Why use a Multisport/GPS for SUP?

With the advancements to our phones and watches we now have the capabilities of being able to monitor our sports performance that would have previously required professional consultation.  ASI Manager of training Paul Byrne took some time out to give us his thoughts on Multisport GPS Watches for SUP.

“The sport of Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP) is new and exciting…and still growing at an alarming rate. Staying true to its roots, the sport still does not require much to get started. All you need is a SUP board, a paddle, a leash and off you go. There is one other piece of equipment that more and more paddlers are starting to add to their pieces of essential kit, and that’s a Multisport GPS watch.

Fitness trackers of all kinds have become increasingly popular over the past few years. Why is that?

They help paddlers understand what exactly they are doing wrong during their workouts and give detailed information and feedback on many things, such as; distance travelled, average speed, calories burned, stroke rates, heart rates etc, etc….

One big plus for Stand Up Paddlers is that you can use it to measure distance per stroke and stroke rate. This will help with pacing when paddling longer distances. For me, as a paddler, the information that I am most interested in is the time and distance, stroke rate, and heart rate graphs of the entire session.

It is easy to access your data; your watch will synchronise with your phone application and store everything there. It gives you very detailed information and session breakdowns. This is an important record of training statistics which lets you be able to go back to at a later date; and for comparisons and use for future planning.

There are basic models which only give small amounts of information, right up to the top of the range models that will almost tell you what you had for breakfast!

I use a Garmin Fenix 3. It's a mid-range watch price and records a huge amount of information, more than anybody could require, for dozens of sports. SUP being just one of them. It requires no care, just charging roughly once every 2 to 3 weeks, depending on how much training you have been doing. It’s waterproof and scratch resistant and when it’s not being used to record my SUP sessions it’s great as a standard watch.

Sure, not all of them come cheap. But, having the benefit of smartwatch notifications, heart rate monitoring, and GPS tracking on your wrist is worth the money if you want to treat your body with respect, along with some quality paddle training.”

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About ASI
ASI is a professional membership organisation and international governing body for instructors, coaches and schools in the outdoor recreation industry for surfing, stand up paddle and bodyboarding.
We set the standards for education, accreditation, professional development and ongoing support for our members, offering pathways from entry level to elite level.
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