What? As someone who relies on heart rate monitoring for autoregulation in the gym, I can tell you it works and works well. When my heart rate is allowed to drop between sets, I can lift heavier and pursue my progressive overload properly, but when my watch is glitching, my lifts are never up-to-par.

Now, can the technology be improved. Absolutely, let’s start with addressing the racial biases in the optical sensors, but to call it a gimmick is someone with a preconception attempting to spread misinformation. Whether in bad faith or inadvertently, only you know.