A Cheat Sheet for Creating the Perfect Swimming Workout and Routine

Download this FREE cheat sheet to create the perfect swimming workout and routine. Learn how to structure your swim workout and enjoy 9 example workouts, ranging from beginner to advanced.

Swim Workout Cheat Sheet

Best Fitbits For Swimming: Top 6 Waterproof Fitbit Trackers

We may earn commission from affiliate links on certain pages at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use our links, we really appreciate it! Read Full Disclosure.

SwimCompetitive-SwimOutlet Banner Top 2
SwimCompetitive-SwimOutlet Banner Top 1

If you are looking for the best Fitbits for swimming, then you’ve come to the right place because in today’s article we’ll be discussing the best Fitbits for swimming so that you can track your laps and swimming workouts in the pool. 

Whether you’re a competitive swimmer or a recreational swimmer, we all love to track our laps and distance in the pool. This can serve as a great source of progress by being able to accurately compete with yourself on a daily basis.

For example, swimming more laps at a faster speed than you did a week ago, staying engaged in your workouts trying to crush out some more distance, or even optimizing your swim workouts and training by looking at advanced metrics.

And needless to say, in the modern tech world of swimming there is no shortage of swimming watches and trackers to do just that. 

That said, today we’ll be looking at one of the world’s leading smart wearables manufacturers, namely Fitbit. The company produces some of the best fitness trackers in the world and have also made quite the contribution to the swimming market with their waterproof swim trackers.

These Fitbits are all connected to the easy-to-use and friendly Fitbit app that shows you all of the data and insights about your physical activity- both on land and in the pool so that you can train as optimally as possible while also being able to know exactly how much you’ve done during a particular period of time.

Best Fitbits For Swimming: Top 6 Picks

Here are the best Fitbits for swimming-

  • Fitbit Flex 2
  • Fitbit Versa 2
  • Fitbit Charge 4
  • Fitbit Charge 3
  • Fitbit Inspire HR
  • Fitbit Inspire

←Scroll to view full table on mobile→

Fitbit for swimming Swimming tracking Design style Other Smart features Our rating View on Amazon
Fitbit Flex 2 Automatic tracking: lengths, duration, distance, and pace Bracelet Alarm, smart notifications 10/10 >View price
Fitbit Versa 2 Automatic and app tracking: lengths, duration, distance, and pace Smart watch Interactive, payments, music, notifications 10/10 >View price
Fitbit Charge 4 Automatic and app tracking: lengths, duration, distance, and pace Bracelet watch Interactive, payments, music, notifications 9/10 >View price
Fitbit Charge 3 Automatic and app tracking: lengths, duration, distance, and pace Bracelet watch Display, alarm, notifications 8/10 >View price
Fitbit Inspire HR Automatic and app tracking: lengths, duration, distance, and pace Bracelet watch Display, alarm, notifications 7/10 >View price
Fitbit Inspire Automatic tracking: lengths, duration, distance, and pace Bracelet watch Display, alarm, notifications 6/10 >View price

Fitbit Flex 2- Top Performance Pick

The Fitbit Flex 2 is one of the most popular Fitbit devices out there. The design features an ultra-thin faceless bracelet style design made to support your everyday lifestyle and training routine without feeling heavy or attracting much attention to yourself.

This fitbit can track many different physical activities and can also monitor other things like your sleep patterns to ensure that you’re getting enough sleep every night to support your training both in and out of the pool.

Getting to the swimming side of things, this watch is completely waterproof and can automatically track all of the necessary swimming statistics including your total number of laps, the duration of your workout, your distance in the water, and also your average pace throughout your workout.

These metrics aren’t the most in-depth that I’ve seen on swimming trackers, but considering this is an awesome Fitbit device and comes in at a good price, I’ll take it. 

Other workout capabilities include SmartTrack, which automatically recognizes selected workouts and records them in the Fitbit app for later viewing. The watch also tracks your total of steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes during the day.

Further features of this tracker includes setting an alarm that will wake you up with a comfortable and small vibration, receiving call and text notifications, and also knowing how close you are to your set daily goals via an LED display that activates when you tap your Fitbit Flex 2 tracker.

The design of the Fitbit Flex 2 is also really high quality, the entire tracker is made from a flexible and durable elastomer material and also contains a surgical-grade stainless steel clasp to ensure an optimal fit while wearing.

Overall, this is easily one of the best Fitbits for swimming. The design is seamless and lightweight and won’t distract you when you are working out while making sure that all-important statistics are being recorded and stored. 

My only complaint about this tracker is the battery life. It lasts about 2 to 3 days, which is decent, but these types of trackers usually offer a much longer battery life than that.

Pros

  • Lightweight and low profile design that optimizes performance.
  • Tracks a wide variety of exercise activities.
  • Advanced heart rate and sleep monitoring.
  • Tracks all necessary swim statistics.
  • Smart track technology.
  • Quality and durable design.
  • Decent battery life.
  • Notification alerts.

Cons

  • Battery life could be better.

Fitbit Versa 2- Budget Pick

The Fitbit Versa 2 is an insanely popular Fitbit device with a high-quality, durable, and advanced design featuring a smart display watch face that displays the time, your current heart rate, total steps, number of calories burned, as well as other customizable information.

The device includes a number of really cool and advanced features that will make your every-day life more useful, but let’s start off with the fitness and sports tracking capabilities of this Fitbit.

The Fitbit Versa 2 has the ability to track a wide range of activities with swimming obviously being one of those. 

With this Fitbit, you have access to automatic swim tracking which will track your swimming laps, workout duration, total distance, and swimming pace so that you can receive more insights into your swimming workouts and optimize your training as well as challenging yourself and reaching higher heights with your fitness.

Other fitness tracking includes the capability to track any major exercise activity with precision accuracy like running, cycling, hiking, and so on.

This watch will also monitor your heart rate, total steps, calories burned, floors climbed, and active minutes around the clock to provide valuable insights into your training and how you can optimize it for a better and healthier lifestyle in and out of the pool.

Other than that, you’ll also be able to monitor and track your sleep while receiving a sleep score to help you better understand your quality of sleep and how it is affecting your training and everyday life.

Now, moving onto those sweet smart features that this Fitbit has to offer. First of all, this Fitbit is fully integrated with the Amazon Alexa devices so that you can quickly grab information, set times and alarms, and control your smart home devices directly through your Fitbit.

You’ll also be able to play and control music using Spotify or Pandora stations through your Fitbit device which is great for those hard training sessions or days where you just want quick access to some good music.

Other than that, you’ll be able to receive call, text, calendar, and smartphone notifications directly to your wrist to ensure you always stay up to date with what’s going on in the world.

In terms of battery life, the Fitbit Versa is pretty solid allowing for usage up to 6 days, obviously varying with what you use it for.

Overall, the Fitbit Versa 2 is an awesome looking Fitbit device with great features for your swimming training and everyday life. Personally, I love the fullscreen display of this device, it looks really neat and will make for a stylish look.

Pros

  • Interactive and smart watch face.
  • Quality and durable design.
  • Automatic swim tracking.
  • Accurate tracking of most other sports and exercise activities.
  • Smart track.
  • Heart rate and sleep monitoring.
  • Amazon-Alexa certified.
  • Play and control music.
  • Smart notifications.
  • Great battery life.

Cons

  • It can be hard to set up initially

Fitbit Charge 4- Minimalistic Design with Superb Tracking Features

Following a new and improved version of the super-popular Fitbit Charge 3, comes the Fitbit Charge 4- a feature-packed and super high-quality Fitbit tracker with all of the activity and swimming tracking capabilities that you’ll ever need.

Starting off with the design of the watch, we have a sleek and slim construction featuring a watch face that displays the time as well as other useful information. You can also change out the bands on this Fitbit to customize the tracker to your fit and style. This way you’ll have an awesome looking Fitbit that is sure to keep you looking stylish, no matter the occasion.

In terms of swimming, this watch will make a great fit and is super durable with it featuring water-resistance up to 50m. The Fitbit charge 4 offers automatic swim tracking and can also be incorporated with the exercise swimming app. You’ll be able to track swimming lengths, duration, total distance, as well as your pace throughout your swimming workout.

Other activity tracking includes the capability to GPS track outdoor runs, bike rides, and hikes. You’ll also be able to see a workout intensity map that shows how your heart rate changes throughout your workout. 

In total, the Fitbit Charge 4 offers the ability to track more than 20 goal-based exercise modes so you can be sure that your performance both in the pool as well as outside of it is top-notch so that you can perform optimally when it really matters.

With the Charge 4 you’ll also be able to monitor your heart rate 24/7 so that you can now know how your body is handling the training and if you are effectively making progress. Further, you can track your sleeping patterns to ensure optimal rest and recovery as well as the number of calories burned throughout your day.

The activity tracking on this Fitbit is absolutely excellent and will help you to stay in sync with your workouts and performance at all times. This way you’ll be able to reach your swimming and fitness goals in no time- no matter how big they are.

Something that I really like about the Fitbit Charge 4 is the ability to play your favorite songs and playlists from the Spotify app using controls on your Fitbit. But not only that, but you can also make secure purchases using the Fitbit Pay app, as well as getting call, text, and smartphone notifications delivered directly to your wrist for easy viewing. Your Fitbit is now not only a great training buddy but also your personal assistant helping you to effectively get things done wherever you go.

All in all, this is an awesome Fitbit device with some great features to ensure that you perform optimally in your training while looking stylish on a day to day basis. The battery life is also quite impressive lasting up to 7 days when used in standard mode. 

Pros

  • Quality and durable construction.
  • Semi-interactive watch face.
  • Automatic and app swim tracking.
  • GPS tracking for outdoor activities.
  • Track more than 20 exercise activities.
  • Highly accurate tracking.
  • Make payments.
  • Smart notifications.
  • Play and control music.
  • Great battery life.

Cons

  • Occasional connectivity and sync issues.

Do You Want to Make Every Lap Count?

Stop wasting your time in the pool feeling lost and doing directionless swim workouts, and start training effectively! Our ebook contains 97 structured and goal-orientated swim workouts to help you become a better, faster, and fitter swimmer. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned pro, there are a multitude of workouts for every type of swimmer.

The-SwimCompetitive-97-Swim-Workout-Ebook

Fitbit Charge 3

If you liked the sound and style of the Fitbit Charge 4, but fancy a lower price, consider the Fitbit Charge 3, a similar-looking device with good tracking capabilities, but a slightly older and less advanced design than the Fitbit Charge 4.

The Fitbit Charge 3 offers many performance tracking capabilities to assist you in becoming the best swimmer that you can be while reaching your fitness and training goals. With the Fitbit Charge 3 you can choose from more than 15 exercise modes including swimming, running, biking, yoga, circuit training, and more.

You’ll be able to set goals and then have your Charge 3 report back to you in real time during your workout so that you can see how you can keep optimizing your workouts and become a better swimmer.

In terms of swimming, the Fitbit Charge 3 allows for automatic tracking where you’ll be able to see the number of laps swam, the duration of your workout, your total distance, and also your average swimming pace in the water. You also don’t have to worry about potential damage from swimming since this device is water-resistant up to 50m.

This Fitbit also allows you to track the number of calories you burn, monitor your heart rate 24/7 for advanced insight into performance, and track your sleep to ensure that you are recovering optimally at night.

Other features include the ability to use certain apps like weather and sports apps while also receiving call, text, and other smartphone notifications directly to your wrist.

For battery life, Fitbit claims that the Charge 3 will last up to 7 days, but from personal experience using the device, I’d say about 3-4 days is a more accurate number, which is still quite good. 

Overall, I really like the Fitbit Charge 3, it has a lower price, offers good features and tracking capabilities, and has a good and sleek construction.

Pros

  • Good device for a lower price.
  • More than 15 activity tracking capabilities.
  • Receive real-time workout insights.
  • Track all necessary swimming statistics.
  • Smart track.
  • Advanced sleep and heart rate monitoring.
  • Smart notifications.
  • Good battery life.

Cons

  • Auto-brightness can be improved.

Fitbit Inspire HR

If you’re looking for a super low-profile, sleek, and light-weight fitbit device that doesn’t break the bank, then consider the Fitbit Inspire HR, the more advanced variation of the Fitbit Inspire series (we’ll cover the standard Fitbit Inspire in just a second).

Jumping straight into the tracking and training features of the Fitbit Inspire HR we’ll see that this device has the ability to automatically track and record workouts like swimming, running, walks, and bike rides as well as more than 10 other activities using its smart track technology.

The Fitbit Inspire is also on the more advanced side of swim tracking with it offering both automatic tracking as well as the ability to use alongside the swimming exercise app which records swimming lengths, workout duration, distance, and your pace in the pool.

Other than that, you’ll also be able to accurately track your day-to-day activity with the Fitbit Inspire HR allowing you to track steps, activate minutes, calories burned. You’ll also be able to track more advanced and useful features like your sleeping patterns and 24/7 heart rate allowing for useful insights into your training and everyday life. 

In terms of the construction, the Fitbit Inspire HR is designed using high-quality, flexible, and durable elastomer material. The battery life claims to last about 5 days, but I’ve found that about a day to two on average is accurate, which isn’t as impressive, but is still reasonable for usage.

All in all, this is a pretty solid device, the price is good and the features are more than enough for most swimmers. You’ll be able to track all of your activities and daily performance, but may miss out a bit on some of the more advanced features offered in higher priced Fitbit devices.

Pros

  • Quality and sleek construction.
  • Automatically tracks and records most workout types.
  • Automatic and app swim tracking.
  • Smart track.
  • Heart rate and sleep monitoring.
  • Decent battery life.
  • Great budget price.

Cons

  • Battery life could be a bit better.
  • Not all advanced features available.

Fitbit Inspire

If the low price of the Fitbit Inspire HR, still isn’t enough for you, consider trying out the standard Fitbit Inspire, a similar device, but with slightly less tracking and accuracy capabilities than the Fitbit Inspire HR and other Fitbit devices, but still enough to get you some decent results.

The Fitbit Inspire has the ability to track your steps, active minutes, and calories burned. It also allows for automatic sleep tracking that provides valuable insights into your training and recovery and how you can optimize your sleep so that you can feel more rested throughout your day.

Other than that, the Fitbit Inspire is also able to track all major sports and exercise activities using its Smart Track technology. This includes- swimming, walking, running, bike rides, and more.

For swimming, this device offers automatic tracking, allowing you to track your swimming lengths, workout duration, distance, and also your average pace.

The overall design of the Fitbit Inspire is also really nice and high quality, just like that off the Fitbit Inspire HR. It’s designed using quality, flexible and durable elastomer materials allowing for a clean and sleek construction.

The on-screen interface and dashboard is also interactive and easy to navigate, allowing you to view all important information directly on your wrist, as well as all of the other standards like the time, date, your steps and so on.

In terms of battery life, the device claims 5 days, and I can say that this number is accurate. I’m not sure why the Fitbit Inspire HR doesn’t live up to this, seeing as it is more expensive. Most likely, due to the added tracking features.

Overall, the Fitbit Inspire is a great entry-level Fitbit device that offers good tracking capabilities and everything you need. Sure, it could do with a little bit more, but considering the price, I’d say that this device completely lives up to its name.

Pros

  • Smart track.
  • Sleep and heart rate monitoring.
  • Tracks all major exercise activities.
  • Automatic swim tracking.
  • Quality, sleek, and durable construction.
  • Interactive.
  • Good battery life.
  • Great price.

Cons

  • Less tracking and advanced features included.

How to Choose the Best Fitbit for Swimming

Before picking up your new Fitbit device, consider these important features in order to ensure that you make the best decision possible for your needs.

1. Size

When it comes to purchasing a Fitbit for swimming and sports tracking, size is going to be a big factor and something that you should carefully consider depending on what you’re looking for when it comes to the use of your watch.

As our top performance pick we listed the Fitbit Flex 2- and that’s for 2 simple reasons- it’s the most lightweight and low profile Fitbit device out there and it also offers excellent tracking capabilities.

Now some of you might decide that you want more out of your Fitbit device than just tracking. For this you’ll probably require a device with a face and interactive display, which will add to the weight and size of your device.

This is fine, but you have to make sure that this is what you want. For the everyday person and casual swimmer this is probably the best option, I agree, but if you’re a hardcore swimmer and workout-freak like me, then you probably want to go with the most ligthweight and low-profile option available so that you can focus purely on training while receiving valuable insights.

2. Tracking Capabilities

Most of the Fitbit devices offer good and accurate tracking capabilities. What you’ll have to note is that the less expensive Fitbit devices often don’t have their own GPS built-in, which will mean that you’ll need your phone with you at all times- a bit of a pain in my opinion.

The lower-class devices also don’t track quite as many activities and the accuracy simply isn’t the same, although still pretty good.

I recommend deciding on how important accuracy is to you and what you want to track. If you only want to track the basics, then you can honestly go with any device since they’re all pretty good in this field, but if you want a bit more advanced tracking capabilities, consider a more expensive Fitbit.

3. Watch Face or No Watch Face

Next, is the style of your Fitbit device. This is something that’s important to take into consideration since you’ll be wearing your device around a lot of the time and you’ll have to like it and be proud of it, otherwise you’re just going to be wasting your money, purchasing something that you’re not going to wear or use.

If this means that you like the idea of having a watch face and interactive screen on your device, then by all means go for it. But if you want something a bit more minimalistic that looks simple and neat and gets the job done, then consider one of the more bracelet styles designs.

In my opinion, the bracelet style isn’t a bad option, since it’ll give you the opportunity to get away from the connected world and your phone when you need it without having to give up your smart tracking capabilities, which in the end will make you a better swimmer, athlete and healthier person overall.

4. Smart Features

Some of these Fitbit devices offer some cool and nice smart features, others don’t, and then some offer something in between. You’re going to have to decide if this is important to you and whether or not it’s something you want on your fitbit device.

For the most extensive smart features I recommend the Fitbit Ionic and then the Fitbit Versa 2. With these you’ll be able to get notifications, texts, calls, and other information, while being able to play songs and even make payments using your Fitbit.

If you want to download songs directly onto your device you’re going to need to go with the Fitbit Ionic since the Fitbit Versa 2 only offers play and control capabilities.

That said, some of us don’t want any of this. We simply want a device that can track our activity and provide valuable insights into our training and everyday fitness so that we can optimize it to become better swimmers and healthier individuals. It can also be used as a way to see if you’re making progress or if there is something that needs to be changed to ensure progress.

Become a Better Swimmer with a New Fitbit for Swimming

Fitbits can help us to become better swimmers and healthier people by providing valuable insights into our training. They can also help us to stay connected and even make our everyday lives easier with things like personalized coaching capabilities, sleep tracking to make sure you are resting properly, smart notifications, and easy payments.

I hope you found this article helpful and that you’re now ready to purchase the Fitbit that makes the most sense to you and your needs and will help you to become a better swimmer, or help you with whatever your goals are in the pool and in your daily life.

Photo of author
I am Benjamin, a competitive swimmer with over a decande of experience in the sport of swimming. I also hold certifications in Exercise Science and Nutrition. I am very passionate about competitive swimming and love sharing everything I have learned about the sport. I specialize in swimming butterfly and my favorite event is the 100m butterfly with the 50m and 200m fly closely following.

A Cheat Sheet for Creating the Perfect Swimming Workout and Routine

Download this FREE cheat sheet to create the perfect swimming workout and routine. Learn how to structure your swim workout and enjoy 9 example workouts, ranging from beginner to advanced.

Swim Workout Cheat Sheet
SwimCompetitive-SwimOutlet Bottom Banner 2
SwimCompetitive-SwimOutlet Bottom Banner 2

Related Guides

5 Best Swim Caps for Long Hair- The Expert Guide

Are you tired of struggling to bundle all of your hair into a regular swim cap? Is this the third swim cap you have ripped this month? Do you dread ...

7 Best Swim Shampoos and Conditioners to Remove Chlorine

If you’re a swimmer, you’re likely familiar with dry, straw-like, and brittle chlorine-damaged hair. Perhaps, embarrassingly, others may have commented on the chlorine smell of your curls before. Similarly, if ...

Complete Swimming Equipment List for Every Type of Swimmer

If you want to maximize your performance in the water, reach your swimming goals, and ensure your competitors don’t outswim you, then it’s essential to have the right swimming equipment.  ...

8 Best Pull Buoys for Swimming- The Expert Review

Are you always falling behind in training? How about in competition? Would you like to fix that?  Are you looking to improve your pulling technique and power, build upper body ...