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Request: custom exercises in workout builder (i.e. strength training) and BUG REPORT

This tool is actually quite good. being able to build a time weight workout with cues as to weights reps and exercises. The list of exercises available in the workout builder for strength training activities is quite good. however...it can never be comprehensive. there are too many out there.

1) problem: all exercises desired in a given workout are not available in the exercise picker within the workout builder

request: would be nice to have the ability to add user defined exercises to this list. doesn't seem like it would be too cumbersome to do so. e.g. rather than just having 1 arm dumnbbell rows" with a note (which you can't read effectively on the watch during the workout) about the position you are doing it in (bent over, plank, etc) you could add exercise "1 arm DB rows in plank"...other examples exist where the exercise is entirely not in the list. a good example of this is stretches...there are in fact only 2 listed. i might like to add specific stretches to my workout.

2) problem: unit of measurement for weights isn't correct

for some reason (maybe i'm missing something?) the watch is changing my unit of measure. on my workout builder and in my settings i have units set to LBS. on the watch during the workout, however, it changes the unit to KG then converts it back (incorrectly) to lbs in the logged activity. e.g. i've entered "20 lbs" in the workout builder for an individual exercise and during the workout it prompts me "20 KG" (which could be worse..at least i know which dumbbell to pick up)..but when it uploads the activity afterwords...it converts "20 kgs" (from the watch) to "44 lbs" in the log. this is problematic for progress tracking.

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0 SwimmyMcRunFace over 5 years ago

I find it very difficult to create a workout because the names of the workouts are not familiar to me. I have to go and look up on the web each name that seems to match what I'm doing and see if that is it.
I would love to see a visual description of the work out when I am selecting. Maybe a few images describing the positions or a short video with somebody performing the exercise once.
I would also love the option to name the exercise myself (maybe after selection). I assume selecting an exercise is important (rather than simply typing some text to name it) because that is how the watch knows how to count reps.
Some classification of exercises would be good, ....

Absolutely, what he said.

Even after struggling through the massive list and Googling exercises, I CANNOT create the workout I want because it is composed of items that don't exist in the list, so just include the capacity to name your own and possibly choose a type (Stretch, Unweighted, Weighted, Leg, Upper body, core, etc). Eg. there's not even a basic quad stretch. But don't just add that as I have exercises and stretches that are gathered and developed by a specialist physiotherapist for running training and you won't find them.

PLEASE. Geez, Garmin - you do things so well and so poorly at the same time, it's so frustrating and keeps me looking at other manufacturers. :\

0 supranihilest over 5 years ago

+1

The ability to exercises custom names is especially useful for strength training tracking. What good is a list of pre-defined exercises when everyone knows there are countless more? Some of them are even rather silly, like "Single-leg Romanian Deadlift with Dumbbell" yet no "Romanian Deadlift" or "Barbell Romanian Deadlift", which is far more commonly done. As a rock climber and mountaineer I do all kinds of exercises that simply aren't listed. I don't want Garmin to add a list of every single possible exercise under the sun, because that's impossible; I just want the ability to add exercises with free-form names, so that I can track exactly what I do in each workout instead of just going with an exercise that's "close enough".

Additionally, please don't assume an exercise is bodyweight, and don't change my exercise if I add weight to one that defaults to bodyweight. For example, Good Mornings default to bodyweight (is a Good Morning without weight even a Good Morning? That's just bending over...) and adding weight to it changes it to a Zercher Good Morning, which is a variation where the barbell is held in front of the body, not on the shoulders. They're two different exercises, both of which could be weighted or bodyweight. I'm sure there are other examples but this one stuck out to me.

0 Willumpie82 over 5 years ago

What I would add to this that there should be an option (or workout on the watch) to create a workout on the fly,
hence, at our bootcamp class we have intervals trainings of both strength, cardio (running), or e.g. a run that has strength training parts

with the strengt training on the watch we can select number of reps but not the workout type

0 lj50 over 5 years ago

Couldn’t agree more with this request and it’s baffling that it’s gone undelivered for so long.

Band Pull-aparts aren’t an available exercise. That’s odd in itself, but Garmin’s failure to allow me to add it is just idiotic.

This failure, but the lack of decimals when lifting in kg, render the strength app an infuriating experience when, in fact, the auto detect of reps and many exercises should make it a genuinely impressive feature.

0 matthewschultz92 over 5 years ago

Ping, Back to the top, Hard to believe something so simple and obviously popular hasn't been implemented yet?!?!?!

0 -mat- over 5 years ago

One more vote for custom exercises please!

0 CandyKhorne over 5 years ago

I'll also add my voice to the request for this. So often I have to find something "close enough" and add a note and hope I remember what it's supposed to be. My workouts would be so much easier if I could put in my own exercises that aren't already on the list.

0 lj50 over 5 years ago

4 pages on this thread going back more than a year and several other threads on the subject. Yet I haven't seen any acknowledgement at all from Garmin. I take it we shouldn't hold our breath on this obvious gap in functionality ever being filled?

0 -mat- over 5 years ago

Friends at Garmin: perhaps some explanation of status if this issue has been considered, or a brief explanation of why not?

0 dtweedale over 5 years ago

+1 for requesting for this feature. I am surprise its not available, and even the "custom workout" is rubbish where you can't even type in the name of the routine you want to do.

Does Garmin the manufacturer actually read this forum?

My fenix ticks all the right boxes except for custom exercise and seriously considering selling and getting a different sportswatch - anyone got a good recommendation especially on par with the fenix excellent battery life?