How to create time-based swim workouts, like for endless pool / static swimming?

I swim in a small pool attached to a bungee cord, which some call "static swimming" and is basically the same concept as the endless pool swimming. In this type of swimming, the best reference for training is based on time.

I have a Fenix 5 Plus and use Gamin Connect App on Android, which enables me to create Pool Swim Workouts on the app and transfer to my watch, but I noticed that it is only possible to use distance as reference. My goal is to program my workout using time, so that my watch can alert me (through vibration) at every each step of my training.

Other types of workouts, such as running, allows us to use both distance and time references, so why doesn't swimming allows for both also? Does anyone know a workaround or if Garmin will update their app to allow this?

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0 tmk2 over 3 years ago

RBMarch said:
so why doesn't swimming allows for both also?

Probably because time-based intervals would be problematic for pool swimming. The pool swimming paradigm is that you always swim in multiples of entire pool lengths. What should happen when time runs out in the middle of a length? Do you stop and rest where it caught you, or do you complete the length, and then end the workout interval? I'm not saying there is no solution to this, only that it requires additional thought into it. Hence, to simplify things, garmin decided not to allow time-based workout steps for pool swimming.

Try the following workaround:

Instead of a pool swimming workout, create a "Custom" workout. Instead of pool swimming on your watch select open water swimming with GPS turned off. Start the custom workout in open water swimming mode. Haven't tried this myself, so not sure if it will work.

0 RBMarch over 3 years ago in reply to tmk2

Thanks for the tips, tmk2.

I tried your suggested workaround, but it didn't work as expected.

The open water swimming mode with the GPS turned off works well to monitor my training, but I wasn't able to use the custom workout on this mode. I tried to create several workouts in different modes (custom, pool swim, running, etc), but my watch doesn't list any of these workouts during open water swimming mode. In fact, I am curious to find which mode opens the custom workout.

Anyway, during these trials I discovered that the watch has an integrated interval training function inside the open water swimming mode. It works for a simple interval training, but it is not exactly what I needed.

Thanks again for the help and hope anyone has any other idea.

0 FrancisBannon over 1 year ago

Anybody found a solution to this type of need ? I am currently in the same situation and can't find a way to track "Static swimming" with my Garmin Fenix 6 Pro.