Having owned Garmin’s top of the line multi-sport watch for just over 12 months now, I thought it was worth a review.
I have previously owned a number of other Garmin watches starting from the Forerunner 610, followed by the 630 and 235. My main use of GPS watches is for tracking running.
Running
Let’s start off with my main use of the watch – running. I won’t be covering off every detail, just some of the features of the 935 that I find useful.
Lightweight
The Forerunner 935 weighs in at 49 grams which is very light. For me this put’s it a step above the Fenix 5 range (which has the same features but in a heavier case). For long distance running the lighter the better.
It’s worth noting that it isn’t the lightest running watch available. The older generation Forerunner 235 and the newly released Forerunner 645 both weigh in lighter at approximately 42 grams. However these are both geared towards running rather than true multi sport.
Screen
The screen on the 935 is large, colourful and easy to read in various conditions. You can display up to four fields at once and set up multiple screens which can be cycled through. The screen is definitely a step up from previous watches I have owned. Like other Garmin watches it has a back light which I like to set to permanently on during a training session in the dark.
Workouts
You can set up basic intervals on the watch or more advanced sessions from Garmin Connect. One feature I find very useful is the Training Peaks app on the watch. I plan out my training in Training Peaks, which is an online training log and analysis tool, here I set up any workouts using the Training Peaks workout builder. On the day I fire up the Training Peaks app on the watch which downloads the workout and it’s ready to go.
Intervals are easy to follow, the watch shows your pace against the target pace for the interval. When you are nearing the end of the interval the watch will start beeping with a more distinct beep when the interval is up. So you don’t need to be staring at the screen to see when the interval is ending.
Running dynamics/performance metrics AND optical heart rate
This was one of the reasons I upgraded from my Forerunner 235. At the time of buying the 235 I had a choice between the 235 and 630. The Forerunner 630 was the top of line running watch with running dynamics and performance metrics, however no optical heart rate. The 235 had optical heart rate but being a mid level watch it does not have some of the more advanced running dynamics and performance data. The 935 solves this as it includes absolutely everything.
The one downside is you need to use a heart rate strap (or running dynamics pod) to get the ground contact time, vertical oscillation and real time stride length data. A heart rate strap is also needed to use Garmin’s lactate threshold testing and HRV stress test.
More about optical heart rate
I really value having optical heart rate (OHR) in a watch, I wouldn’t buy a watch without it now, but it’s worth noting the technology isn’t perfect. I often have problems with OHR tracking well during interval workouts and it can be worse in cold weather. However it always tracks well for me on steady runs. From what I’ve read it works better or worse for different people and how you wear it can also make a difference. I like that I can ditch the heart rate strap and get accurate HR data on most runs without one. But there are still some cases (interval sessions) where I will use a heart rate strap.
Barometric altimeter
Barometric altimeter is a feature that only tends to be included in the higher end Garmin watches. It’s a nice bonus to get reliable altitude information on your runs. I find it useful to be able to compare different cross country courses and training runs, for example is a hill I’m doing in training a good match to what I might be racing on.
If you’re a trail or mountain runner interested in your elevation data having a watch with a barometric altimeter is definitely worth considering. Elevation from GPS only is not as accurate.
Cycling
Cycling is a common feature on Garmin running watches. One difference I’ve noticed with the 935 is that it also has an Indoor Cycling mode. Essentially this is a cycling mode with GPS disabled, tracking time and heart rate. You can also connect to some Gym cardio equipment where ANT+ is supported, so you could get indoor cycling distance that way, however I haven’t tried this.
Swimming
I’m certainly not a swimmer but have been doing a little bit of pool swimming with the watch recently. There are Open Water and Pool Swimming modes available. When you start a Pool Swim you set the length of the pool (25 metres for where I’ve been swiming) and the watch will track your laps and distance, as well as things like your pace per 100m, strokes per minute and “SWOLF”. SWOLF is a score based on stroke per length and time for the length.
I find the Pool Swim mode works pretty well but I often end up with a couple extra laps. I think this is more that I’m a poor swimmer and often rest after a lap before I start going again. Sadly heart rate isn’t tracked through the optical sensor while swimming due to the accuracy while in water not being good enough. Garmin do have heart rate straps available specifically for swimming.
Strength
You can set up structured strength workouts in Garmin Connect and follow them on the watch. A bit like running interval workouts, each set is an interval on the watch and you also set the rest times. It counts your reps automatically, which depending on the exercise your doing may or may not be accurate, but at the end of each set it’s easy to adjust the number of reps if it’s off.
The completed workout gives you the list of exercises and sets you completed, time for each set, weights used and heart rate. I find this is quite a good feature. The only flaw with the strength workouts is you have to pick your exercise from Garmin’s list of exercises, it’s a pretty complete list but sometimes the exercise I want isn’t listed so I have to go with the closest match.
Other sports
The Forerunner 935 has full multi-sport capability and can handle transitions for triathlon usage. Garmin also sells a quick release kit for moving the watch from your wrist to your bike. Having said that I’m not into triathlons so sorry triathletes, can’t really comment on that functionality.
There are a huge amount of other sport modes a lot which I haven’t used.. but who knows maybe I will one day. Some of the more interesting ones include:
- Jumpmaster – designed for sky diving
- Boat – fields set up for boating
- Truswing – analyse your golf swing
- Skiing and snowboarding
It’s also great for tracking walks or hiking.
You can also set up custom sport modes. For example you might set up a different sport mode for track running with different fields displayed.
Daily watch use
Most newer Garmin watches are also smart watches which connect with your mobile phone. The 935 will show you smart phone notifications and incoming phone calls. You can also download various apps, watch faces, data fields and widgets from the Connect IQ store.
I like the notification feature so I can glance at my watch instead of pulling out my phone. I also have widgets set up to see my calendar, the weather and the UV index so I can check whether or not I need sunscreen on for my run.
Activity tracking
Related to daily watch use is daily activity tracking. Basically your “fitbit” style functionality – pretty much all newer GPS watches do this now. It has daily step tracking where you can either set a static step goal or adjust automatically (increase the daily step goal if you hit it, or decrease if you don’t). Sleep tracking – how long you slept for and how well you slept based on your movement. Heart rate – your heart rate throughout the day and also your stress level.
Training status and performance
One of the more interesting features of the 935 that I hadn’t seen before this watch is Training Status. This gives you your current fitness level, training load and what your training status is based on that. It gives you a guide to whether you are training the right amount, over doing it or peaking for a race. I’ve found that it tends to be pretty accurate although I rely more on the Training Peaks performance management chart.
The 935 is also able to estimate your lactate threshold heart rate from training, and there is also the option of doing a lactate threshold test. Both of these require the use of a heart rate strap for HRV data which can’t be obtained from the optical sensor. Speaking of HRV you can also do a HRV stress test directly from the watch, this is something you would do each morning to check how stressed the body is from training or external factors.
Summary and recommendations
If you’re after a multi-sport/triathlon watch I would highly recommend the Forerunner 935. As far as I know it’s the best on the market for that purpose. The Fenix 5 series also has the same functionality but it comes in a form which is nicer for use as a daily watch but heavier which isn’t as nice for running with.
If you are after watch primarily for running I think the newer Forerunner 645 is worth a look. Cheaper than the 935 and you gain “Garmin Pay” – make contactless payments with your watch, and the option of storing and playing music from the watch. It still has bike and pool swimming modes but lacks some other sport modes like triathlon and outdoor swimming. As far as running goes it has all of the same advanced running metrics as the 935.
If you’re on a budget you can often find the Forerunner 235 on sale. Still a great running watch with all of the features you really need for running. It doesn’t have some of the advanced running and performance metrics of the 935 and 645 but do you really need them?
I would also recommend checking out DC Rainmaker for reviews and recommendations, this is my go to source for running technology reviews and news.
