I have a cousin that asked me about the Apple Watch Ultra (apparently since I work with computers and run I should know this), but how is the accuracy of that watch on a treadmill? His Dr. suggested using the Ultra for the heart rate/healthcare because of some heart issues he has been having.

He has been working out on a treadmill and would like to track those runs. As I understand, you need to calibrate it outside with GPS, but not sure how it translates to indoor running. On my Garmin I know you can manually calibrate it after a run if it gets way off but you can't on the AW.

Also, does anyone use the sleep tracking? He uses a CPAP and that's been helping but he thinks that data could be useful too.

No watch is really going to be accurate on the treadmill. The distance reading on the treadmill is more accurate than a watch.

yeah, that is what I like about the Garmin, I can calibrate it to what the treadmill says at the end, just have to tweak it every so often.

the other (bigger) argument is that treadmills typically aren't very accurate.

Galaxy Watch let's you adjust the distance at the end of runs.

Never thought about the treadmill distance being off though.

That's a good point. He's been doing a lot better and proud of him for that. He's been really into the numbers lately but you are right, it's good enough.

There's no reason he should need an Apple Watch Ultra over a normal Apple Watch unless he likes the looks/ruggedness of it. The SE is lacking some of heart / health functions, but I'm pretty sure Ultra and Regular are pretty much the same when it comes to those features. There is a large cost difference between the models.

I guess it depends on what he's using it for.

bam02 said:

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I'd tell him whatever he needs to hear to him get him to exercise. Doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things if he's running 2.5 or 3.0 miles on the treadmill. Just tell him it's accurate enough to not worry about it. He just needs to exercise consistently.

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Obviously this is true...but a lot of it is mental.

I mean when I first started running I had myself convinced I had to wear lululemon shorts and shirts. Did I really need anything special for my 2 miles of running/walking couch 2 5k workout? No. But it was an extra bit of motivation that got my ass out there doing it consistently. That was like 7+ years and 50+ pounds ago....

Well the watch is probably at least consistent if not accurate. He can still track progress and that is what usually motivates people.

bam02 said:

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Well the watch is probably at least consistent if not accurate. He can still track progress and that is what usually motivates people.

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Right....my point is simply that it's easy for people to make excuses and quit when they're just starting out, really whenever. Being consistent is hard.

I can see someone getting upset and thinking they're cheated out of miles because the watch only says 2.5 miles. Regardless of how irrational that sounds.