Garmin’s New Forerunner 570 And 970 Turn Performance Data Into Your Competitive Edge

by Women's Health | Partnerships, Tech & Gear

If your training spans more than one discipline or you’re looking to train with more intention, Garmin’s latest launch is worth a closer look. The new Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 are built for performance-driven athletes who want deeper insights, smarter guidance and a more connected training experience, whether that’s on the road, in the water or on the bike.

We’re talking adaptive training plans, advanced performance metrics, and tools developed in collaboration with Garmin data scientists and sports physiologists. For those opting for the premium 970, you’ll unlock elite-level data like running tolerance, running economy and step speed loss. Add battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode for the Forerunner 570 and up to 15 days for the Forerunner 970, and you’ve got a tool designed to keep up with your training load.

So, if a PB is on your radar for 2026, this might be your sign to upgrade.

“Created for every athlete who is out there chasing goals and passionate about their data, the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 include innovative training tools, recovery metrics and connected features to help them perform at their best. Whether you’re an elite athlete striving for your fastest time yet or a runner upping mileage to prepare for that next big race, these premium smartwatches are here for every step of your running journey.” 
Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing

Podium-Worthy Designs And Features That Go The Distance

Here’s what stands out across the new range:

Garmin’s brightest AMOLED display yet
Built-in speaker and microphone for calls and voice commands
Garmin Triathlon Coach training plans
Custom multisport workouts
Evening report with sleep and workout reminders
Advanced Skin Temperature tracking for improved period and ovulation insights
Breathing variations via Pulse Ox during sleep

Exclusive To Forerunner 970

Premium Materials: A scratch-resistant sapphire lens and titanium bezel.
Safety & Visibility: A built-in LED flashlight.
Efficiency Metrics: Running economy and step speed loss (when paired with the HRM 600).
Advanced Mapping: Full-colour maps and dynamic round-trip routing.

Garmin Forerunner 570

To help athletes achieve their goals, Forerunner 570 includes advanced running metrics like training status, wrist-based running power and running dynamics, acute load, training effect, performance condition, VO2 max and more. Every morning, athletes can see their training readiness score based on sleep quality, recovery and training load so they know whether it’s a good day to go hard or take it easy. Runners can also view the daily suggested workout that is made specifically for them and that adapts after every run based on performance and recovery, or use Garmin Coach training plans for running, cycling and strength to train for their next event. When running outdoors, athletes can execute their race day strategy using PacePro™ – grade-adjusted pacing guidance – and train with confidence knowing that SatIQ™ technology and multi-band GPS will provide superior positioning accuracy while optimising battery life.

Holistic Health Tracking

Outside of a run, Forerunner 570 can track key health and wellness stats, including sleep score, Body Battery^™ energy monitoring, stress, menstrual cycle, pregnancy and more to help athletes keep an eye on their health. It can also track heart rate variability (HRV) status so athletes can better understand their overall health and how their body is navigating the challenges of life and environment. It’s packed with connected features to help you stay in touch on the move. Think notifications, music, making payments, incident detection and more. The built-in speaker and microphone can take a call mid-cooldown or use voice commands to reply to a text without fumbling for their phone.

Sizes And Colourways

Forerunner 570 is available in two sizes – 42mm and 47mm – and features an aluminium bezel and fun new colourways, like raspberry with a translucent bone/mango band, amp yellow with a translucent whitestone/turquoise band and indigo with a translucent imperial purple/indigo band.

Tried & Tested

“My Garmin upgrade was long overdue. Was I ready for the upgrade? Absolutely. Was I ready for the upgrades it has brought into my life? Probably not, but I’m enjoying every step of the journey. This watch should come with a warning: it’s going to make you want to improve every aspect of your life in the best way, as you find yourself competing day-to-day with yourself.

Going from the 935XT to the Forerunner 570 had some obvious upgrades like the AMOLED screen, notifications and alerts. I love this – if I’m sneaking in a longer run, I can still see my important messages on my wrist without having to pull my phone out from my running belt. It also has 30+ built-in, preloaded sports and activity profiles.

But for me, the biggest upgrade would be your activity report back right there on your wrist as you finish a run or strength session. While cooling down, I love to check how my stats look and how they might compare to how I’m feeling post-run or workout. Other faves are the accuracy of the heart rate measurement and GPS, training alerts, VO2 max tracking, HRV status and sleep coach.

Not only is the Forerunner 570 like a coach on your wrist, it feels like having a training partner who is always game for the next session to help you push to be and do your best. And its cool Raspberry colourway means you’re also going to look good while doing it.” – Tanya Goddard, WH Contributor

Garmin Forerunner 970

Designed for those who are determined to break their own personal records, Forerunner 970 builds upon Forerunner 570 by adding built-in mapping. Whether running on city streets or riding through densely covered trails, Forerunner 970 includes full-colour built-in mapping to help athletes stay on track. Before heading out, create or find existing courses in Garmin Connect and seamlessly sync them to the watch to get turn-by-turn directions. While exploring, enter a distance on the watch and receive suggested routes to stay on track and on time with dynamic round-trip routing.

Sizes and Colourways

Featuring a 47mm case size, Forerunner 970 is available in popular colour options like carbon gray DLC titanium with a black/translucent whitestone band, titanium with a whitestone/translucent amp yellow band and soft gold titanium with a French grey/translucent indigo band.

WH Tests It

“Hands down, my favourite Garmin is the Instinct 3, mostly because I love being outdoors and it feels rugged and suits my lifestyle. That said, testing the new Garmin Forerunner 970, I might have a change of heart [chuckles]. Just when you think there can’t possibly be more features you enjoy, well, then they just level up. From unboxing to setup, it is one streamlined process to get connected to the Garmin app and just plug in, switch and start moving. Now, on top of the performance data that I’ll get to in a sec, it doesn’t hurt that the watch sits so beautifully on your wrist. The soft gold titanium with the French grey/translucent indigo strap is subtle and doesn’t feel like a bulky piece of tech.

Now, for the best part: the features we’ve come to love and now can’t live without. The built-in torch, you will use it for literally everything, and with winter rolling in, it gets darker much quicker, which means you need light. The performance metrics in this watch are absolutely incredible, and not to mention that they are backed by Garmin data scientists and sports physiologists. At one point, I actually had to remind myself to charge it (when used in smartwatch mode of course), but the battery life holds out and keeps up with your life demands without a charge every second.

Lastly, I thoroughly enjoyed mapping out routes and then seeing my route displayed on the maps in full colour. If you’re clocking those long runs, it takes that mental load out of finding the next best route and rather prepping to set a PB. Overall, this watch is for the everyday athlete who leans into data to improve performance and overall wellness, be it sleep, running, triathlons or simply showing up better for their goals.” – Chamain van Zyl, Online Editor

What’s New In Garmin Connect

With a Forerunner 570 or Forerunner 970, athletes receive access to the following features in Garmin Connect, including Garmin Triathlon Coach training plans, custom multisport workouts and past ovulation estimates. Additionally, when athletes add a course to their event in Garmin Connect, they can now enable auto lap by timing gates, suggested finish line and projected race time predictor. How awesome!?