Top 10 Smartwatches for Weight lifting in 2023

The wrist-based optical heart-rate trackers found in Fitness trackers and smartwatches have advanced enough to be an attractive option for gym-goers.

Smartwatches by Apple, Garmin, and Fitbit can now monitor a range of strength, CrossFit, HIIT, treadmill training, and gym-based workouts. More importantly, they help you keep close tables on your form, exertion, and reps to get fast results.

A few watches by Garmin can guide you on how to work on each muscle (muscle isolation) through preloaded animations. For those who are just getting into powerlifting or weight training, getting hold of foundational steps is made easier with a smartwatch.

Most importantly, they track other health metrics like sleep, stress, and heart rate variability that all play an important role in your recovery after workouts.

We don’t claim the without a smartwatch you can’t achieve your fitness goals, but this important gym-aid can really smooth your fitness journey whether you are a professional athlete or a diehard bodybuilder/weight lifter.

In this guide, we will be going to discuss the 10 best smartwatches for weightlifting.

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Best Smartwatch For Weightlifting:

Garmin Forerunner 45
Garmin Venu 2
Apple Watch 6
Fitbit Versa 3
Polar Vantage M2
Apple Watch SE
Garmin Vivoactive 4
Coros Pace 2
Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
Garmin Fenix 5

Forerunner 45: Affordable Garmin For Weighttraining

Feature and specs

Display: 1.04-inch transflective
Dimension: 42 x 42 x 11.4 mm
Straps: silicone
Weight: Small: 32 g | Large: 36 g
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Compatibility: iPhone, Android
Battery Life: Up to 7 days | GPS mode: Up to 13 hours
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Onboard Storage: N/A
Weatherproof: 5 ATM
Sensors: Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Accelerometer

Review

Forerunner 45 is an entry-level smartwatch that can be a great choice for fitness freaks. Design is a very minimalistic one, not a very hefty watch to wear. This is also one of the thinnest watches by Garmin at 11.4 mm only. Now during weight lifting, you want your watch to be with as little bothering weight as possible.

FR45 caters to that by being only 36 grams. The straps are very comfortable silicone ones that provide a snug fit for your weight lifting and strength training. The watch provides all the basics of a fitness trainer.

The built-in sports app lets you have 6 predefined sports to be monitored which are customizable later on. Garmin Coach provides you expert training plans while the body battery energy monitor will enable you to find the perfect time for your workouts and rest. Being able to control the music is also a cherry on top.

Pros:

Inexpensive
Very lightweight
Convenient music controls

Cons:

Build quality not very solid
Sports profiles are limited

Garmin Venu 2:

Feature and specs

Display: Venu 2S: 1.1 inches | Venu 2: 1.3 inches
Dimension: Venu 2S : 40.4 x 40.4 x 12.1mm | Venu 2: 45.4 x 45.4 x 12.2mm
Straps: Silicone (quick release)
Weight: Venu 2S: 38.2 grams | Venu 2: 49 grams
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
Compatibility: iPhone, Android
Battery Life: Up to 11 days | Battery saver smartwatch mode: Up to 12 days | GPS mode with music: Up to 8 hours | GPS mode without music: Up to 22 hours
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Onboard Storage: 650 songs
Weatherproof: 5 ATM (Safe for both pool and open-water swims)
Sensors: Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Barometric altimeter, Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Ambient light sensor, Pulse ox blood oxygen saturation monitor

Review

Garmin Venu 2 is one of the watches with premium features in a not-so-premium price. Comparatively a bit heavier than the FR45, Venu 2 is still quite bearable at 49 grams. Only 12.2 mm thick, it compliments a heavy lifter’s wrist quite well. The touchscreen may put off some of the sweaty lifters but it still is a very responsive AMOLED one.

One of the most highlighting features about the Venu 2 is being able to see how a workout is needed to be performed with very cool, colorful animations. Very intuitive for people who have a hard time weight lifting and working out at home, alone.

There is also a workout muscle map that keeps you informed what muscle group is being targeted with a particular exercise. While lifting weights, Venu 2 also keeps a rep count without you asking for it. There are also separate workout profiles available for strength training and cardio. Also, the Venu 2 comes with pre-loaded HIIT modes.

Pros:

Premium features like animations and muscle map
Solid build
On board music storage
Lots of workout profiles available

Cons:

Premium features like animations and muscle map
Solid build
On board music storage
Lots of workout profiles available

Apple Watch 6:

Feature and specs

Display:1.78 inches
Dimension: 40 x 34 x 10.4 mm
Straps: Silicone
Weight: 47.1 g
Connectivity: Bluetooth and GPS, 4G LTE
Compatibility: iPhone
Battery Life: Up to 18 h (mixed usage)
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Storage: 32 GB and 1 GB
Weatherproof: 50m water resistant
Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, Blood oxygen sensor, Electrical heart sensor, Third-generation optical heart sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor

Review

Apple is a brand famous for its premium products. It has all the sensors and features to keep stats on health, fitness, and training performance. This watch has a heart rate monitor with greater precision and much more capabilities as compared to other smartwatches.

The heart monitor has many advanced features and can measure the oxygen level of blood. The apple watch is capable of performing ECG. These features make it an ideal option for professional weightlifters to choose for training. The device follows every tiny motion of the body and makes a performance report so that you can compare and analyze your improvement during workouts.

It has exercises recommended by the world’s best trainers to guide you about weight lifting or any other sports you are interested in. These all facilities provided by apple watch handle all issues of weight lifters. It will take care of your cardiac incidents, proper training from beginners to professionals, and a classy look that suits your personality. You can play music to entertain yourself, keep your head straight, and enhance your motivation level.

Pros:

High-Quality display.
Ultra Comfortable band.
Completely waterproof.

Cons:

A little hefty
Expensive

Fitbit Versa 3: Best Fitbit For Weigth Training

Feature and specs

Display: 1.58-inch
Dimension: 40.48 x 40.48 x 12.35mm
Straps: Flexible Silicone Strap
Weight: 40-42.5 g (depending on the strap size)
Connectivity:Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz)
Compatibility: iOS, Android Apple iOS 12.2 or higher. Android OS 7.0 or higher.
Battery Life: 6 days (smartwatch mode) |(10-80%): ~40 minutes
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Storage: N/A (Store songs on Deezer and Pandora)
Weatherproof: 5 ATM (Water Resistance for up to 50m)
Sensors: NFC, Built-in GPS + GLONASS, Optical heart rate sensor, Gyroscope, Altimeter, 3-axis accelerometer, Ambient light sensor,Stress, Sleep monitoring

Review

It is a sports watch built for extreme sports like weight lifting. It has features that track every change that happens in your body. This watch has oxygen saturation monitoring, skin temperature variation, and heart rate notifications. Above mentioned specs of the watch guide you about all the small details that can help you remain fit and increase your workout time limits.

The workout intensity will be there to mention your performance capability. The gadget acts as a complete trainer as it will guide about cardio fitness level, breathing sessions. The stats provided by all these sensors let you train gradually to touch new peaks without pressurizing your body.

It will give you 20 goal-based exercises to prepare you for heavy training for weight lifting. The music will be there to boost your motivation level. Fitbit Versa 3 will be your partner from the very start and supports you to reach your goal till the end during weight lifting.

Pros:

Personalized reminder for diet regulation.
Menstrual health tracking for women.

Cons:

Poor water resistance.

Polar Vantage M2

Feature and specs

Display:1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter
Dimension: 46 x 46 x 12.5 mm
Straps: silicone, Textile, Leather
Weight: with wristband: 45.5 g | without wristband: 28.5 g
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
Compatibility: iPhone, Android
Battery Life: up to 40 hours in training mode (GPS and wrist-based heart rate) | up to 7 days in watch mode with continuous heart rate tracking
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Onboard Storage: 64 MB
Weatherproof: Water-Resistant (WR30)
Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS, standard BLE heart rate sensors, running cadence and power sensors, as well as cycling speed, cadence, and power sensors

Review

Polar Vantage is a complete package in a small box that is just not a watch but a personal trainer for weight lifters. It has all the features to tackle your fitness concerns as well as training goals. Also, it has specs like running programs and daily training guides to warm up your body before intense training. It has fuel wise mode to keep check of your energy.

The watch advises you about a proper rest schedule to rejuvenate your body for further workouts. It also guides you about breathing exercises to calm your body down, increase your stamina and endurance. Heart rate sensors are present in the watch to check the heartbeat variation during a workout and alert you in extreme conditions. The heart rate monitor also prevents cardiac incidents during professional weightlifting. The watch has music support to help you focus on your goals and distract you from fatigue.

Pros:

Strong body.
User-Friendly interface.
Lightweight and comfortable.

Cons:

Outdated design
Average display quality

Apple Watch SE:

Feature and specs

Display:1.78 inches
Dimension: 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm
Straps: Silicone Strap (22mm), interchangeable
Weight: 36.36g
Connectivity:Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi , NFC, Cellular connectivity
Compatibility: iphone
Battery Life: Up to 18 hours | Magnetic charging cable
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Storage: 32 GB
Weatherproof: 5 ATM
Sensors: Built-in GPS + GLONASS,Compass, Always-on altimeter, Second-generation optical heart sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor, Heart Rate, sports and workouts

Review

People look forward to Apple when they want the premium features blended in with an elegant design. The base of the design is the same Apple vibe you are used to seeing from other Apple wearables. It is available in 2 case sizes, 40 and 44 mm, so weightlifters have a choice there. Not a bothering weight too is only 36 grams. Again a touch panel but there is a physical rocker to navigate, better to use with sweaty hands.

Apple has always been considerate about its fitness-conscious users. The workouts app is very useful in keeping a track of your fitness. The characteristic fitness rings allow you know how much have you achieved in the day and how much more is left to go. Equipped with one of the leading heart rate sensors, this watch provides detailed metrics for your calorie burnout and heartbeat rate. Definitely worth getting if compared to an FR945 as it delivers more bang for the buck if we only consider the fitness options.

Pros:

Value for money
Fantastic workout tracking
Premium build

Cons:

Not the best Battery
Only usable with iOS devices

Garmin Vivoactive 4:

Feature and specs

Display:1.3″ (33.0 mm) diameter
Dimension: 45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm
Straps: silicone
Weight: 50.5 g
Connectivity: Bluetooth ANT, Wi-Fi
Compatibility: iPhone, Android
Battery Life: Up to 8 days | GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours | GPS mode without music: Up to 18 hours
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Onboard Storage: up to 500 songs
Weatherproof: 5 ATM
Sensors: GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Garmin Elevate Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Barometric Altimeter,Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor

Review

This was the lineup that was made to attract people who can compromise a bit of smartwatch functionality over fitness. Just like the Apple Watch SE, Vivoactive also comes in 2 sizes measuring 40 mm and 45 mm. The 45mm might seem a bit heavy at 50.2 grams but a 40mm one may suit you at 40 grams. It is protected by gorilla glass 3 and has a touch panel to work with.

There is a fair number of workouts Vivoactive 4 can track. The best features are probably the on-screen workout animations where you can visualize how to do a particular exercise. And the automatic rep count where it counts the repetitions of the exercise you have performed. There are also some more helpful stats like Pulse OX, Body battery, and respiration. Perfect for weight lifters.

Pros:

On board music memory
Well built
Lots of quality fitness tracking features

Cons:

Performance conditioning absent

Coros Pace 2:

Feature and specs

Display:1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter
Dimension: 42 × 42 × 11.7mm
Straps: silicone or Nylon
Weight: With Silicone Band: 35g-36g | Weight With Nylon Band: 29g-30g
Connectivity: Bluetooth ANT
Compatibility: Android
Battery Life: Up to 20 days | GPS mode: Up to 30 hours | UltraTrac mode: Up to 60 hours without wrist heart rate
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Storage: N/A
Weatherproof: 5ATM
Sensors: GPS/QZSS, GLONASS, BeiDou,Optical Heart Rate Monitor, Barometric Altimeter, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope, Thermometer

Review

Coros Pace 2 is one of the watches that can give Garmin a run for their money. It is one of the lightest watches out there in the market, which may attract weight lifters. The straps come in the silicone and nylon option and you can use it according to your own desire and comfort. The navigation is quite simple using a rocker cum button and another button for “back” suitable to be used with sweaty hands.

Coros pace 2 has all the necessary fitness tracking features you expect. There are a lot of profiles you can track. The usual sensor support is also there for you to use. Whenever you start tracking your sport, there is a heart rate indicator that rivals top contenders like Garmin Instinct Solar. There is also an AI trainer that basically lets you know if you have trained enough. A fitness level indicator is also there to tell you about your condition.

Pros:

Lightweight
Easy-to-use interface
Inexpensive

Cons:

Not the best display
No music support

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music:

Feature and specs

Display: 1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter
Dimension: 42.3 x 42.3 x 12.2mm
Straps: Silicone (20mm Quick-Release)
Weight: 38.5g
Connectivity:Wi-Fi , ANT, Built-in GPS + GLONASS + Galileo, Bluetooth
Compatibility: iPhone, Android
Battery Life: Up to 7 days | GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours | GPS mode without music: Up to 24 hours
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Onboard Storage: Up to 500 songs
Weatherproof: 5 ATM
Sensors: GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Garmin Elevate heart rate sensor, Barometric altimeter, Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Pulse ox

Review

Garmin is a brand well known for its sports watches. Forerunner 245 Music is a watch that offers features ideal for several sports, but it is best for running and swimming. The specs like Training load and Training Effect keep a record of exercise intensity and its effects on the development of your stamina, body, and technique. The watch has a Garmin coach that guides you according to the instructions gathered from experts. It will suggest daily workouts that will help you strengthen your body.

The wrist-based heart rate will be there to assess the change in your heart rate during weightlifting. This feature fortifies you from a heart attack by alerting in case of an elevated heartbeat. The watch has a built-in Pulse OX sensor that will measure the oxygen saturation in the blood.

Garmin Forerunner 245 Music supports music as it is in the name, and the music persuades you to perform some extra sets. The watch uses all the features to act as an ally and mentor to motivate and enlighten you to train smartly and prepare yourself for competitions.

Pros:

Built-in Sports App.
Health Tracking for Women.
Provide Training status.

Cons:

Clunky interface
Difficult to navigate menus

Garmin Fenix 5: Best Garmin watch for Weightlifting

Feature and specs

Display:1.2” (30.4 mm) diameter
Dimension: 47 x 47 x 15.5 mm
Straps: silicone or steel
Weight: 85 g
Connectivity: Bluetooth Smart, ANT, Wi-Fi with sapphire editions
Compatibility: iPhone, Android
Battery Life: Up to 2 weeks | GPS/HR mode: Up to 24 hours | UltraTrac mode: Up to 60 hours without wrist heart rate
Automatic Workout Tracking: Yes
Onboard Storage: 64 MB
Weatherproof: 10ATM
Sensors: GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Garmin Elevate Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Barometric Altimeter,Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Thermometer

Review

Garmin Fenix 5 is a high-performance triathlon watch with a classy design, strong build, and premium finish. The watch has a performance tracking feature that will track the movement of your body, and after recording that it will provide you with your performance metrics. These stats inform you about your intensity during extreme sports such as weight lifting and by comparing these stats with previous records you can develop yourself into a better version.

The watch has features like running power that will give you analysis on your running technique and these features help weightlifters in cardio sessions. The watch has a wrist-based heart monitoring system that will supervise your heart rate and avert cardiovascular issues. Also, the Fenix 6 is one of the few Garmin that can accurately track sleep and break it down into separate sections (Deep, light, REM, and Awake), so you can optimize your recovery after workouts.

The weight lifters intend to push their limits and for that purpose, the watch will work aside them by providing their previous performances and heart rate monitoring to handle the concerns of upraised heart rate and blood pressure. Garmin considers the importance of music in weightlifting and other extreme sports. The Garmin Fenix 5 can store up to 1000 songs to pump more and more blood to your body and inspiration to your mind.

Pros:

Strong built to prevent bumps.
Premium look

Cons:

Lack of Garmin Coach

Considerations Before Buying a Smartwatch for Weight Lifting

For most types of weightlifting such as deadlifts, squats, overhead press, and bench press, an optical heart-rate sensor is not the most reliable.

This is because of the fact your wrists are raised during some exercises which makes getting a reading with the wrist sensors difficult.

For this, you should either invest in a small smartwatch with a lightweight design. Or you can connect a third-party heart rate sensor with the watch. Polar and Wahoo offer top-of-the-line chest straps, that you can attach with Garmin, Apple, or Samsung Watches via Bluetooth or ANT+.

Heart Rate Zones Training:

Garmin and Fitbit are both focused on getting the best out of your training by increased focus on working out in heart rate zones.

Elevating your heart rate with short sprints on the treadmill or high-intensity weight lifting is the best way to achieve the daily active minutes.

This would show you when you need to take a rest from training and when you can up the ante. Heart Zone training can uplift your performance in non-endurance sports like weight lifting that require power output first and foremost.

Design & Display:

If you want to look like a complete bodybuilder or weightlifter, then opt for Fitbit or Garmin for intensive training. The Garmin watches are often bulky but thanks to their plastic build they are lightweight and durable.

For iPhone users, the Apple Watch is the best alternative. However, it is more susceptible to damage.

No matter what watch you pick, make sure it is sleek and comfortable to wear, and above all, allows you to swap the straps.

There should be a button on the watch as sweat during weight training makes it harder to navigate on the touchscreen.

Also, the watch should have high resolution so more widgets can be accommodated in a single view. Garmin watches with low-resolution displays are the worst in this regard, as they can fit only a few metrics on screen.

Third-party App Compatibility:

The watch should be compatible with third-party apps. After all, we all want to try different options and styles to track our high-intensity weight training.

Wear OS-powered, Apple and Garmin watch allow you access to a wide range of fitness apps that include myfitnesspal, GoogleFit, Runnkeeper, starve, and others.

Battery Performance:

The smartwatch’s battery should have a long standby time to allow you to wear it for your full workout without getting worried about the juice.

A minimum of 3-day battery life is what we recommend if you are going to hit the gym every day, and that too for over an hour.

Apple watches are a bummer when it comes to battery performance. Both Fitbit and Garmin are the best in this regard.

Best Apps to Track Weightlifting:

The smartwatches we included in this post come with prebuilt apps to track weightlifting and other gym workouts. However, if there are third-party options on Andriod Wear watches, Apple Watch, and Garmin that offer better UI and are more suitable to one or another type of weight lifting.

Some of them are:

Strongur
Gymaholic
Google Fit
MyfitnessPal
Fitness Point
Strength Training+ (Garmin)
Setgraph
Cross-Training (Garmin)

Final Words

We have picked these smartwatches for weightlifting because of their ability to track reps, sets, and even load. Almost all of them have additional health and sports metrics and offer support for third-party weight training apps for gym-goers.

If you think we have left out one watch that deserves to be on this list, please let us know in the comment section below. And don’t forget to share with your friends if you found this post helpful!