Hi,

This week I'm giving you my favorite gear picks as I fully support buying your own holiday gifts! I'm going to make it easy and share exactly what I use and love.

First, two things before we get into gear that you need to know about.

🇨🇭 SwissRX End of Year Sale (Save 40%) is on right now, but ends Monday. Don't miss out—especially on Nitric Oxide Pro that's back in stock. I take it every day for both performance and cardiac health. If I could only take one supplement a day, this is my choice.

🔥 Hot Deals is reloaded with many of the best deals of the year. This is my year-end clearance where you're getting crazy deals as I adjust inventory levels. These are super popular items—we just have too much of some of it. Grab stuff now and get first dibs before we start talking about this after Christmas.

Now let's talk gear.

It's that time of year. Gear season.

I love gear, but let's be honest—it can be overwhelming. There are so many choices, so many specs, and everyone has an opinion.

So I'm going to keep this simple. Here are my top 5 gear picks that I can't live without. No fluff, just the stuff that actually matters for your training.

The best part? Most of this gear is still at Black Friday pricing (and some of it even better).

1. 💗 Heart Rate Monitor

Start here. You have two choices: Do you want an arm strap or a chest strap?

Coros Heart Rate Monitor – This one is worn on your arm and it's super light. You won't even know it's there. Many of our female athletes prefer this over the chest strap that can interfere with your sports bra and also chafe. Personally, I prefer this form factor after too many decades wearing a chest strap. Get it here. 

Garmin HRM 600 – The gold standard chest strap. It works with everything and is scientific lab-level accurate. You can't go wrong. If you're still using that old strap from 5 or 10 years ago, upgrade—they work so much better now and are so much more comfortable. It has both ANT+ and Bluetooth. It also has 2 months of battery and is RECHARGEABLE, which I love. Get I here.

Quick note: Both of these have sold out 4 times this year. We have them back in stock now, but they go fast.

2. ⌚️ Your Watch

Don't feel like you need to buy the most expensive option here. The functionality of the lowest price option is 90% of what every athlete actually uses. Plus the less expensive options are lighter weight and—based on my experience—easier to use.

Here's my guide from best value to most expensive:

  • Coros Pace 3 at $199 (Save 13%) – Your budget-friendly high performer. Get it here. 

  • Garmin Forerunner 265 at $299 (Save 33% off the regular $449) – This is such a good deal and the most popular watch we sell. Today is the day to take the plunge for your 2026 training. Here's my confession: I was using the 965 for years, but recently tried the 265 and despite it having fewer functions, I preferred how it felt. It's so much lighter—I didn't even know I was wearing it. Get it here. 

  • Garmin Forerunner 965 at $449 (Save 25% off the regular $599) – You get everything you need, battery life, and more. This is the Pro's watch. Get it here. 

3. 🎧 Headphones

I've tried everything when it comes to headphones. Seriously, I should create a new email series just on my testing of headphones.

When it comes to training, I've narrowed my favorites to two brands: Shokz and H2O Audio (that Lionel Sanders introduced me to).

Both brands let you hear ambient sounds—they're not going to fully block noise (and also avoid hearing your heart rate pounding in your headphones, which I hate). So both of these are the safest you can be if you're out and about and MUST hear cars or other people on the trail.

Shokz: You have two choices. The OpenRun Pro style where both earpieces are connected in the back—I personally use this version for outdoor runs and cycling. It has better battery life and you never lose one earbud. The other version is the OpenFit style that hooks over both ears. Think of these as the upgrade to AirPods that will stay in place, and for long wear time you don't get sore ears like with AirPods.

H2O Audio: These are the best option for swimming—they have a cool feature where you play your music, hit record, and it rips your music from whatever source you're using and stores it on the headphones. Surprisingly easy and avoids streaming issues when swimming. But H2O is even more than that. If you like the fully over-ear cans, this is the brand to go with if you're sweating. They are the only over-the-ear headphones that are fully sweat-proof, and the sound is great. I use these for all my indoor training workouts when I want to stay fully in my flow state with no distractions.

The Shokz Holiday Sale is still on—up to 31% off.

4. 💧 Hydration Pack

Every athlete should have a favorite hydration pack. Plus a new fresh pack is so nice.

The deals right now on USWE are insane. I'm giving you 60% or more off all of the 2025 packs, and even the brand new 2026 packs that just arrived earn you 30% Feed Cash.

Pick if you want a winter pack (more insulated) or a lightweight do-everything pack like the Outlander Pro—our most popular pack.

My personal go-to is the USWE Race 2.0 for most cycling and running. For hiking and trail runs—especially when it's hot or I don't want something on my back—the USWE Zulo waist hydration packs are what I grab.

5. 🏮 Recovery Gear: Muscle Stim

The most popular recovery category right now is muscle stim gear that uses a light electric signal to trigger your muscles to contract (increasing blood flow) or disrupts pain signals. You have 3 choices:

Firefly – The most popular and a great value. This specifically stimulates the nerve on the outside of your legs. It's like the idea of Normatec compression driving blood flow for recovery, but instead uses small micro-contractions. It's disposable, making it super easy to use with no charging—but don't worry, you'll get a ton of usage out of each pack. I get at least 3-4 weeks with regular use. My travel must-have: I always have a Firefly with me. They are amazing on any flight. Get it here. 

Chirp Muscle Stim at $179 (Save 10%) – Great value with tons of protocols. I love that it has a remote so you don't need your phone. Slap it on and use the remote. It does everything from pain protocols to recovery protocols—the most versatile you can get. Great case that makes it super easy to charge. This is my go-to for overall pain reduction and muscle stim recovery at home. Get it here. 

Hyperice Venom Go – Like the Chirp, but even more compact and easy to use. Slap it on, turn it on, and you're in full stim mode. Super high-quality build, rechargeable, and the pads last a long time with just the right amount of sticky. Replacements are easy to get. I use this pre-workout on my back. Get it here. 

Bonus: Red Light Therapy

I've had great experiences with red light therapy for both my back and knee. When I was consistent (daily) with 15 minutes a day, it was the final thing that got me over both injuries. I swear by it still.

Fringe Red Light provides the best quality LEDs on the market with the right wavelengths and power. I love their two wrap models that are great for your back and joints—super portable. If you want full power and will always do it at home (I do it while watching TV... ok, I'm lying, I do it while writing all these emails), I use the full panel for maximum power.

Therabody is also in the game—their back wrap is incredible with heat, vibration, AND red light. It feels amazing. I keep mine at my desk.  Get it here. 

Now the best (and most expensive) red light option is the mack daddy of compression boots: the Therabody Jet Boots Pro Plus. These things are a dream. You get the best pneumatic compression, they're fully cordless, and now they combine red light into the boots. If you're splurging for yourself (or a really lucky recipient), keep these on your list.

That's my top gear list. All the discounts are already applied—no codes needed. Just add to cart.

Let me know what gear you're upgrading this season.

- Matt

Founder
The Feed.