Version 1
: Received: 11 June 2024 / Approved: 12 June 2024 / Online: 12 June 2024 (16:05:28 CEST)
How to cite:
Jacko, T.; Bartsch, J.; von Diecken, C.; Ueberschär, O. Validity of Current Smartwatches for Triathlon Training: How Accurate Are Heart Rate, Distance, and Swimming Readings?. Preprints2024, 2024060861. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0861.v1
Jacko, T.; Bartsch, J.; von Diecken, C.; Ueberschär, O. Validity of Current Smartwatches for Triathlon Training: How Accurate Are Heart Rate, Distance, and Swimming Readings?. Preprints 2024, 2024060861. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0861.v1
Jacko, T.; Bartsch, J.; von Diecken, C.; Ueberschär, O. Validity of Current Smartwatches for Triathlon Training: How Accurate Are Heart Rate, Distance, and Swimming Readings?. Preprints2024, 2024060861. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0861.v1
APA Style
Jacko, T., Bartsch, J., von Diecken, C., & Ueberschär, O. (2024). Validity of Current Smartwatches for Triathlon Training: How Accurate Are Heart Rate, Distance, and Swimming Readings?. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0861.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Jacko, T., Carlo von Diecken and Olaf Ueberschär. 2024 "Validity of Current Smartwatches for Triathlon Training: How Accurate Are Heart Rate, Distance, and Swimming Readings?" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0861.v1
Abstract
Smartwatches are one of the most relevant fitness trends of the past two decades, and they collect increasing amounts of health and movement data. The accuracy of these data may be questionable and requires further investigation. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to validate smartwatches for use in triathlon training. Ten different smartwatches were tested for accuracy in measuring heart rate, distance (via global navigation satellite systems, GNSS), swim stroke rates and the number of swim laps in a 50 m Olympic-size pool. The optical heart rate measurement function of each smartwatch was compared to that of a chest strap. Thirty participants (15 females, 15 males) ran five 3-minute intervals on a motorised treadmill to evaluate the accuracy of the heart rate measurements. Moreover, for each smartwatch, running und cycling distance tracking was tested over six runs of 4,000 m on a 400 m tartan stadium track, six hilly outdoor runs over 3.4 km, and four repetitions of a 36.8 km road bike course, respectively. Three swimming protocols ranging from 200 m to 400 m were performed in triplicate in a 50 m Olympic-size pool, evaluating tracked distance and detected number of strokes. The mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs) for the average heart rate measurements varied between 3.1% and 8.3%, with the coefficient of determination ranging from 0.22 to 0.79. MAPE results ranged from 0.8% to 12.1% for the 4,000 m run on the 400 m track, from 0.2% to 7.5% for the 3.4 km outdoor run, and from 0.0% to 4.2% for the 36.8 km bike ride. For the swimming tests, in contrast, the deviations from the true distance varied greatly, starting at a 0.0% MAPE for the 400 m freestyle and reaching 91.7% for the 200 m medley with style changes every 25 m. In summary, for some of the smartwatches, the measurement results deviated substantially from the true values. Measurements taken while road cycling over longer distances with only a few curves were in relative terms more accurate than for outdoor runs and even more accurate than for the 400 m track. In the swimming exercises, the accuracy of the measured distances was severely deteriorated by the medley changes among the majority of the smartwatches. Altogether, the results of this study should help in assessing the accuracy and thus suitability of smartwatches for general triathlon training.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
