Editor’s Desk
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I’ve been using the Pixel Watch 3 as my primary smartwatch over the past year. Compared to previous Wear OS watches I’ve used in the past, this is easily the best, thanks to its sleek design, smooth performance, and surprisingly decent battery life. Yet, while the Fitbit integration is a nice perk of owning a Pixel Watch, there’s one niche feature that keeps it from being my go-to gym smartwatch, and it’s the reason why I constantly switch to a Garmin watch when I work out.
The Pixel Watch does a great job tracking my workouts, especially my runs (when I actually do them), but it’s not so great at keeping track when I lift weights. In fact, it’s pretty rudimentary when compared to some other smartwatches, and frankly, I’m surprised that Google hasn’t improved on this front with its flagship smartwatch. Heart rate, active calories, and cardio load are all there, but the one thing I really need is automatic rep counting.
This is something Garmin does very well; even Samsung manages this to some extent. With the focus on more running features in recent years, I would love to see the Pixel Watch 4 add rep counting to its repertoire.
How Garmin counts reps and sets
I really like that Garmin can automatically count reps and start or stop sets. This means I don’t have to manually do it every time; the watch does it for me. When I’m at the gym, I’m often lost in my music. While I’m not as serious as some of the other guys who jot down their every set in notebooks, I still like to stay on track with my workouts. That said, I often forget what rep or set I’m on, so it’s nice to glance at my Garmin watch to check.
I don’t know the ins and outs of how this works, but Garmin states that it can track “weight training exercises that consist of distinct and consistent motions, such as bench press,” as well as “exercises designed to target single muscle groups/body parts.” After performing the same movement a few times, it’ll register that I am performing a set and will start counting my reps, retroactively adding my first reps to my current ones.
Once I stop performing those movements, the watch will automatically log that set and enter a resting period, complete with its own timer, so that I’m not over- or under-resting between sets. That rest period will stop once it notices that I’ve started performing repetitive movements again. Then it will start counting reps on a new set.
Things are much simpler on the Pixel Watch 3, which just tracks my workout without reps, sets, or rest periods. However, it can automatically detect certain activities, such as running and walking. I feel that Fitbit could utilize the same movement data for weightlifting reps, as Garmin does. Even if it isn’t perfect, I think something would be better than nothing.
I’m not the only one who feels that Google could and should do better. Android Central senior editor Nicholas Sutrich also points out that his Amazfit watch makes his Pixel Watch feel like a toy, with a major feature highlight being the ability to log and analyze reps as you work out. And like Garmin, Amazfit uses this data in a pretty useful way that Google could learn from.
It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing
While the method isn’t 100% accurate, Garmin watches like the Venu 3 and Forerunner 570 do a great job at it, and are either spot on with the counts or off by just one or (at most) two reps. However, if you do notice that something’s off, Garmin lets you quickly edit the reps and even input the weight while it counts down to begin the rest period.
You can also edit the last set if you forget to, or go into the Garmin app to make any changes later.
It’s also important to note that this feature typically only works on workouts where the watch can accurately track your movements. Garmin actually has a list of workouts that are more difficult to track with its watches, so it’s important to keep this in mind if you plan to rely on this feature:
- Stationary wrist exercises: dips, pullups, pushups, planks
- Leg isolated exercises: extensions, seated presses, calf raises, hamstring curls
- Complex/hybrid motions: box jumps, “CrossFit” type exercises, burpees
- Short-range exercises: shoulder shrugs
- Battle ropes and jump rope
In these cases, the watch often won’t register that you’re even doing anything and will continue to show you in a rest period. As a result, leg day is probably the only time when this feature is not reliable, aside from squats. However, they’re generally reliable for weightlifting and can serve as a good alternative to pen and paper.
It’s not just counting reps. It’s so much more
While counting reps, Gamin actually takes this data even further. It uses that movement data to determine what exercises I’m doing. Then, after my workout, it shows me a diagram of the muscle groups that I worked out based on my movements.
Again, it’s not 100% accurate, but it’s pretty spot on most of the time, and it’s a handy way to visualize my workouts and see which muscles got more focused than others, as well as what I may need to work on the next day or the following week.
Right now, I enjoy using Fitbit on the Pixel Watch, particularly for the AI-powered running coach, but the post-workout data is often pretty barebones. Adding more metrics like movement data and targeted muscle graphs would go a long way towards enhancing Fitbit for more people who could benefit from that data.
Learn from Garmin, compete with Samsung
When Google announced the Pixel Watch 3, it was clear that there is more focus on running features and anything else, as if Google is trying to compete with Garmin to try and steal customers away from its popular Forerunner or Venu series. That may or may not be true, but I think Google should expand the scope of the Pixel Watch beyond just running.
I’m not saying Google shouldn’t add more running features. By all means, I’m sure my colleague Michael Hicks would love to see more Garmin-like features on the Pixel Watch that cater to runners. That said, the Pixel Watch still can’t compete with Garmin in terms of battery life or the sheer number of activity/sports modes.
However, Samsung is a good place to look, and I think Google should shift its focus to competing with the Galaxy Watch wherever it can.
When I first bought my Galaxy Watch 5 a few years ago, I was very surprised to see that it automatically counted my reps. This was before I had ever used a Garmin watch, so I was quite impressed to see this feature on a Wear OS watch. That said, it still left a lot to be desired.
At the gym, it would often count almost any movement as a rep, overestimating the count by quite a bit. It also wouldn’t automatically start and stop sets, so I would have to do it manually; otherwise, every movement would count as a rep in a single set. Still, I appreciated that it at least tried to count my reps for me, even if the results were pretty inaccurate.
The feature was also limited to certain workouts, forcing you to change to specific exercises, whereas Garmin will log whatever you do based solely on your movements. There’s no need to specify beforehand what workout you’re about to do.
I haven’t had the opportunity to test any newer Galaxy smartwatches, including the new Galaxy Watch 8, but this is at least an area where Google can try to one-up Samsung’s fitness efforts by learning from Garmin.
Don’t fail me, Google
The Pixel Watch may not have the battery life to compete with Garmin, but Google has access to a wealth of data and numerous ways to utilize it in ways that will benefit its consumers. I have complete faith that Google could bring features like automatic rep counting to the Pixel Watch, especially if it means giving users a more comprehensive look at their workouts.
And with the Pixel Watch 4 right around the corner, I really hope Google throws us a bone and adds more features geared toward weightlifters and bodybuilders. Because, as it stands, I’m either going to continue to rely on Garmin for the gym, or I’ll update my aging Galaxy Watch 5 to the Galaxy Watch 8 and make that my go-to smartwatch for everything.
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