honest, I've done that too).

Jonman wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Jonman wrote:

I had a goretex pair of running shoes years ago that were amazing for short winter rainy runs, but at any kind of distance, the socks just got drenched and wicked water into the shoes anyway, which kind of defeated the purpose. Wool socks ftw for cold weather running is my current MO.

I've had some nice gore-tex merrell's but I don't buy them anymore because I run through the soles fast and they're like $30 extra. And like you mention, the water will find a way in there somehow once you hit a puddle or whatever. I like the wool sock idea. I might have to try that if my gore-tex socks wear out. They do feel a little weird when running and get pretty sweaty.

You can get nice thin wool socks - I'm not suggesting wearing a honking massive pair of hiking socks (though to be honest, I've done that too).

Heheh... the honking wool socks are what I'm thinking might be good. I feel like my thin and regular smartwools will get kinda soaked.

I keep thinking I should get a smart watch but I am unwilling to pay that much. There are a lot of ones for under $50. Are any worth a darn?

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Heheh... the honking wool socks are what I'm thinking might be good. I feel like my thin and regular smartwools will get kinda soaked. :)

That's the beauty of wool though - stays warm even when wet.

And if those massive hiking socks get proper soaked, it's like running with ankle weights on.

Cold and rainy is definitely the problem. Portland is pretty nice for the no ice season at least.

I'm really just running like once or twice a week to supplement lifting since I got back up to 190 from 175 when I moved out here and I'm trying to stay under 200 if I can.

I just got a Galaxy Active 2 and I absolutely love it. I have a Pixel phone so I was concerned at the start with compatibility but it works really well (after you install a bunch of Samsung software).

It's the closest thing to an Apple Watch for Android.

farley3k wrote:

I keep thinking I should get a smart watch but I am unwilling to pay that much. There are a lot of ones for under $50. Are any worth a darn?

I have a Gear S2 you can have if you want it. Been sitting on a shelf for a few years but should work fine. I think they upgraded the software in 2018 but not sure if they've done an upgrade since. Let me know if you want it.

Starting to get serious about my garage gym. Plotting out what I'll spend over the next year with close attention to upgrading some core pieces, including bar, bench and the rack.

Any other Goodjers have a nice gym setup at home? What companies do you buy from typically? Any sweet deals from Craigslist over the years?

Almost all of my home gym stuff is from Craigslist. Some is good some is okay. My best deal was on a set of Powerblocks I got for $75. Very solid and work great. I have a Club Weder 560 with a 280 lb weight set (320 with bar) I got for $200. It works pretty solid. I wouldn't drop 600 pounds on it but I've had it loaded with the full weight and it held up pretty well. The last Craigslist find is a LiveStrong Spin Bike I got for $400. It hadn't been used. It's a very nice bike overall. Carbon belt drive and very smooth. Doesn't creak. I only have two complaints. First, the handlebars only go up and down. Not forward/back. Second, the screw for the handlebars loosens up over time so they move a bit. I have a heavy bag that I got for $25 and a martial arts "Bob" that I got for $50. I have a Sunny Health and Fitness spin bike I got for $100. It's not in my gym but sitting at a standing desk without the handlebars. Fits under there nicely. It's nowhere near as nice as the LiveStrong but it does the job.

My other equipment is new. Numerous kettlebells from Amazon and almost all of them are Cap Barbell brand. Prices on them is good and they've held up quite well. If you tend to drop them, though, I wouldn't get the enameled ones.

Finally, I have an air bike. Giant brand. It's required zero maintenance and has held up great. Only issue is my son tore the foam grips off and I had to replace them. It's loud but no issues with it otherwise.

I have a few other bits but those are the big things.

Top_Shelf wrote:

Starting to get serious about my garage gym. Plotting out what I'll spend over the next year with close attention to upgrading some core pieces, including bar, bench and the rack.

Any other Goodjers have a nice gym setup at home? What companies do you buy from typically? Any sweet deals from Craigslist over the years?

I splurged a bit and bought a nice bar from Rogue. All my actual weights are from Craigslist though. Save a lot that way.

Knightsabre wrote:
Top_Shelf wrote:

Starting to get serious about my garage gym. Plotting out what I'll spend over the next year with close attention to upgrading some core pieces, including bar, bench and the rack.

Any other Goodjers have a nice gym setup at home? What companies do you buy from typically? Any sweet deals from Craigslist over the years?

I splurged a bit and bought a nice bar from Rogue. All my actual weights are from Craigslist though. Save a lot that way.

My brother also bought his rack from rogue. Barbells, bumper plates and horse stall mats he picked up from a local crossfit box that was about to upgrade their gear.

Recently (last 5 weeks) started working with a personal trainer along with my 14yo son to learn how to get stronger and lift weights. For me its about fixing a lot of issues i have had with my back (5 years since lumbar micro-discectomy) and undo all the bad adaptations my body has made in an attempt to protect my back. For him its about learning how to properly tension and learn correct form. I continue to be astonished how much I didn't' know after lifting weights on and off for 30 years. Last night I did a set of barefoot dead-lifts and set my first PR of 116lbs. More importantly it felt fantastic and felt everything from floor to shoulders locked in and all parts doing their thing correctly.

I had previously tried to do some lifting on my own with lower weights and never felt good.

I never thought I'd be able to do this so I'm super psyched and glad I found a good personal trainer.

Well the SO got me a Garmin Vivoactive 3 for the holiday so I saved some money!

Anyone have any experience with bike trainers? I’ve been looking into picking up a unit to add some extra winter cycle time for my bike and wondered if anyone here had thoughts?

I have one, and i wish I'd ponied up for a smart one with connectivity.

staygold wrote:

Anyone have any experience with bike trainers? I’ve been looking into picking up a unit to add some extra winter cycle time for my bike and wondered if anyone here had thoughts?

I still have a bike trainer. If you're going to use it with any regularity, you'll want to set it on a floor that's cleaned regularly, and you'll want to purchase a hard-rubber tire so you won't wear out a regular road tire with the use. I found it absolutely a chore to use. Could never last more than 15 minutes on it. I'd rather climb a 15% grade hill.

Just finished a one year challenge, managed to hit OTF at least 3 times a week since the last week of 2018. Lost 20 lbs in the first 2 months, and I feel fitter now than I ever have, even when I was doing marathons (although I’m not in marathon shape to be sure, just overall fitness). Looking forward to see what happens this year.

Very nice, jonny. I had to google OTF (Orange Theory Fitness). I've heard of them but didn't connect OTF. Congrats on hitting your goal. Did you set a goal for this year?

EvilHomer3k wrote:

Very nice, jonny. I had to google OTF (Orange Theory Fitness). I've heard of them but didn't connect OTF. Congrats on hitting your goal. Did you set a goal for this year?

Yeah, thanks for asking! I want to beat last years calorie count and splat point total, and also focus on increasing my weights and generally building muscle mass.

I highly recommend trying a class there if anyone is on the fence. I’ve never been able to maintain a gym regimen for more than a couple of months, and the fact that I could keep this up for a year says a lot for their program. It’s actually relaxing to show up and turn off my brain for an hour while someone tells me what to do, rather than trying to build my own gym workout/regimen. Interval training really works, it just sucks to have to do it by yourself.

No idea what a splat point total is but good for you. It's awesome that you hit your goal and are still motivated to increase it.

My wife does a 1000 mile running challenge every year. Last year shed decided to do a 2000 mile challenge but included biking (she did the 2000 miles almost entirely running and only biked with me about once per week). This year she's doing a 2020 mile challenge so I decided to do one too. I'm not much of a runner any more (arthritis and torn meniscus) so I'm doing 4040 mile challenge (which will be mostly biking).
Here is the google sheet. My hope is that it keeps me from slacking after the first week. I regularly bike but will need to step it up a bit to make 4040.

Wow, 4040 sounds like a lot. And looking at your spreadsheet: yup, it's a lot. Good luck!

This week, I went back to the gym for the first time in what feels like forever (but is actually about 6 months). I've also tried to get myself more active by making a commitment to walking 2 miles every day. This got a little bit easier after I realized that I can accomplish this by walking to the metro instead of taking a bus to get there, and I can walk fast enough so this doesn't add a ton of time to my overall commute. It feels really good to be exercising again.

My short term commitment (a year is too long) is to finish two back/back weight lifting programs which will wrap up first part of May. Objective is to be compliant with the programs, do all the lifts, all the general physical preparedness (cardio), track nutrition via MFP (without being OCD about macros), go to bed at a regular hour and see where I'm at.

The reward as the Spring progresses is to seriously upgrade my workout area in the garage. Also, it's a fun hobby I enjoy.