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Garmin

1 lurker | 218 watchers
larkim
larkim
24 Feb
10:34am, 24 Feb 2025
26,699 posts
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larkim
Pertinent to these sorts of discussions, some may want to listen to this
shows.acast.com

Some interesting observations about transparency; I don't think we do know how Garmin or other providers derive some of their guidance for users, so it's worth being very sceptical about what it suggests / proposes on your wrist. So if their training plans are based on evidence gathered from runners on 20mpw programmes, but then the algorithm extrapolates this to runners on 70mpw programmes, for example, the suggestions / guidance might be very wrong. I'm sure Garmin to a degree try to avoid these obvious pitfalls, but it is important to remember that the algorithms are a best an estimate and may well just not be suited to "you".

I don't pay any attention to the limited suggestions that my older gen watch shows (e.g. recovery time etc), though I am an advocate for the VO2Max calcs as (experience tells me) they do track well against my perceived fitness. Interesting that they suggest that VO2Max over 50 is where the absolute metric tends to under-estimate real VO2Max too.
larkim
larkim
24 Feb
10:41am, 24 Feb 2025
26,700 posts
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larkim
(Edit - the episode is called "Can you trust your smartwatch?")
SPR
SPR
24 Feb
10:57am, 24 Feb 2025
47,136 posts
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SPR
I just actually did the change for LT in the area I thought was manual and it's actually supposed to auto detect there as well.
SPR
SPR
24 Feb
2:32pm, 24 Feb 2025
47,137 posts
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SPR
There's quite a few Firstbeats white papers for their different stats: firstbeat.com
larkim
larkim
24 Feb
2:36pm, 24 Feb 2025
26,703 posts
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larkim
Yep, read a few of those in the past. VO2Max is the one I've known about for years. Not really paid attention to the others, but it does sort of contradict what their guest was saying. To a degree anyway.
SPR
SPR
24 Feb
2:43pm, 24 Feb 2025
47,138 posts
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SPR
I think Firstbeats have generally been open with the data. How they interpret it for a full picture isn't out there but probably wouldn't be expected.

I haven't seen anything explaining Garmin's training philosophy TBF.
larkim
larkim
24 Feb
2:48pm, 24 Feb 2025
26,705 posts
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larkim
It all comes down to how active you want to be in response to what the watch says. I'll always completely ignore the watch, and do stuff based on "feel" or (perhaps worse!) disconnected programmes like a P&D book / plan. But I am sensible enough to know that if "feel" disagrees with book then I know which I trust the most.

I might enjoy it if my watch did things like body battery etc, but I don't think it would change how I behaved; I'd just be "interested".
Badger
Badger
24 Feb
4:25pm, 24 Feb 2025
17,727 posts
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Badger
I suspect that it's more useful for folk who need more structure than just going out for 5-10k a day, and want it from the watch rather than looking for a plan elsewhere. This thread's posters aren't that, just by the conversation we're having. I've followed DSW occasionally and it mixed things up all right. Occasionally trying to kill me with a hard interval session a week after a marathon, true.
SPR
SPR
24 Feb
4:37pm, 24 Feb 2025
47,141 posts
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SPR
I posted this in the wrong place initially but actually I'm coming from where Badger is coming from.

I think it shouldn't be beyond Garmin to suggest a reasonable 7 day plan for people that would want to use it and the plan that it suggested for me isn't reasonable on basic training rules.

I don't expect the watch to train someone like me but it should put together something that follows general training principles. Front loading effort to the first 3 days of the week makes no sense but a beginner might not know that.
SPR
SPR
24 Feb
4:44pm, 24 Feb 2025
47,142 posts
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SPR
Possibly a big in an update though as per my earlier post, I didn't notice it being obviously odd like this last year.

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