4 Ways to Wear Your Garmin with Wrist Wraps
I get asked quite a bit about how to wear a fitness-tracking device like a Garmin Watch with a pair of wrist wraps. Some of us (myself included) can get pretty obsessed with our wearable tech – whether it’s a Garmin, an Apple Watch, WHOOP Band, etc.
Whether it’s trying to close your activity rings each day or simply tracking your workouts, wearing your wearable while you workout is kind of the main point. However, you may find yourself running into an issue with your fitness tracker and wrist wraps both vying for the same wrist space.
So, in this article, I’m going to share with you 4 ways you can get your Garmin Fitness Tracker and wrist wraps working in harmony.
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1. Protecht Wrist Wraps
Full disclosure, I have an Apple Watch, not a Garmin (that’s my Apple Watch in the pic above), but the same concepts apply to either.
A set of Protecht Wrist Wraps comes with two different styles of wrap. One is a traditional-looking wrist wrap. The other, however, has a cutout that allows you to not only wear your watch but have full access to the device’s face so you can check your heart rate, notifications, etc.
You can also get what they call a Protecht Patch that will attach overtop of your Garmin Watch for exercises like Kettlebell Snatches where you may be concerned about the bell flipping back and hitting your device.
They’re not perfect (check out my full review here), but they’re by far the best option for being able to wear your watch and still wear a pair of wrist wraps.
To get your own pair, head over to Protechtwraps.com.
2. Take Your Garmin Watch Off
Before my Protecht Wrist Wraps, I would just take my watch off while I’m using wrist wraps.
Here’s why.
I only wear wrist wraps for a handful of lifts per workout and sometimes I don’t wear them at all. (Make sure you’re not confusing wrist wraps with lifting straps) I mainly use them for pressing movements like Bench Press and exercises like Front Squat where the extra wrist support is beneficial.
If you’re only using wrist wraps for a few lifts as well, you can always just take the watch off. Is it annoying? Yes. Will you miss out on 10 minutes of workout data? Yes. But, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not exactly the end of the world.
3. Slide the Watch Up Your Wrist
This solution might even be easier than taking your device off. Loosen up the strap just a bit and slide it up your forearm slightly.
Wrist wraps tend to sit pretty low (toward the hand) on your wrist. Therefore you shouldn’t have to slide the fitness tracker too far up for both to be able to fit just fine. I know I said I used to take my Apple Watch off while I’m using wrist wraps and that’s true, I did.
However, if I’m doing something simple like a quick few sets of Shoulder Press I’ll just loosen my watch and slide it up a bit. Problem solved. The only real drawback here (other than it feeling a little awkward) is having the watch further up your arm may affect the heart rate tracking.
4. Get an Arm Band
If taking your Garmin off or sliding it up your arm aren’t viable options for you, then another product you may want to look into getting is an Arm Band.
These straps work by taking your Garmin Watch off of your regular wristband and placing it onto a band that you secure around your upper arm. This gets the watch completely out of the way of your wrists and wrist wraps. It does have its drawbacks though.
This means you have to take actually take your watch off your regular wristband and attach it to your armband. It’s not a huge deal, but switching your watch back and forth each time you workout can be a little annoying (and you have to remember to bring the other band with you).
Pro Tip: Make sure that you check that your Garmin model is compatible with an armband before you purchase it. Most straps and bands are designed to go with specific model watches.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, the answer lies in how determined are you to track your fitness data while you work out. If the answer is ‘very’, then opt for a pair of Protecht Wraps or maybe an armband. If the answer is ‘not really’, then just slide your Garmin Watch up your arm or simply take it off.
For me, the fitness data on my Apple Watch is probably what I use it for the most, so not being able to wear it while I work out can be extremely frustrating. If you can relate to that, then spending the money to be able to utilize the most used feature on a very expensive wearable just makes sense.
However, if you’re not the type of person that is bothered by an almost closed activity ring at the end of the day, then just pop your watch off when you need to and then slide it back on once you’re past the lifts that require wrist wraps.
Hope this article has been helpful. Stay strong!
