Garmin has upped the ante with its newest smartwatches, adding such features as a built-in speaker and microphone, training plans, workout builder, skin temperature tracking and an extended battery life.
The Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 include sport-specific workouts from the Garmin Triathlon Coach. The free triathlon training plans adapt daily based on your data to provide personalized sessions based on performance, recovery and health metrics. If you want to take your training plans into your own hands, you can now create custom multisport workouts that can be sent directly to your synced devices. The triathlon and running watches also come with new features such as running tolerance, economy and step speed loss.
Creating your own customized multisport workouts is possible by building a workout in the Garmin Connect, then sending it to your watch. By customizing your workouts you can design step-by-step intervals and rest periods so that you can focus on training instead of watching the clock. Structured workouts provide a worry-free training session, knowing that your watch will guide you through each interval.
Take or make a call from your watch
Once you’re deep in the pain cave and totally focused on your session, there’s no need to interrupt your training when a call comes in. Now you can talk directly through your watch with the built-in speaker and microphone. Make outgoing calls or pick up by pairing your new watch with your compatible smartphone for a seamless experience. You can even control watch function using the voice command feature, or your phone’s voice assistant to respond to text messages.
Garmin’s host of new features is a response to the growing demand for insightful training and performance data, and the increasingly busy lifestyle of athletes.
“Created for every athlete who is out there chasing goals and passionate about their data, the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 include innovative training tools, recovery metrics and connected features to help them perform at their best. Whether you’re an elite athlete striving for your fastest time yet or a runner upping mileage to prepare for that next big race, these premium smartwatches are here for every step of of your running journey,” said Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing.
Set it and forget it
When your day finally wraps you can sleep easy knowing your goals are set for tomorrow with Garmin’s evening report, which sends you sleep suggestions, next day weather forecast, workouts and events.
The race-day features that Garmin has included with these latest versions of the Forerunner add the ability to set auto lap by timing gates, allowing you to trigger the function based on certain points on a course rather than GPS-based distances. You can also now view estimated race time and pace when tracking your training up until race day.
Skin temperature tracking detects changes related to activity, sleep, illness and more – even predicting a woman’s next period and past ovulation estimates. The Pulse Ox captures breathing patterns as you sleep, giving you deeper insight into the quality of your slumber and recovery. The advanced Forerunner 970 models offers additional features like a built-in LED flashlight, running tolerance and economy data to help you better understand the impact of running on your body and recommend weekly mileage targets. It will even record electrical signals using the ECG App, which detects signs of irregular heart rhythm.
Alongside the Forerunners, Garmin has released the new HRM 600. The latest heart rate monitor has upgraded features that include capturing calories, speed and distance when used without a smartwatch. It also offers more running dynamics such as the speed loss features when used with the Forerunner 970, which reveals how much an athlete’s slows down when their foot hits the ground. Pair the monitor easily with a touch of a button, and know that it will last up to two months with every charge. Priced at C$249.99.
Take your training and racing long with the extended battery life of the Forerunner 570, giving you up to 11 days with regular use and 18 hours in GPS mode. For the ultimate in battery longevity, the Forerunner 970 provides an impressive life up to 15 days, and 26 hours with GPS. Prices range from C$1099.99 to C$799.99.
With everything at your fingertips, for longer than ever before, the latest Garmin watches can be your best new training partner.
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