The Garmin Epix 2 is one of the most sophisticated fitness devices in existence. I’ve used it for two months, and it’s become one of the most valuable training tools for my functional fitness goals. This Garmin Epix 2 review is going to focus how this tool can impact your overall fitness as a hard training athlete. I’ll focus on some of the lesser publicized features, and talk about how I use it as a valuable recovery device, as well as an engine building tool. Keep reading for more.
It’s fair to say that Garmin has been at the forefront of the wearable fitness industry for many years. Long time readers will remember that I wrote about my Garmin Fenix 3, many years ago. That watch was a tank, and I wore it up to the day that I received my new Garmin Epix 2.
Compared to the Epix 2, the Fenix 3 is stone age technology. It’s safe to say that there are so many features for the Epix 2 that you won’t use them all. This is part of the problem. Garmin has made a device so sophisticated that it can be used by almost any type of athlete. However, I will be focusing this review on how one should use this device for functional fitness. Here’s a quick overview of the Garmin Epix 2 Review.
Garmin Epix 2 Review Summary
- The Garmin Epix 2 is a beautiful watch that has broad usability outside of the gym
- The Garmin software does very detailed tracking of WODs, Metcons, and Strength Sessions
- The Epix 2 is a very sophisticated recovery device
- The Garmin software can provide you with training insights you can’t find anywhere else
- The Epix 2 also provides basic health and stress data that can predict the onset of sickness
Before we get into the heart of this review, I want to be honest. Some companies do provide products for me to review free of charge. This is not the case for the Garmin Epix Gen 2. I purchased this with my own funds, and therefore am under no obligation to sugarcoat things that aren’t up to snuff.
It’s important to point out that I purchased the all black version. There is a white band version, as well as a version that has a stainless steel bezel. Feel free to look around if you like to be a little more colorful! This watch starts at $899 and goes up to $999 for the best version.
I also want to inform you that I’ve included affiliate links to one of our outdoor partners, Moosejaw, so you can pick up your own Epix 2 if you decide to. We receive a small commission if you purchase from them after using the link, at no cost to you. It helps keep these reviews going, and I appreciate the support. Without further ado, let’s get to the details.
Garmin Epix Gen 2 Overview
First and foremost, the Garmin Epix 2 must function as a watch. No matter how awesome it is, it wouldn’t make much sense to wear it all day if it only provided value during a workout. It functions very well as a useable timepiece.
One of my favorite functions is the ability to choose any watch face you want. It comes preloaded with several watch faces from Garmin. Thousands of independent developers have also created their own designs, which can be as simple or busy as you like.
You can see my preferred watch face below, which shows some basic performance stats like VO2 max level, steps, and training status. Obviously, it shows the date and time, as well as the battery status. All of these fields can be further customized using your paired smart phone, which we’ll cover a little later.
Because the Epix 2 is the latest and greatest (and most expensive) watch in Garmin’s line up, it has the best premium active smartwatch display. It has a very high resolution, stunning AMOLED display. For those that don’t speak nerd, it’s a full color display at a resolution that’s very close to a smart phone screen. It’s also easily viewable in direct ambient light.
In generations past, the Garmin watches have used digital displays that are only partial color, or even just gray tones. This worked ok, but the watch truly looks amazing when used with this high resolution, brilliant color display. In fact, this is one of the main differences between this premium watch, and the less expensive Garmin Fenix 7. Now let’s move on to the watches basic specs.
Garmin Epix 2 Specs
Garmin certainly knows their audience, and you’ll find that this watch is very well constructed. The case is fiber reinforced polymer and the back plate is either steel, or titanium, depending on the model. If you’re willing to pony up an extra $100 you can purchase the sapphire edition which replaces the front crystal with synthetic sapphire, which is nearly impossible to scratch.
I highly recommend biting the bullet and going with the sapphire display version. My old Fenix 3 had the same crystal, and I could not scratch it no matter how much I banged it into tools, masonry, or really anything that I could find. The sapphire editions are worth it.
The other thing most folks want to know is the case size. It is slightly smaller than the Fenix, and to be honest I prefer it that way. The largest Garmin cases can be too bulky (especially for those with small wrists) making it hard to button up shirt sleeves. They’re more likely to get caught on things when you’re wearing the watch while working with your hands. Check out some of the specs below.
It should be noted that you really need to use the Garmin App to take advantage of the full capabilities of the watch. It allows you to view data more easily, and will show you more data fields than can fit on the watch screen. We’ll cover the particulars of the Garmin App further on, but it’s worth mentioning here. Next we’ll talk about some features that I and others tend to rely on in their day to day usage.
Garmin Epix 2 Every Day Use
Apart from the time keeping function, this watch has some rather amazing tricks up its sleeve. You can stream music directly from the watch to bluetooth headphones, provided you use Amazon Music, or Spotify Premium. You can also directly load music onto the watch if you don’t use those providers. It also displays alerts from text messages, emails, and phone calls when you receive them.
The watch has a great map feature that shows enough detail of the roads, and terrain around you that you can navigate fairly easily even with the watch sized screen. The Epix 2 features Garmin Pay which allows you to use contactless payments using only your watch. Be warned, not all banks/credit card companies support this feature as of yet, but many do.
Garmin Epix 2 Battery Life
Most smart watcher users are concerned with how many days of battery life they can expect. Prior to purchasing the Epix 2 I had considered the Apple Watch Series 7 (Amazon Affiliate Link), but that watch requires nightly charging, which seemed a bit of a hassle. I was quite happy that the Epix 2 only requires charging every 7-10 days. This is a long battery life for this type of display.
The battery life can be extended by putting it into batter saver mode, and changing some of the screen settings, but I don’t really care about obtaining the longest possible battery life. I leave my watch so the watch face is always on. It does dim after a few seconds, and will automatically brighten once you turn your wrist to view the watch face.
Heavy multi-band GPS usage will also increase the rate of battery drain. I’ve used mine on a several hour hike without problem. If you need to be away from power sources for extended periods of time in the back country you’ll have to take a power source like this brick. Next, let’s talk about some of the key software features in the Garmin Connect App.
Join the Email List
If you like fitness, shooting, and pretending to be an operator, then click here to join the Tier Three Team. It’s totally free, and over seven thousand members get the latest articles sent directly to their inbox.
Garmin Software Features
The Garmin Connect App provides a lot of utility for the Epix 2. It allows you to see data in aggregate, above the data viewable on the watch. You can see your daily calorie burn, stress score, sleep tracking, as well as viewing the details of the specific workout you’ve done.
I find that if I want to really look at a lot of info I tend to use the app to do that. If I just want to see something quickly, like daily weather, I’ll use the watch. If I want to see what my heart rate did for the duration of the WOD, I’d prefer viewing that in the app.
Garmin App Uses
As you might have noticed I use the app most for viewing data. However, if you’re a hiker, cyclist, or outdoors person, you can load routes, and custom workouts from your app to your watch. I don’t take advantage of those features, but there are several apps that are cross functional with Garmin.
The other benefit to having such a useful app, is that it’s always expanding. If Garmin comes out with a new sensor or interesting metric to track, then the app can be updated allowing expanded functionality. I’d like to see your Timex try that!
Using Your Phone to Customize Your Epix 2
This is by far one of the most useful features of the app. On each of your activities you can customize the data fields that are displayed. Sometimes you might just want to see one or two fields while running, or you need to use the touch screen display to better use the map.
All of these functions can be modified by using the app. You can even change things like the face of your watch or the colors of the numbers on it. If you find yourself wondering if you can do something with the Epix 2, the answer is probably yes, look in the app. Next let’s talk about how the Garmin Epix 2 performs during a gym session.
If you want to work on your fitness by building muscle mass, and functional fitness, then check out my most popular program.
Garmin Epix 2 Performance and Activity Tracking
Serious athletes need data to get the most performance out of their workouts. The Garmin Epix 2 gathers a lot of data. It gathers your pulse ox, heart rate variability, pulse, breathes per minute, and movement data via GPS and the 3 axis accelerometer. All of these inputs are enough to give you more data than you need on any given workout. I’ll cover my most common fitness activities in the next section and highlight some useful data
Garmin Epix 2 Activities
When you do a workout, of whatever type, you start an activity. This might be a run, hike, strength session, or HIIT workout/WOD. Each activity uses the watches sensors to provide different data, and results. Remember that most of these activities can be customized in the app.
Strength Training with the Garmin Epix 2
This was surprising useful, however it isn’t quite perfect. Let’s say you’re doing some upper body work prior to the WOD, and you begin the Strength Training activity. You use the start and stop buttons to start the activity, and the lap button to tell the watch when you’re resting or actively lifting.
The watch is smart enough to figure out what movement your doing, for the most part. If I lie down and start doing some bench reps, it will figure out that I’m doing bench press. This won’t work if I’m doing something like pull ups, as my wrist isn’t moving!
You can also go back in to the activity to tell the app what exercise your doing, and the load you’re lifting. It will track the volume load as a whole number, but it can’t figure in foot pounds of work. If you bench pressed 10 reps of 100 pounds the app tells you that you did 1000 pounds of total volume. A better metric would be if it tracked the displacement of the bar, and gave you the total work done, which would be closer to 1800 ft/lbs of work in the example above.
I use the Strength Activity to track my calorie burn for the duration of the session. I find that that figure is the most useful to me. It generally lines up with my research based Functional Fitness Nutrition Calculator, which also figures your lifting calorie burn.
HIIT with the Garmin Epix 2
I use this quite often and it’s very useful. There are some preloaded HIIT timers on there. If you’re doing a Tabata, it will give you the work/rest beeps. That’s nice, especially when you get super tired towards the end of the WOD. You can also set a custom timer if you like.
My main gripe with this activity is the lap function. Normally when you’re doing a run or other activity, hitting the lap button just notes the time you completed that bit of work, and you continue to see a running clock. In the HIIT timer, hitting the lap button cycles the watch to a rest interval, similar to a strength activity.
This isn’t the biggest deal, as you just hit the button again and it marks the next round. I think most users don’t actually want a rest interval when they’re doing a WOD. If they did, they could custom program one. I have found a good use for this little annoyance however.
When I finish my last move of the round, I hit the lap button, marking a rest interval. Once I get back to the next movement I hit go. This starts the next round, and most importantly, it lets me see how long my transitions are. You’d be surprised, even a normal paced walk back to a rower or barbell can eat up 15 or so seconds. This really adds up!
Running with the Garmin Epix 2
I like to do several running workouts a week, and this is really where the Garmin Epix 2 shines. The GPS it uses is multi-band capable, meaning that it uses various types of GPS satellite systems to monitor speed and position. This means you get incredibly accuracy.
Many of my runs are trails runs, under dense foliage, and the watch never even notices the obstruction. It reliably tracks my moving speed, not just lateral, but vertically as well. It will give you elevation gain and loss, current running pace, and heart rate data.
It also has a neat function where it uses your past runs to estimate your total fitness level in the form of a VO2 max score. It then calculates your stamina over a given run. For example, if I go for a 5k run and I take off super hard for the first 8 minutes, it will accurately predict that I will out run my current fitness level.
It provides a slope for your max speed you can most likely maintain. I’ve found this to be fairly accurate provided you’ve done many hard runs before. This allows the watch to build up enough data to make these kind of predictions.
Garmin Epix 2 Sensor Accuracy for Functional Fitness
My biggest gripe about my old Garmin watch was the heart rate accuracy. It worked well for running, but any wrist movement, like on an assault bike, would would cause it to read very low. The heart rate sensor on the Epix 2 doesn’t have that problem.
Almost any activity you can do during a WOD will yield a reliable heart rate reading. Things like olympic lifting, or over head pressing aren’t going to cause any issues. Every now and again burpees can cause a lower heart rate reading, but I’ve only noticed that occasionally.
This is important because having an accurate understanding of how hard your heart is working can really give you a much better insight into your WOD pacing. Now we’re going to move on to what is arguably the most valuable performance enhancing function of the Epix 2.
Garmin Software Recovery Analytics
Garmin has sophisticated software that helps you track several recovery metrics, that you otherwise would be ignorant of. It can track things like your sleep, including your REM, light, and deep sleep intervals. It also tracks heart rate variability (HRV) as well as your breaths per minute. Garmin uses this data to give you a simple body battery metric that shows you your current energy level, and how much you have available each day.
This data, combined with the data gleaned from your exercise can yield a valuable snapshot into your training and recovery. Normally I go for about 5 days of working out with 2 for recovery. Using the watch, I was able to push that further to 10 days with no break. I’m not recommending that you do this, I’m simply pointing out that I was actually resting more than I needed because I couldn’t look at this recovery data. Let’s get into the details.
Sleep Tracking
I very reliably look at this data on the app. If you wear the watch while sleeping, it will monitor your movements and tell you how long you were in REM, light, and deep sleep. It also tracks how restless you are during the night, and if you woke up.
It combines this data to give you an overall sleep score, out of 100. This data is very valuable as it can explain things like the days when you get your 8 hours but still feel tired. Often times that’s because your duration was ok, but the app can tell you if you had no deep or insufficient REM sleep.
It also gives you some information to help you improve your sleep habits. It really goes to show that having some insight into the details of your recovery can improve your quality of life on a day to day basis.
Garmin Epix 2 HRV Monitoring
Heart rate variability has been used by many top level athletes to help their recovery for years. It’s now become something that’s easy to monitor for everyday athletes like you and me. HRV refers to the time between heartbeats. During normal conditions, the time between heartbeats isn’t perfectly even. During stressful conditions it becomes more regular.
Garmin captures this data, along with a few other readings, and gives you a daily stress score, out of 100. This allows you to see how your body is reacting to your training. It can also predict the onset of illness, as I recently came down with a fairly severe cold that put me down for about a week.
During the day prior to the onset of most of the symptoms, my stress score went up about 50% higher than it usually is. Sure enough, I started to feel sick the next day, and my daily stress scores remained elevated for the duration of the cold. It was interesting to see how useful this data actually is.
Garmin Epix 2 Fitness Load Monitoring
After you finish any fitness activity, Garmin assigns a fitness load score to it. These scores are aggregated by the software and tallied up. Garmin uses its workout data from your past performances to estimate how much work your body can sustain without overtraining.
I’ve found that Garmin relies heavily on HRV and overall heart rate data for this. If I go for a super hard 5k run, it will assign a fitness load score in the hundreds. However if I did something like the WOD Linda which would take me a similar amount of time, it would be much lower, because my heart rate would be lower.
In terms of actual recovery, Linda would be much harder to recover from compared to a hard 5k, but Garmin would probably predict the opposite. There really is no way to measure the strain from heavy weights using a wearable device. I don’t ding Garmin for that. Just keep in mind the total fitness load that Garmin says you can do might be a little different depending on the types of WODs you’ve been doing.
Garmin Epix 2 Review: Final Thoughts
This Garmin Epix 2 Review has been quite lengthy and I haven’t even covered all the things that it can do. If you have specific questions how to perform certain features check out the video below. My goal for this review is to cover how the best methods I’ve found to utilize the Garmin Epix 2.
If you’re a casual athlete then you may not find as much use for this watch, unless you want flex on people. If you take your fitness seriously, then this watch can be quite useful. It’s also good for those that have heart conditions as you can set it to alert for dangerous changes to your heart.
If you’re at all interested in this amazing watch then pick up your watch using one of the links I’ve provided. Garmin makes great products that are very durable, and I’ve certainly found the data the watch provides to be invaluable. Now get out there and get training!
Any links to Amazon or Moosejaw are affiliate links. We make a small commission if you purchase after using them. It costs you nothing, and helps us keep the lights on here. Thanks for the support.
