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Weekly Intensity Minute Challenges

Former Member over 6 years ago

I recently purchased a VivoSport and I love it! its really a fantastic device for tracking cycling and cardio workouts - which brings me to my request. I would love it if Garmin could introduce Weekly Intensity Minute Challenges as an option where they have the "join the weekly step challenge".

I have never understood the "step" trend. The CDC recommends getting a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity every week NOT take 10k steps a day. They also include that 300 minutes is a great target for even more health benefits. Counting steps just seems so arbitrary and silly if the steps aren't combined with intensity minutes/ HR data to ensure that people are reaching at least a moderate level of activity during their walks.

Additionally, Garmin is so good at multi-sport tracking it just seems to make sense that using the challenge metric of intensity minutes would appeal to a lot of Garmin Users. Anyhow - I would love to be able to take part in weekly intensity challenges to help push myself to keep improving.

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0 Dr Phil over 6 years ago

Challenge yourself!

The simple reality is that any exercise is better than no exercise. And following on from that, the more you can do the better it is for you. Exercise is more about health than fitness. But, as you get healthier, so you develop the ability to get fitter.

0 Former Member over 6 years ago

I concur with kdkactive.
The question comes down to do enough Garmin Users have HR detection so that intensity minutes can be calculated reliably across all of their devices?
Furthermore, I can see how it can be gamed by sandbagging zones. (e.g. a 20 y.o could pose as a 70 y.o and have x2 minutes for x1 effort based on HR alone).

There have been times when I would like to work the heavy bag, bicycle or jump rope which is far more intense than walking or jogging yet, the latter is rewarded by ranking higher in the challenges.

Interesting to see that swimming gets counted as steps.

Thanks Garmin for making a community.

0 8451143 over 5 years ago

you're right! one year later and this option is sadly still not available

0 1958517 over 5 years ago

I would like to challenge friends, even though they prefer to run and I prefer to cycle. I'm never going to catch up on steps :) And it seems like a false incentive for me to feel like a bus commute (more steps) is somehow worth more than the same distance bike commute (definitely more intensity minutes, but fewer steps).

Anyone who prefers the step challenge, or a head to head challenge in the same sport can of course stick with that.

0 trux over 5 years ago in reply to 1958517

Challenge in calories. It is as fair as intensity minutes.

0 biffmofo over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Any aspect of tracking is going to have person to person discrepancies. Even steps. I'm 6' tall and my wife is 4'11". We will track the exact same walk around the park and she will have over 1000 more steps than me because she has a shorter gait. More steps to get the same distance.

You are only cheating yourself and your training goals if you have inaccurate HR zones just to win a pointless challenge. I think 'most' serious people that use Garmin for training will have their zones very accurate.

But we really do need the option to challenge others on anything Garmin can track and just do our honest best to be our honest best.

0 Former Member over 4 years ago

I’d really like to see this too, many times I’ve had to switch up how I get my cardio to reduce stress on parts of my body, id think intensity minutes or calories would probably be better.

0 Cubby59 over 2 years ago in reply to trux

Trux, How can we set a calories Challenge. It gives Steps, Cycling, Swimming and running icons on the Challenges page??

0 trux over 2 years ago in reply to Cubby59

Cubby59 said:
Trux, How can we set a calories Challenge.

Calories Challenges were removed from Garmin Connect, and are no more possible.