The 8 Best Watch Bands for Working Out, Tested by Editors

If you’re serious about logging mileage, you’re probably looking for a watch band with breathability, a lightweight build, and easy adjustments. The Sport Loop covers all three of these with its double-layer nylon weave. Plus, the hook-and-loop closure allows you to adjust on the fly in about two seconds. And during long runs when your wrists can swell from the increased blood flow, that matters.

The nylon build includes dense loops on the skin side that cushion and ventilate. This band breathes better than rubber during long stints of cardio, which is why runners tend to prefer fabric bands for runs lasting longer than just a few short miles. Apple’s current version is made with 82 percent recycled yarn, so there’s a sustainability factor here as well, which is a plus.

The dry time deserves a call-out, though. The Sport Loop stays damp much longer than fluoroelastomer bands after a particularly sweaty workout. Though this band doesn’t get heavy or uncomfortable when wet, so that’s a plus. But the nylon will still be damp even if you leave it out to dry during your post-workout shower and go to put it back on after. A rinse and a few hours long hang-dry solves this, but rubber bands don’t require this extra step. For a running watch band, the weight and infinite adjustability make it a better choice than any pin-and-tuck band.

Read More: Best Apple Watch Ultra Bands

Nomad’s Sport Band is made for men who work out daily and live to work up a sweat. If you're wearing stock bands, you’re likely used to moisture getting trapped between the band and your skin and know the relief that comes with taking your watch off post-workout. This wet environment can cause irritation, bacteria growth, and an odor that seems to linger no matter how hard you scrub your band. The Nomad Sport Band is built to fix this issue with internal air channels on the underside of the band. These grooves create space between the FKM rubber and your skin, creating room for airflow even when the band is snug to your wrist.

FKM rubber is in the same materials family as the fluoroelastomer Apple uses, but it’s a bit softer and more flexible. It feels more natural on the wrist than Apple's Sport Band, which is a bit stiffer and less comfortable for all-day use. Nomad’s Sport Band uses a pin-and-tuck closure that stays flat and snug with an aluminum locking pin. It’s also fully waterproof, so you can shower with it after your session if you want to give it a good rinse—no worries about deterioration.

The durability is a huge plus. Sweat can cause cheaper silicone bands to discolor and crack over months of daily use, but FKM rubber is resistant to this. That fact alone helps justify the $60 price tag, $11 more than Apple's own Sport Band. If you train hard and get sweaty often, the air channels and material quality here make the Nomad worth the added cost.

The Ocean Band was made purely for open-water swimming. Apple built it with a tubular elastomer construction, which is a hollow-core rubber that stretches under tension and rebounds to its original shape. It’s designed to stay locked on your wrist during surface swimming, lap swimming, and even scuba diving. The material resists both chlorine and saltwater, which will eat through the hardware on other bands within months.

Another differentiator is the closure system. The Ocean Band uses a titanium buckle with a sliding adjustable loop instead of a pin-and-tuck or hook-and-loop—the most secure latch on this list. The titanium hardware is also corrosion-proof, which is a necessity for water materials. The band stretches over a wetsuit sleeve, and Apple sells a $49 extension band for thicker suits. For pool workouts you won't need any extenders, but the stretch means you can adjust the fit without fiddling with hole positions.

The biggest question is if it’s worth $99. If you swim regularly—which we would classify as three or more pool or open-water sessions a week—we think it is. But if you’re more of an occasional swimmer and most of your workouts are gym-based, this definitely isn’t a necessary purchase. It’s less ideal for deadlifts and pull-ups due to the bulk that makes it durable in the water, so a lighter, lower-profile band would be more comfortable for gym-goers. This is definitely a specialist tool, and it’s the best at what it was made for.

The Braided Solo Loop ditches buckles, pins, and velcro for one continuous loop. It’s made from 16,000 polyester yarn filaments braided around ultra-thin silicone threads. All you have to do is stretch it over your hand to put it on. You won’t find any hardware pressing into your wrist during training, which you won’t get with any other product on this list.

The braided polyester-silicone construction is better than solid rubber at breathing but still offers some water and sweat resistance. It won't dry as fast as fluoroelastomer after a heavy session, but it doesn't trap heat the way a tight silicone strap does, either. The constant, even tension around the wrist—with no tight spot at a buckle and no gap between holes—keeps the optical heart rate sensor in consistent contact with your skin. This means quite accurate heart rate data, especially during high-intensity intervals where a loose or shifting band could cause issues.

The real catch is sizing. Apple offers up to 13 sizes, and you need to measure your wrist and use their printable sizing guide to find the right one. If you’re between sizes, we recommend you go smaller. The braid has some stretch to accommodate minor wrist swelling during workouts, but it could get too large and start sliding around after a few months once the material relaxes. The issue is that there’s no way to tighten it once it's on, so the sizing decision is permanent unless you buy a backup. At $99 that could be considered a gamble, but if you nail the fit, you've probably found the most comfortable band on the market.

On the Garmin watch market, the equivalent of the Apple Sport Loop is the UltraFit Nylon Strap, a lightweight, breathable, adjustable band made with athletes in mind. The dual-layer nylon weave is built with an antimicrobial treatment, which is important for folks sweating in it daily. Without antimicrobials, nylon bands can start to stink even with washing, and the bacteria buildup can cause skin irritation.

The double hook-and-loop closure is definitely an upgrade to single-strap closures. Two points of contact distribute pressure more evenly and prevent movement better than a single velcro tab. You can adjust it with one hand, and the double closure system holds the band in place. And if you’re wearing it for sleep tracking too, it's also the most comfortable Garmin band to sleep in.

It’s priced fairly, running around $40. Available in 20mm, 22mm, and 26mm widths to fit everything from the Forerunner 265 to the Fenix 8, this is a great option for Garmin die-hards.

Read More: Best Garmin Watches

For Garmin users specifically seeking a silicone band that won’t absorb water, you’ve found it. Made for athletes who lean heavily on sports like swimming and paddleboarding in their training regimens, the QuickFit Silicone Band dries in seconds and won’t retain any of the moisture. The silicone is smoother on the skin than nylon too, which means it won’t cause as much irritation if it does occasionally rub on your wrist during high-intensity training.

The QuickFit system is Garmin's click-on mechanism. All you do is press two spring-loaded pins, slide the band off, and snap a new one on to change bands. The entire swap takes about five seconds, so you don’t even have to wear this band all day if you’d prefer to mix it up with a nylon alternative after your swim session.

The traditional buckle closure is typically more secure than hook-and-loop closures when it comes to water activities—velcro-style closures can loosen when they soak up water. However, this option is less adjustable than the UltraFit. But we’d opt for it if your primary concern is a band that handles water without soaking through. At $40 to $50, it's priced pretty comparably to Apple bands as well.