Fitness
Inside the Punishing World of Kettlebell Sport — Where Strength Endurance Reaches New Limits
Nobody trains at Wolfpack Fitness because it’s easy to get to. The first thing you see when you enter the lane that eventually leads to one of the country’s finest kettlebell gyms is a place called The Dog Paddocks, a doggy playground that according to the promo is ‘the perfect place for dogs to safely run, sniff, play and relax’.
Wolfpack is a further 50 yards back from the road and is essentially a couple of old stables – one housing functional fitness equipment and one specifically for kettlebells – located in a rural part of Nantwich, England. You know you’re in the right place thanks to sign with a picture of a kettlebell, next to a stern message warning people to switch off the lights and lock the gate if they’re last out of the gym. Even once I’ve reach Wolfpack, I somehow take another wrong turn and, instead of heading inside, I am treated to an impromptu solo tour around a small outdoor workout space. It’s stocked with battle ropes and rustic equipment (a barbell constructed from what looks like car wheel rims connected by a steel bar). It’s the middle of January; everything has been left out and has been softly dusted with snow. So far, consider me charmed.
When I finally make my way inside Wolfpack’s kettlebell space, I’m greeted by Oliver ‘Oli’ Mell, 41, a former Royal Marine turned kettlebell athlete, who’s waiting alongside a couple of his most decorated lifters. He’s warned me that the temperature is below freezing in Nantwich right now, and as I walk through the door, I see that he already has a few kettlebells warming next to an open fire for later use. Again, I’m charmed.
Mell is a practitioner of kettlebell sport, a little known ‘sport of reps’ where athletes aim to keep their ‘bell in the air for as long as they can and for as many repetitions as possible. Depending on their exact discipline that could mean snatching a heavy, 40kg kettlebell overhead for 10 minutes or it could mean lifting a slightly lighter, but still heavy, ‘bell for an hour (marathon) or two (supermarathon). In the marathon discipline, drop the ‘bell at any point and your score is null and void – meaning you may as well not have bothered picking it up in the first place. That makes it less about repping more than your opponent and more about doing battle with your own psyche.
Today, Mell has agreed to teach me some of the sport’s basic techniques, how to lift a kettlebell correctly and where to rest it to catch your breath. In just over a week’s time, he’ll be putting these techniques to the test himself when he attempts to beat his own world record of 1,227 reps of clean and press with a 24kg weight over the course of two hours. It’s an ambitious target, and he knows only too well that with a live event like kettlebell sport anything can go wrong.
At last year’s World Champs in Denmark, Mell was also in pursuit of kettlebell glory, competing in four lifts: 30 minutes’ half snatch, 30 minutes’ long cycle, 10 minutes’ long cycle with a 40kg bell and 10 minutes’ half snatch. It was a hot day and before the first event he made the rookie error of over chalking his ‘bell. Within 10 minutes, he knew he was in trouble. ‘The state my hands were in, the fight changed,’ Mell says. ‘I knew straight away the task would be to not quit and to not put the ‘bell down. I might be remembered for that set more than anything else, which is why I feel like I’ve got to go back and prove that I can do it.’
His two-hour set is an opportunity for kettlebell redemption. It’s also, he hopes, crazy enough to draw attention to a sport that few people know exist and even fewer are willing to have a go at.
A Brief History of ‘bells
It’s difficult to ascertain exactly who started swinging kettlebells first. Some people suggest the Ancient Greeks were the first people to use a weighted tool with a handle as a piece of exercise equipment. But everyone from Chinese Shaolin monks, Indian Kushti wrestlers and Scottish Highland Games athletes have trained using something akin to a kettlebell since.
In 1704, the term Girya, referring to a kettlebell, first appeared in the Russian dictionary. Back then it wasn’t describing a training tool but rather a counterweight, which was used by farmers to measure grains and goods. The tale goes that the men who used these weights soon began swinging and lifting them to show off their strength and the practice became a party trick they used at farming festivals.
Fast forward to the 19th century and Dr Vladislav Krajewski, personal physician to the Russian czar, who is also known as the ‘father of heavy athletics’, developed a system of weight training which included the use of kettlebells. Recent research by journalist Nick English and sociocultural sports historian Victoria Felkar suggests that he could have been inspired by a German lifter, with Germany now also being credited as one of the first places to employ kettlebell training.
Whatever its exact history, we do know the point that kettlebells started to move from training methodology to sport. In 1948, Russia, then the Soviet Union, abstained from the first post-war Olympic Games held in London. Later that same year, the nation held its own kettlebell sport competition where the champions from 15 Soviet republics travelled to Moscow to compete against each other in two events: the ‘long jerk’, which is a clean and jerk with two bells, and the ‘biathlon’, a set of jerks with two ‘bells followed by a set of snatches.
It took almost another half century for the kettlebell to gain international recognition. In 1998, the man widely credited with introducing the kettlebell to the United States, Pavel Tsatsouline published an article called ‘Vodka, Pickle Juice, Kettlebell Lifting and other Russian Pastimes’ in the US journal, MILO: Journal for Serious Strength Athletes. That paper, and Tsatsouline’s ability to sell kettlebell training, went a long way to swinging the kettlebell into the Western world’s consciousness. A few years later, in 2002, Rolling Stone magazine named it the ‘hot weight of the year’.
Whether they know it or not, many lifters have been influenced by Tsatsouline since. Mell, for example, was working as a personal trainer when he first began to train with kettlebells, using them to train in the ‘hardstyle’ of kettlebell lifting popularised by Tsatsouline. Hardstyle uses many of the same exercises as kettlebell sport but instead of requiring athletes to be fluid and relaxed with the ‘bell, hardstyle practitioners rely on tension and ‘the grind’.
Mell discovered kettlebell sport a few years later, just as he was set to leave his PT career and join the Royal Marines. Four years on from that, after becoming one of the oldest people to pass out from Commando Training Centre, Lymstone and being deployed around the world, he left the Marines and began seriously competing, first as an amateur and then as a professional. Wolfpack Fitness started because he wanted somewhere to train that allowed him to share the mentality he forged while serving.
‘I was teaching kettlebells in various gyms, and I just couldn’t find somewhere that brought me back to that feeling of being in the open, doing different forms of very challenging physical fitness that weren’t as formatted as three sets of 10 reps type of thing,’ says Mell. ‘When I wanted to open my own place, my job was to create a gym I’d want to join and see if other people would want to join it, too.’
Why it Appeals to All Lifters Great and Small
What’s amazing and very noticeable about Wolfpack Fitness specifically, and kettlebell sport more generally, is the variety of lifters it attracts. As Mell says, ‘You don’t have to be athletic or 6ft. You don’t have to have incredibly long hamstrings. You don’t have to have a perfect lever for a press. You just have to put the time into the ‘bell.’
Łukasz ‘Luki’ Danielski, 41, is a former powerlifter from Poland. At 100kg, he’s a big, hulking man. His began powerlifting at age to 17 and by the time he’d finished, aged 30, he’d achieved a bronze medal in the 2003 Polish Championships, as well as a 250kg deadlift, a 250kg squat and a 187kg bench.
Between finishing powerlifting and beginning kettlebell sports, Danielski took on an 80-mile ultra marathon around Loch Ness to prove that big guys like him can run too. ‘It’s not big challenge if your skinny,’ he says. ‘But if you have 100kg and more, this is a challenge for you.’ That’s his idea of ‘fun’.
Despite his obvious sporting prowess, the transition to kettlebell sport wasn’t easy. ‘When I tried my first lift in kettlebell, a 24kg ‘bell, it killed me. I say, “How is this fucking possible?” I know I’m strong, and this is only 24kg. It smashed me to the ground. You can be strong, but you need to know how you can use this power. If you don’t know how to breathe, you die.’
With Mell’s help, he learned how to use his power and has since won gold medals in the International Kettlebell Marathon Federation’s (IKMF) pentathlon (five lifts each performed for six minutes with a five-minute break between each) and World Games (a 10-minute one-arm half snatch using a 40kg ‘bell).
His story and personality couldn’t be more different to those of Alistair Lee, 40, who found the sport as a final throw of the dice before major weightloss surgery. Before kettlebells, Lee had spent most of his adult life at around 172kg. Over the years he’d put himself through various crash diets and tried everything from triathlon to Muay Thai to psychiatry to help him lose weight. Four years ago, he was on the NHS waitlist for gastric band surgery – something that he desperately wanted to avoid. Giving lifting a go was his final attempt at losing the weight himself.
Once they started training together, Mell guessed that Lee’s strength may translate well to kettlebells and helped him get started, at this point for fitness not for sport. Three years later, he was the captain of the England team for the World Championship in Poland. He’s now a seven-times world champion, as well as a world and British record-holder. He’ s also got his weight down to a stable and manageable 115kg. He didn’t need the gastric band.
‘I always struggled with team sports because I always felt like I was letting the team down. I wasn’t good enough,’ he says. ‘This sport is a team sport. There’s a team around you. There’s a social group that you do it with. But equally, no one’s dependent on you to deliver anything. You just do your absolute best. That’s what I love about it.’
Jonathan ‘Johnny’ Skinner and Del Wilson meanwhile are more friends of Wolfpack Fitness than regular members. Again, in terms of personality, they couldn’t be more different. Skinner is 42, brash, confident and cocky. He’s also one of the, if not the, best in the world at single arm jerk, who has won gold medals at competitions around the world and has a personal record of 172 reps in 10 minutes with a 40kg kettlebell. Wilson, 58, meanwhile is a mild-mannered former formula one race car technician who took up the sport in his mid 40s and has won world championships in Denmark (twice) Hungary, Spain, Belgium (twice) and Poland since.
How to Get Better at Kettlebell Sport
Most of the people who started their kettlebell sport journey at Wolfpack Fitness didn’t start off as athletes. In most cases, Mell explains, ‘They’ve been very average people and quite late in their life.’ But what they do all have in common is a willingness to work hard and a shared mentality.
Mell brings up the term ‘beast mode’. He isn’t a fan. During his forthcoming two-hour attempt, he will have to go into a zone, but it’s not a place of anger, it’s a ‘mentally relaxed and peaceful place’. He won’t get to that place of zen by ‘flicking a switch’ or activating beast mode, he’ll get there by doing a little more each and every day in preparation.
‘It took 32 weeks of military training to turn me from a civilian into somebody capable of going and doing what Royal Marine commandos do,’ he says. ‘They’re never looking for someone who from the start can be this really hardened creature that will just destroy what’s in its path and operate in extreme mental circumstances. You do it in phases. And each time you do it, the phase gets more difficult.’
During my own training at Wolfpack Fitness, I progressed from a three-minute kettlebell set to a five-minute set. For Mell’s supermarathon, he’s been doing hour-long sets with a 36kg kettlebell (8kg heavier than the ‘bell he’ll be using for his record attempt). His speed sets, meanwhile, are done later in the week, when his hands have recovered, and with a 24kg kettlebell. Mell adds 15 minutes to his training duration each week, staring at an hour of lifting and ending, on week four, at 1 hour 45 minutes. His other athletes train similarly and alongside all of their ‘bell work they all put time into endurance cardio – running and rowing – and strength endurance doing 25-30 rep sets of deadlifts, leg press, squats, lat pull downs and shoulder press. Flexibility work is encouraged but optional.
It’s a demanding schedule, especially when you consider that the athletes are all older, with families, work commitments and are competing in a sport with little to no funding. Mell has a partner and two daughters. It’s not uncommon for his days to start at 4:30am and finish at 10pm. Bringing new blood in the sport is a definite goal and part of the reason why he chooses to out himself though challenging supermarathon attempts – for the spectacle and interest it brings to the sport.
Just before my piece on Wolfpack Fitness and kettlebell sport is due to be finished, I receive a text from Mell. It reads simply: ‘1,249 new world record’. A short statement of fact, which belies the blood sweat and tears that went into achieving it. One of the best endurance athletes you’ve never heard of has proved, once again, that he can still do it.
The Best Kettlebell Exercises
If you’re considering giving kettlebell sport a go, build your foundations with these lifts, explained by athlete and coach Oliver Mell.
Snatch
Swing the ‘bell from between your legs in one motion to an overhead fixation. When the ‘bell is overhead and completely still the judge awards the rep. Drop the weight back between your legs in a single motion and repeat.
Jerk
The ‘bell is cleaned into the rack position and then jerked with a double dip. When the judge has awarded the rep the athlete lowers back into the rack position ready for the next rep.
Long Cycle
The kettlebell is swung between the legs and cleaned into the rack position and then must be fixed for the judge to see before the athlete performs a jerk repetition. Once the rep is awarded the athlete returns the kettlebell into rack position and finally back into the swing.
Push Press
Similar to the jerk, the athlete cleans the kettlebell into the rack position and then pushes the kettlebell overhead, using their legs to assist. Once the kettlebell is still overhead and the judge awards the rep, return the ‘bell to the rack position for the next rep.
Fitness
How busy women can realistically hit 10 hours of exercise a week – and unlock the biggest health benefits
A huge new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine – which analysed the activity levels of more than 17,000 participants – suggests that to achieve a substantial (defined as greater than 30%) reduction in heart attack and stroke risk, adults should aim for 560–610 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week. That’s considerably more than the current 150-minute minimum guidelines for health benefits, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that only 12% of people in the study achieved it.
It’s not to say there wasn’t any reduction in risk for lower totals – just not what scientists class as ‘substantial’. And it’s also important to note that the study was observational, meaning it cannot prove any kind of direct link; just association. It could be the case, for instance, that participants were already healthier and fitter than the general population. Plus, neither sedentary time nor less vigorous exercise were measured.
When WH put the findings to personal trainers, they were very keen to stress that something is always better than nothing – and they also had some useful tips for giving it your best shot at getting those golden 10 hours in.
4 tips for adding more movement into your week
Olivia Horncastle is a personal trainer helping busy women and mums fit exercise into their schedules.
Habit stack
‘I get my busiest clients to habit stack movement – so every time they fill up a kettle, they might do some squats, when they brush their teeth, they might do a wall sit,’ says Horncastle. ‘Other small things like trying to take calls while walking, or stretching in front of the TV at night work well. It doesn’t need to always be adding a full workout – all small additions help.’
5-minute workouts matter
‘Even starting with a 5-minute bodyweight circuit and building that up over time starts a habit – something is always better than nothing.’
Set yourself daily or weekly challenges
That might be trying to do 50 squats throughout the day, increasing your steps by parking further away at the shops, or taking the stairs instead of the lift, says Horncastle.
Tie exercise into your social plans
‘Instead of drinks with friends, I might suggest we go for a walk and grab a drink at the end, or try a new Pilates class instead of brunch etc.’
What type of exercise should you prioritise?
Michael Baah is a strength coach and oncology exercise specialist working with busy professionals, athletes and people recovering from cancer. ‘All that protection for your heart works best if you maintain your muscle mass, too,’ he cautions. ‘If you walk a lot but never do any strength work, you actually lose muscle faster, and after age 30, women naturally lose about 1% of their muscle every year unless they use it.’
Baah recommends doing three 45-minute strength sessions a week, using simple, compound moves (think: squats and deadlifts) that work your whole body. ‘You should finish each exercise feeling like you could maybe do just one or two more reps – this is the safe and effective method we use in clinics.’
‘The rest of your target comes from walking,’ adds Baah. ‘Just 40-50 minutes of brisk walking every day gets you there easily. Add a swim, yoga or dance class once a week if you like, and you’re all set.’
But don’t forget to adequately fuel, notes Baah. ‘Once you’re moving regularly, food matters, too. You need enough protein every day to help your body get stronger – aim for 1.4-1.8g for every kg of bodyweight. Without this, you do the work but miss out on the best results.’
If you’re more deterred than motivated by the recent study results, Horncastle wants to leave you with a few words. ‘Start small and slow, whether that’s one workout a week and building up, or starting with a few small walks – that’s how you achieve long-term, consistent change.’
‘And don’t compare yourself – who cares if Susan does hot yoga five times a week? She isn’t living your life. You need to find what works for and benefits you, but is realistic, too.’
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.
In the last few years, the fitness tracker market has grown exponentially. Now, you can find something for every taste, whether you prefer a discreet ring or a large screen, as well as for every personality, from the health metric-obsessed to the person who simply wants better sleep.
And in 2026, I tried many of the most popular devices on the market, from Apple, Oura, Garmin and more. Some days, I had a forearm-high stack of watches as I compared how they tracked my data for runs, strength training sessions, sleep and more. And I had some clear favorites.
Below, I’m sharing the top trackers that I tried last year, from screen-free options to the best pick for runners.
Best smart watches
Best affordable tracker:
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that can give you all of the basics (and then some) at a relatively affordable price, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is one of the best devices out there, in my opinion. While it doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles that other gadgets offer, it really does quite a bit. Over the course of about a month of wear, I found the sleep, activity and general health data to be pretty accurate.
I also like that the device feels less bulky than many of the other trackers with screens that I have tried. The screen is 5 millimeters, which is just enough to show you the relevant stats during workouts, read notifications and texts and more without feeling like an eyesore on your wrist. However, that comes with the caveat that those with larger fingers may struggle with the small touchscreen.
To access all of your data, you’ll have to go to the app. It takes some playing around to figure out where to find everything, but once I did, it was easy to stay up to date on all my metrics. While you can access most of the basic data with just the app and watch, you’ll also get a six-month Fitbit Premium membership when you purchase, where you can see even more metrics and access additional workout videos as well.
Best for runners:
While I’ve tried a couple of Garmin’s devices and loved them all, for casual runners, the Garmin Forerunner 55 is a great entry point. That’s not to say you can’t use it for other activities. It allows you to log different activities and monitor sleep data, but I’ve found it to be the most helpful for running.
If you’re someone who regularly runs races, whether it be 10Ks or full marathons, you can find your race on the Garmin app and start a countdown and the app will even create a custom training plan for you with workouts that you can send to your device. I love the ability to create custom workouts with different pace and distance goals throughout your run (which is particularly great for anyone working on speed). If you’re running below or above your desired pace, the watch will send you an alert to keep you on track.
It has an impressive battery life of up to two weeks on a single charge, too, so I’ve been able to go on trips and leave the charger behind. In fact, on a 14-day trip, I got home and still had a day’s worth of charge left.
This is also the only device I tried without a touchscreen, which I really liked. That meant that I wasn’t fumbling with the buttons with sweaty hands on hot days or cold, gloved ones in the winter. The buttons are large enough that I could press them to pause or restart my workout, even when the watch was hidden by a jacket sleeve.
Best affordable Apple Watch:
The Apple Watch SE is the brand’s most affordable model, and I recommend it for the person who wants to stay connected, track workouts, monitor health and more, but doesn’t mind charging every day. (Though a big benefit of this new model is that it charges much faster than previous versions.)
New features include temperature sensing for more accurate vitals measurements, a daily sleep score to give you a better idea of how well-rested you are for the day, an always-on display and the ability to start workouts on your phone and track them on the watch.
Plus, if you have an iPhone, an Apple Watch is by far the best option out of all the available trackers for staying connected. You can easily respond to texts, check your email, use your Apple Wallet, answer calls and more. It makes functioning without a phone easy if I need to accomplish something without my phone nearby.
Best for iPhone users:
Lowest price ever
Apple released its Apple Watch 11 earlier this year, and for anyone questioning if they should make the upgrade, the new watch has one major perk: Extended battery life. According to the brand, you can get up to 24 hours of normal use from one charge, and I find that to be pretty accurate. But when you put it on low power mode (which I often do), you can get more than a day of use.
When looking at the other models, I would say the biggest draw of this one is that you get a much better battery life for just a little more money than the SE (considering that it’s on sale right now). Plus, like the other new models Apple released this year, the Series 11 includes the sleep score feature and can be used to spot signs of possible hypertension or high blood pressure.
I’ve also had issues with my Apple Watch screens scratching in the past, so I appreciate that the brand says this one is twice as scratch-resistant as the previous model.
Best for endurance athletes:
If it weren’t for the high price, I would recommend the Apple Watch Ultra to everyone. But for those who are active and willing to invest, I consider it to be the all-around best option among Apple’s watches.
The Ultra is designed specifically with athletes and adventurers in mind. It has the longest battery life of any of the Apple Watches, with up to 42 hours of battery life (and up to 72 hours on low power mode), so it will last through long races and backpacking trips — or even just a couple of days of going through your normal routine. It’s also designed to be much more durable than other models, as it has a titanium case and a display made from sapphire crystal (which Apple says is one of the strongest naturally occurring metals on Earth). It’s also said to have a better-than-average GPS, so your data won’t be as affected when running in urban areas where there are a lot of tall buildings.
Another thing that I really love about the Ultra is the additional Action button, which is customizable, so you can use it to control your workout, start a new interval or mark a segment. You can pause and end your workout using the buttons as well, so you don’t have to fumble with the touchscreen (which, if you have sweaty hands, you know is a big win).
If you spend a lot of time off the grid — say, trail running or climbing in remote areas — you can use the satellite feature to stay connected and send texts or your location, even if you don’t have WiFi or cell service. It can also be used to get help in case of an emergency.
Best screen-free trackers
Best for the data-obsessed:
If you’re a true wellness obsessive who loves data and seeing how behavior changes affect sleep, workouts and more, this is a great device to consider.
For each activity you do, you get an estimated strain score that tells you how taxing the activity was on your body (the score can range from zero to 21). These all factor into your strain score for the day, which includes everything from workouts to general daily movement, as well as stress and anxiety. After a night’s rest, you’ll also get a recovery score — a percentage between one and 100 — which factors in your activities and stress from the day before, your sleep performance, HRV, heart rate and respiratory rate. Each day, you also get the option to journal, so you can track behaviors, like stretching or taking supplements, and over time, you can track how the habits affect your recovery.
The Whoop provides you with a lot of interesting data, but it also has features to help you understand it better. It uses AI to create a daily outlook, which will give you activity recommendations based on your sleep and activity data. There’s also a Healthspan feature, which takes your data (after 21 consistent nights of wear) and gives you your Whoop Age (a measure of your physiological age, which can be different from your actual age) and Pace of Aging (which is impacted by your daily lifestyle choices and can range from -1x to 3).
The battery life is also pretty hard to beat. The brand shares that you can get up to 14 days, and I’ve found that estimate to be pretty accurate. In fact, I’ve even occasionally gotten more than two weeks of use out of it from one charge. To charge the Whoop, you charge its battery pack separately and then can slide it onto the device while you’re still wearing it to add juice, so you don’t even have to miss a minute of data.
As someone who is super interested in using data to optimize health, I love the Whoop. However, as a runner who spends a lot of time focused on proper pacing during workouts, for those activities, I also typically wear a device with a screen, like my Garmin or Apple Watch, to make sure I’m meeting my goals.
When you purchase using one of the above links, you’ll get a year-long membership. After that, you can choose from one of Whoop’s three membership options: One ($149 per year), Peak ($239 per year) or Life ($359 per year).
The most discreet fitness tracker:
Editor’s pick
The Oura Ring has become one of the most trendy trackers of the last few years, thanks to its discreet — and I would even say, stylish — design. The ring features sensors along the inner band, which measure things like blood oxygen levels, temperature, respiration, heart rate variability and more.
In my opinion, one of the best things about the Oura ring (outside of its look) is how simply it breaks down the data. Each morning, it takes your data from the night and day before, and gives you three scores: Sleep, Activity and Readiness, all of which fall between zero and 100. Each one provides you with a broader view of how well rested you are for the day and how ready you are to challenge yourself.
If you’re in it for the workout tracking aspect, this is not the best option. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t have a screen (so you can’t actively see your stats while you’re in a workout), it doesn’t always sense lower-intensity workouts, like yoga or Pilates, so you often have to go into the app and add them after. Plus, in addition to the cost of the ring, accessing your data and all the features on the app costs $6 per month.
How we chose
Last year, I tried over a dozen fitness trackers, wearing them each for at least a week straight (most of the time much longer) for workouts, sleep and everyday activities. Throughout the year, I trained for multiple races, including a marathon and two half marathons, so I used many of the trackers for workouts related to my training. When choosing the best trackers, I kept in mind a range of factors, including price, battery life, connectivity and general features.
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The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources and use our own personal experiences with the product and brand to make shopping easier for our readers.
Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY. She has over a decade of experience in digital media — with nearly half of that time being focused on the health and wellness space. She has owned multiple fitness trackers from top brands over the years. At Shop TODAY she covers a range of topics, from new tech releases to expert-approved beauty trends. She is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast with a personal passion for health.
Fitness
The 150-minute Exercise Rule Helps Your Heart. But If You’re Serious About It, Better Aim for 600 Minutes
Public health advice says you should get at least 150 minutes of brisk walking, cycling, running or other moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week.
However, a new study suggests that the target is just the bare minimum.
The widely cited 150-minute goal is not wrong. The new study found it offers a reliable first layer of protection against heart disease. But for people seeking a much larger reduction in cardiovascular risk, the amount of exercise associated with that benefit was far higher: roughly 560 to 610 minutes a week, or about 80 to 90 minutes a day.
A Minimum, Not a Magic Number
The study analyzed more than 17,000 adults in the UK Biobank who wore wrist activity monitors and completed a fitness test. Over nearly eight years of follow-up, researchers tracked heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
They found that meeting the current guideline was linked to a modest 8 to 9 percent reduction in cardiovascular risk across fitness levels. A reduction greater than 30 percent was associated with about three to four times as much weekly exercise.
The findings do not mean that 150 minutes a week is useless — quite the opposite. The study suggests it works as a simple public health floor, one that benefits people regardless of whether they start out fit or deconditioned.
But the results also challenge the way many people understand the guideline. The number is often treated as a target to reach and stop at.
The researchers studied moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a category that includes exercise intense enough to raise the heart rate, such as brisk walking, running and cycling. They also measured cardiorespiratory fitness using estimated VO₂ max, a measure of how efficiently the heart, lungs and muscles deliver and use oxygen during exertion.
This is a pretty important distinction. Fitness and physical activity are of course related, but they are not the same thing. Two people may report similar exercise habits and still differ in cardiovascular fitness because of genetics, age, health history, training response or earlier-life conditioning.
“Future guidelines may need to differentiate between the minimal moderate to vigorous exercise volume required for a basic safety margin and the substantially higher volumes necessary for optimal cardiovascular risk reduction,” they conclude.
Less Fit People Faced a Steeper Climb
Participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days between 2013 and 2015. They also completed a submaximal cycling test used to estimate VO₂ max. The researchers then linked these data to hospital and death records through October 2022.
During a median follow-up of 7.85 years, 1,233 cardiovascular events occurred. These included 874 cases of atrial fibrillation, 156 heart attacks, 111 cases of heart failure and 92 strokes.
The pattern was not simply “more exercise is better” in a straight line. Instead, the researchers found a non-linear relationship between activity, fitness and risk. Higher fitness appeared to provide its own protective margin. At the same time, increasing weekly activity lowered risk across the fitness spectrum.
For a 20 percent reduction in cardiovascular risk, people with the lowest fitness needed about 370 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week. People with the highest fitness needed about 340 minutes. For a 30 percent reduction, the estimates rose to about 610 minutes per week for the least fit and 560 minutes for the most fit.
You might not like to hear this, but if you’re already unfit, you need to invest much more time and effort than someone who is fitter to reach the same cardiovascular protection. If that sounds like common sense, it is. But the new study is helpful because the figures it offers help frame things more clearly and offer a measurable goal.
Set Achievable Goals
The study was observational, so it cannot prove that exercising 600 minutes a week caused the lower risk. People who exercise more may differ in other ways, such as diet, income, sleep, access to care, smoking history or underlying health.
Also, not everyone can afford to exercise for 10 hours a week. In fact, most don’t. For older adults, people with heart disease, or those who have been inactive for years, that could be unrealistic or unsafe without medical guidance.
For broad public health, 150 minutes a week remains a useful and achievable goal. But if you can safely do more, the heart may keep benefiting well beyond that threshold.
The findings appeared in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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