Last week, the new Apple Watch received a bunch of the news stories and such but Garmin also released a new watch. It did not get the same fanfare as the Apple Watch but it introduced a feature to the Garmin watch lineup that should be awesome for athletes who want to train smarter and better.
The New Garmin Watch has an Awesome Training Feature
The Garmin that was announced was the Garmin Forerunner 745. It was the model to replace the aged 735XT watch in the Garmin lineup. This model sits below the Garmin Forerunner 945 as a triathlete/multi-sport watch with the many of the features found in the 945 and Garmin Fenix 6 lineup but with a lower cost, weight, and size.
Though the Garmin Forerunner 745 ($499)is only $100 less than the retail price of the Forerunner 945 ($599), it does have some nice benefits to it (btw, if you want to know how to save 20% on the Garmin Forerunner 745, send me an e-mail or hit me up over on Twitter.)
These benefits include a slightly smaller profile than the 945 as well as the slight reduction in weight that goes with it. Of course, you are sacrificing some battery life for that but it will still get you through any marathon or triathlon.
The New Garmin Daily Suggested Workout Feature in a Watch
But, this post is all about a new feature that Garmin chose to introduce on the Garmin Forerunner 745 before they bring it to their other high-end watches before the end of the year. This feature is one that I thought an eventual Google Pixel watch could make an awesome play with so I am pleasantly surprised to see Garmin bring it out first. It is called Daily Suggested Workout.
This featured first came to the Garmin Edge 1030 cycling computer but this is the first time it is on a Garmin watch. Here is what it does.
The Garmin Daily Suggested Workout (according to their information – I will have mine delivered this week and will update when I have had a chance to try it out) will give the user a suggested workout each day to help the user improve in their fitness. This means targeting the VO2 max area, so the aerobic performance capacity. It is this that will help you get faster and increase in your overall fitness in your sport area.
What Does the Daily Suggested Workout Do?
So, each day, you will be presented a workout to help target what your body needs to improve. It may tell you that it is best to take a rest day for to tackle a harder workout. Some days will focus on “building your endurance base or facilitating recovery. Other days will focus on developing maximum aerobic performance capacity, your ability to tolerate high-intensity efforts, perform and repeat dynamic intervals or speed.”
If you are using a coaching program, the program will supersede the Daily Suggested Workout but if you are just trying to work on your fitness and make improvements without a specific race in sight (which is quite the norm right now!), the Daily Suggested Workout can really help with that.
Where Does the Data Come From?
This is why I thought the Google Pixel watch could really crush it here. Google is the master of data and they could pull at that data and their AI engines together to give you customized workout plans each and every day.
Yet, it is Garmin with the acquisitions they have made and the data the watch collects on you that will bring this to life.
High-end Garmin watches collect an amazing amount of data from both your workouts and life. Various models collect your SPo2 levels (blood oxygen), your altitude, your training load, your heart rate, your resting heart rate, your stress levels, your sleeping performance and times, your recovery time – and all of the data from previous workouts.
The Garmin Daily Suggested Workout feature will utilize all of that (not sure about weather but that would be a great component as well) to give you a workout that is perfect for that day.
Using the sleep performance is great since you may be ready to go as far as recovery time but if your sleep was erratic/not helpful, that workout will not be what it should be. As a father with a daughter who has been teething, I appreciate the inclusion of sleep performance into the overall metrics! 🙂
Bottom Line
Yes, it is just another watch but what Garmin has done to help the athlete reach their full potential is fantastic. This latest addition in the Garmin Forerunner 745 (and soon to come to the Forerunner 945 and Fenix 6 watches) will certainly help many athletes who want to explore how their body can improve and develop as a result of the various metrics that Garmin provides.
I will be testing this out over the next couple of weeks and will share my impressions. For now, check out the in-depth review at the always-awesome DC Rainmaker
