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 Welcome to The Check Out, our newsletter that gives you a deeper look at some of our editors' favorite things. Each week, we'll showcase a life-changing product, along with a bunch of other reviews, roundups, and deals that will help you live, work out, dress, eat, and take care of yourself better.
- The Editors at Men's Health  When I put on a new smartwatch, one of the first things I do is try to figure out what exactly the device is built to do. Some have a narrow focus for one particular type of user, while others try to check every single box for the masses.The latest entry in Garmin's Forerunner line, the 745, is squarely in the former category. The device has a basic design and features clearly tailored to serious athletes—or aspiringly serious athletes, at least—looking for a new tool to help fine-tune their training plan. Garmin is crystal clear about exactly what type of activity the device is made for too, marketing it explicitly as a triathlon companion. The company is mostly successful in its aims here, and the 745 quickly became a solid tracking partner for my workouts and beyond over the week-long test period. The 745 serves well in its most basic function, as a watch. The casing is lighter than some other heavy-duty trackers, like the Suunto 9 or Garmin's own Fenix 6. My test unit came in red, which makes it great for runners, but a bit bold if you want to dress it up for wear. Garmin's OS, which I've grown more accustomed to after testing the excellent Venu for three months and making the Fenix 6 my everyday wear for most of the summer, is one of the best. Rather than overwhelming the wearer with menu upon menu of smart features, the most essential functions are available with just a few presses of a button. Training data is clearly accessible right on your wrist, and broken down into easily understood categories.
The preset watch face provides uncluttered essential data at a glance. More faces are available from a separate Garmin app, but using that isn't as seamless as Apple or Fitbit's operations. Besides, I would recommend using the standard face anyway and customizing it to your own preferences; I kept coming back to it after toggling through other, less functional options.
- Brett Williams, NASM (Men's Health Associate Fitness Editor)  
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