How to track swimming workouts

[zeddybrek]

I use Strava for running and cycling which I love for the routes and stats. But can't find anything equivalent for swim. I saw a few very expensive Garmin devices but they were all incredibly expensive. In an ideal world a bit like a Fitbit but tells me the time and distance I have swam and can connect with Strava (bonus). Can anyone recommend something like this or does a reasonably priced swimming tracker not exist?! Thanks.

Watching as I'm also interested in this!

My Fitbit tracks swimming automatically - it tells me time, distance, pace and calories burned. Don’t know about strava compatibility though.

Apple Watch. It's the only way

Various fitbits will track swimming. Some of the cheaper Garmins do too, e.g. Garmin vivosport 4

Thanks @piglet81 I didn't know some fit bits could do this. Can I ask which model you have? I have seen some people post a little map of the route they swam in open water too with all the stats. Have always wondered which sports tracker they use.

Apple watch. Counts your laps for you as well.

Myzone Switch will track heart rate and calories - it has a wristband option for wearing in the pool. You can also wear it on the forearm or on a chest strap.

My samsung watch had a good swim.ap

I have a Garmin Vivosport 4 and it does pool and open water (you need one with its own GPS for open water) though in open water I sometimes just use my phone with it tracking on Strava directly - phone is in my tow float. My Garmin uploads to Strava

My fitbit used to track my swimming, I had the inspire HR...

I recently swapped to an Apple Watch (Series 6) and I love it! It tracks my swims with loads of information (heart rate, lengths, metres, average stroke time ect) It doesn't have a map but I swim in a pool. I think it might have a map if you do wild swimming outside

We have swimtag which is free at our gym you swipe your card grab a tracker watch and hand it back in after the entire uploads them to your free account

@zeddybrek I have a Charge 3, which is a few years old. I’ve only used it in pools though, not outdoors.

Thanks everyone! I'll have a look at all the suggestions posted.

Can't you just count the number of lengths you've done? And look at the clock on the wall?

@Bitofachinwag

Can't you just count the number of lengths you've done? And look at the clock on the wall?

I do this then upload to Strava as a manual activity

I cane on to genuinely helpfully suggest lengths and a stopwatch as well before realising how quickly old skool I’ve become 😂

I manually record swims on fitbit (my old charge 2 can't track swimming).

I'm worried pool chlorine will ruin any expensive tracking device.

We had swimtag 4 years so I know how fast I swim, can estimate my total lengths pretty well

@Amelia666

I cane on to genuinely helpfully suggest lengths and a stopwatch as well before realising how quickly old skool I’ve become 😂

Well sometimes old skool is actually easier and less complicated!

I use my Garmin XT735

It wasn't cheap (about £200 IIRC) but I use it for my running and cycling too so felt it was worth the investment

I just manually log on Strava. Do you just want to record lengths and time or more detail like what sets you did?

I started counting lengths, but get distracted and lose track. Looking at the clock on the wall (if I'm at the right end to see it) is OK to see that I've swum for an hour, though now you just get thrown out anyway, but doesn't help me know if I've kept the same speed all the way through or whatever.
My Garmin is on my wrist all day everyday (as a white and rosegold small format watch it is perfectly acceptable for work), so for me it is a good value buy

Well sometimes old skool is actually easier and less complicated!
I cant count lengths , i always loose track, same when im knitting

I miss swimming , i need to get back into it

I have a fitbit inspire 2 and it tracks lengths, time swimming and estimates calories burnt. It can't do heart rate in the water and it won't upload to Strava because it doesn't have GPS. (I think Strava can only translate Fitbit activities with a GPS - it works if I do a run and use the GPS on my phone with my fitbit.)

Some of the more expensive fitbits have inbuilt GPS so those might work.

@bruffin

Well sometimes old skool is actually easier and less complicated! I cant count lengths , i always loose track, same when im knitting

I miss swimming , i need to get back into it

Just say the number of lengths each time you do a stroke , 35, 35, 35 (turn) 36, 36 etc

It doesnt work because i start doing 36, 36, 37 , 37, 38.
Im really not good at keeping track, but my Samsung sport fit 2 did the job.