ActiveFitness TrackersEverything wrong with Garmin’s Daily Workout Suggestions (and why I can’t stop using it)Workout suggestions are flawed but can be helpful if you use them rightWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveFitness TrackersEverything wrong with Garmin’s Daily Workout Suggestions (and why I can’t stop using it)Workout suggestions are flawed but can be helpful if you use them rightWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Workout suggestions are flawed but can be helpful if you use them right
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
I have a love-hate relationship with myGarminwatch. I keep gravitating back to it, no matter how many smartwatches and fitness trackers I tested over the years. However, some of the features annoy the hell out of me, yet I can’t stop using them. It’s a mystery!
Back in the day, I queried the purpose of the DWS with Garmin: Is the feature intended to make you faster or stronger, or is it just a way to spice up training? They answered that the “end goal is for [the DWS] to constantly improve the user.”
However, these workouts can be a bit clunky. In my recent article abouthow to get Productive Training Status on your Garmin, I mentioned that I always use DWS when I run, as it provides some variety and helps me run at a slower pace.
Even though the workouts are varied – you get offered threshold runs, as well as sprints and interval sessions – they hardly ever offer ‘proper’ long runs, even if you have a marathon set up as your upcoming race.
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(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
The watch also often recommends 30-minute base runs a few weeks before the event when you’re supposed to crank up your training volume. Worse still, it never really suggests certain workouts, such as fartlek, hill sprints, etc.
I think the main problem is that the watch is too conservative with training load and recovery. It’s understandable, to a certain degree, as I wouldn’t want to be Garmin with people overtraining and injuring themselves then suing the company that the watch made them ill.
There is a simple solution to this: offer people three levels of intensity (easy, moderate, hard) with a disclaimer saying that all suggestions are just that – suggestions, and people should always take into account their fitness levels, recovery needs, and so on.
Just keep going
The DWS might be flawed, but I still use it almost all the time. Why? Because it saves me from having to set up workouts manually. No matter how easy it is to use Garmin’s desktop planner, it’s easier if the algorithm puts together a threshold session for me based on my training load and fitness level.
I also go for longer runs than recommended. Let’s say I start the session with the recommended 30-minute base run but keep going after the session has ended. This way, I please the algorithm and ensure my training load is on point. Surprise, surprise, I often receive Productive Training Status despite my higher-than-recommended workload.
I hope we’ll soon receive a software update to enhance what is already one of my favourite features on myGarmin watch. Yes, it annoys me a lot, but Daily Workout Suggestions also provide the much-needed variety in my training. It’s just that I wish I didn’t have to work around the shortcomings of the feature, that’s all.
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Today’s best Garmin Forerunner dealsGarmin Forerunner 965$580ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 265$449.99$398.49ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 955$399ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 255$270.50ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 945$329$309.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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Garmin Forerunner 965$580ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 265$449.99$398.49ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 955$399ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 255$270.50ViewSee all pricesGarmin Forerunner 945$329$309.99ViewSee all prices
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