With the new update, Apple Watch will become the best running watch

With the new update

All fitness trackers on the market collect a huge amount of biometric data in order to help sportsmen improve their athletic performance. These sensor-crammed wearables don't just track a user's steps, but also heart rate, sleep quality, and even the amount of food and drink ingested. However, on the training planning front, I still haven't found a smartwatch or an app that offers advice that can rival that of a real-life coach.

Ultimately, people and their bodies are unpredictable. Even the most expensive sports platforms, which combine hardware and software, have limits when it comes to customization. Will a watch ever be able to tell me if I am risking a stress fracture because I am walking badly? And what if I only have half an hour free between meetings, but my schedule includes a sixty-minute ride? If I skip strength training to skateboard, is it the same thing?

The new watchOS 9 will arrive on Apple Watches in the fall

Photograph: AppleWhen this year will be made available at public, watchOS 9 will mark the arrival of a host of new fitness features for the Apple Watch. In many cases, such as the ability to measure running power, these are functions designed for elite athletes. However, even occasional runners should greatly benefit from being able to study their vertical swing, or create custom workouts by choosing distance and timing. These innovations - in addition to the impressive fitness features already present - could make the Apple Watch the best sports watch ever. Too bad that the rumored improvements to the batteries have not materialized.

The main innovations Let's start with the three most recent functions: the possibility to measure the vertical oscillation, the length of the stride and the contact with the ground during the race. These three indicators are key components for improving running economy during physical activity. While obviously this does not apply to everyone, most people cover far greater distances and run faster if they move forward with each step instead of bouncing up and down, if they take shorter steps and if they minimize. ground contact.

There are other devices that can monitor these aspects of running mechanics - Garmin's Running Dynamic Pod, for example, has been able to measure vertical oscillation for years - but Apple Watch owners no longer need to purchase a separate device and download another app to get their hands on this data. Apple claims it used artificial intelligence (Ai) to filter data from the watch's accelerometer and gyroscope and determine how far the body moves up and down and when the feet touch and lift off the ground (of course, you will have to wait to test watchOS 9 to see if these promises are true).

WiredLeaks, how to send us an anonymous report The ability to create custom workouts is also a huge step forward. Running watch software from Polar, Coros, and Garmin can suggest productive workouts, but their execution tends to be extremely prescriptive. Often the tips don't fit well with my real-life outdoor running habits and can be impossible to fit into my schedule. Apple's feature will allow you to create custom running workouts that adapt to your pace, distance, time or heart rate zones.

Like most runners, I also train on a variety of courses, which often have different surfaces and which I complete at varying speeds. With watchOS 9 I will be able to enter my long, slowest runs on outdoor trails and make sure I keep my heart rate low; I will be able to take into account the slow warm-up and cool-down runs to and from the track where I run at intervals in the evening, or record thirty minute sprints in the rain around my block.

Finally, watchOS 9 is finally able to accurately record workouts involving different sports, automatically adjusting when it detects a change in the type of physical activity that is taking place. This feature isn't only useful for triathletes - you no longer have to remember to add a yoga stretching session after a climb or a quick strength training after your run.

Focus on running Apple's latest update adds Apple Watch a series of features designed for runners

Apple Just like the major updates made to last year's Apple Watch Series 7 were intended to make it a more suitable watch for cycling and doing other outdoor activities, most of the watchOS 9 enhancements are geared specifically to running.

Not all features announced by Apple on Monday will be useful for all users. Being able to measure your running power on an Apple Watch, for example, is certainly an interesting feature. Running power is a relatively new concept that quantifies (in watts) the amount of energy a runner gives off during a workout. It's a more comprehensive way to measure effort, allowing you to refine your workouts and nutrition. In the past, running power could only be measured using a compatible smartwatch with a heart rate monitor strapped to the chest or with a running pod attached to shorts. Although it is now possible to measure it more easily, it is still a rather difficult metric to interpret or apply in practice: we are in the field of professional coaches and those who run long distances in a serious way.

The most athletes occasional - and actually anyone interested in improving their run - will get more benefit from vertical wobble measurements, which the Apple Watch will now be able to detect. The vertical swing quantifies the movement of the torso up and down with each step. A lower value in vertical swing equals more efficient use of energy and can be achieved very quickly with cross-training and other simple exercises.

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Arrow The other features announced by Apple in relation to health control include support for monitoring the various stages of sleep, monitoring drugs during the day and the ability to control atrial fibrillation. Despite rumors that preceded Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference suggesting that we could see improvements on the battery life front - which is the sore spot of the smart watch - no announcements have arrived. Apple has, however, made it known that WatchOS 9 will not work on the now outdated Series 3.

Although the Apple Watch is by far the best smartwatch, for a long time I have only considered it an entry-level fitness tracker . It was nowhere near the number of useful and comprehensive features offered by the Garmin, Polar and Suunto models I tested. I found myself cursing myself every time I forgot to replace it on weekends, only to see it go out within the first two hours of a hike.

However if the rumors turn out to be correct and Apple were to present this quest year a more robust version along with the 8 Series, the new fitness-focused features would make the Apple Watch a serious contender for the title of best running watch. And while we're at it, coupled with a battery that lasts longer, having more vibrant colors and a monochrome display wouldn't hurt.

This article originally appeared on sportsgaming.win US.