Garmin Fenix 5 and Forerunner 935 add stress tracking and rep counts
The rumored but awaited software updates for the Forerunner 935 and Fenix 5 are soon arriving.
Garmin has announced today that its two high end sports trackers are going to be able to monitor all day stress and count reps and sets in the gym. These are the same features that debuted back in April onboard the Vivosmart 3.
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Stress is an unavoidable reality of of life. Its your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat by releasing a flood of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which rouse the body for emergency action. All day stress and recovery monitoring allows you to see how much of your day is spent experiencing stress, and how quick your body is to recover.
Garmin is tapping into your heart rate variability readings (small changes in the intervals between consecutive heart beats), to arrive at this information. The detailed analysis comes thanks to Firstbeat technology.
The all day stress monitoring feature can be tracked daily on the Fenix 5 or Forerunner 935 watch, and observed over time via the Garmin Connect app. To make you worry-free, you will get relaxing mindfulness experiences through deep-breathing sessions.
As part of that 24/7 monitoring, the two devices will also include a new Strength Training activity for the gym rats. This is a combination of manual tagging of sets and automatic counting of reps for free weight and bodyweight exercises. The update also brings the ability to track cardio activities such as boot camp classes and high intensity interval training.
No doubt this is great news for existing owners of the Fenix 5 and Forerunner 935. Although pricey, both of these watches are as good as it gets for those serious about sports and fitness.
Garmin says the new features are coming in September, but we don’t know an exact date yet.
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