May 27, 2021
With no shortage of choices for workout trackers for the wrist, make sure the one you do choose has what you need.
Admittedly, I live in an extremely active and outdoors-oriented community and my online friends reflect that. But if I see one more post asking “alright, friends, I need advice on the best watch to link to my Strava/Map My Run/ Training Peaks/ Wahoo” I’m going to... well, answer their question because it’s super important!
I’ve been an Apple Watch user in the past. Those commercials are enticing, to be sure. But I’ve found it does everything okay and nothing great. If you want to jog a couple miles a few times a week and also switch out your watch band so you’ve got something a little flashier for boozy weekend brunches, by all means, use the Apple Watch. I’ll use mine for more everyday wear still. But if you want something that holds up under the activity pressure you’re exerting, try the new COROS Apex Pro.
Whenever I’m heading out for a training run, bike, hike, skin, or swim, I’m grabbing my COROS without question. And the activities this watch will track don’t stop there. For runners out there, the Apex Pro tracks not just outdoor runs but indoor runs, trail runs, track runs, mountain climbs, and hikes. For the bikers, track outdoor rides as well as indoor rides. Swimmers are able to define whether they are in the pool or open water. And triathletes even have their own setting to track a three-activity workout. When in the gym, track strength workouts or cardio in the gym complete with muscle group tracking. And then it gets even more niche and wonderfully specific. Winter athletes will love the ability to set their workout to ski, snowboard, cross-country ski, or ski touring. Water athletes can track speed surfing, windsurfing, rowing, indoor rowing, white water paddling, and stand up paddling. And with all of these diverse sports, you can create custom training plans or download pre-created plans from COROS.
COROS is offering a free accessory for savings up to $39.99 with every watch purchase by using the promo code XTERRA. Add the accessory to your cart at before applying the code during checkout.
The way the COROS integrates with your phone is second to none. No longer do you have to navigate through the watch interface using only the three buttons garnering time and often frustration. Now, change the watch face, edit your personal stats, set goals, and see stats all in the intuitive app. And for the Apple Watch users who love the way the Apple Watch tracks activity even without being in an active exercise, the COROS does so as well by tracking steps, active energy calories, heart rate, sleep statistics and gives you a fitness index and level scores to understand your training level and recovery. New to the Apex Pro from previous Apex iterations to add to all of this personal data you’ve come to count on is a pulse oximeter, altitude advisory, a touchscreen, and an additional 14% battery life — up to 40 hours of full GPS usage. Plus, a titanium frame, sapphire-glass screen, and 100 meter waterproof rating make this one of the burliest wrist tools out there.
With all the modern-day convinces and the traditional stats you’ve come to need: GPS, route maps, distance, elevation gain, heart rate, and super-long battery life the COROS is a do-it-all workout watch with everything you need to operate at top performance anywhere your off-the-beaten path adventures take you.
