Three Ways Your Garmin Smartwatch Can Help You Work Out

Three Ways Your Garmin Smartwatch Can Help You Work Out

Here's what you need to know about working out with Garmin, including daily suggested workouts, the Garmin Connect^™ app and Garmin Coach.

We all know we're supposed to be exercising consistently, but we're all at different points in that journey.

Maybe you're trying to build a consistent weightlifting routine. Maybe you're a cyclist or runner focused on building endurance or training for a race. Maybe you're just looking for a way to stay - or get - in shape.

No matter where you are in your fitness journey, Garmin is here to help.

Here are three ways you can work out with Garmin.

Daily suggested workouts

A compatible Garmin smartwatch can provide these running and cycling workout recommendations to help you support or improve your fitness level.

Data, including your training status, training load and load focus, VO2 max, recovery time, sleep data, profile of recently performed workouts, as well as maximum heart rate, lactate threshold or functional threshold power (FTP), factor into your suggestions. Activities you complete on your watch outside of running and cycling indirectly affect daily suggested workouts.

Before using this feature, you need to record and sync at least two running or cycling activities for one week. That will set up a training status. Then, when you open the "run" or "bike" activity, you'll see the daily suggested workout notification.

That said, a training plan that includes scheduled workouts for an event will be prioritized over daily suggested workouts.

Garmin Connect workouts

You can download a variety of workouts onto your compatible Garmin watch, including yoga, Pilates, cardio, strength and more. Plus, you'll be able to see workout animations when you download available workouts to your watch.

If you only have 10 minutes to squeeze in a workout, maybe the "10-minute Body Weight AMRAP," (which stands for As Many Rounds/Reps as Possible) would work for you. If you have more time, the 70-minute "After-work Yoga" session could help you stretch and relax after you leave the office.

You can also build a custom workout on the Garmin Connect app or on the website. Custom workouts generally include three steps for you to fill out: a warm-up, workout and cooldown. Garmin Connect offers a library of more than 1,500 exercises to choose from to build your workout. You can create a range of workouts, from the typical run, bike and swim exercises to strength, yoga and even HIIT.

In the Workouts app on your watch, you'll find a library of workouts. This also includes daily suggested workouts, preloaded workouts and any workouts you downloaded from Garmin Connect.

Plus, when you open the Garmin Connect app, you'll be able to see your body's metrics, including heart rate¹, Body Battery^™ energy monitoring, stress score, steps, calories burned and sleep score. These metrics can help you learn how different workouts affect your needs.

Garmin Coach

With Garmin Coach, you can get plans to help prepare and perform at your best. Training for an event? Garmin Coach has that covered. Want to hit a personal record? Garmin Coach has that too. Focused on improving your fitness? You guessed it: Garmin Coach can help.

You can find Garmin Coach in the Training and Planning section of Garmin Connect. First, you'll choose your sport-specific plan: running, cycling or strength.

With running, you can work through a performance-adaptive plan with help from one of three experienced running coaches, or choose a plan catered to your health, recovery and performance metrics from Garmin Run Coach. To use Garmin Run Coach, all you need is a compatible smartwatch that estimates your VO2 max and, when available, lactate threshold from runs recorded - with heart rate and GPS pace tracking as a foundation for your plan. As you progress, Garmin Run Coach adjusts the difficulty of your workouts so you can continue improving.

If you're a cyclist, you can choose between prebuilt cycling plans and Garmin Cycling Coach, which adapts based on your health, recovery and performance metrics.

You'll need three products for Garmin Cycling Coach: a compatible Edge^® cycling computer, Garmin smartwatch or heart rate monitor, and a power meter. Using an Edge cycling computer and Garmin smartwatch allows you to broadcast your wrist-based heart rate data to your computer. Your Garmin device estimates your VO2 max and FTP, both of which become the base of your plan. Plus, when you track your health off the bike with a compatible Garmin smartwatch, you'll get smarter training recommendations.

When you sign up for Garmin Coach strength training plans, you can choose between increasing strength, building muscle or getting fitter. It will provide recommendations based on your goals, the muscles you want to target and your available equipment.

Whether you're preparing to run a 5K, train for a time trial cycling race or increase your max bench press, Garmin Coach has your back. Plus, smartwatches with Garmin Run Coach or Garmin Cycling Coach also give you the option of adding supplemental strength workouts into your plan.

With a Garmin smartwatch on your wrist, you open the door to different ways to meet your fitness goals. Start your journey today by browsing Garmin smartwatches and downloading the Garmin Connect app.

_{¹See Garmin.com/ataccuracy}