4w load focus vs today's suggestion

My 4w load focus says High Aerobic and while I am in the optimal range both with Anaerobic and Low Aerobic, I am really a bit above the optimal range of High Aerobic. As an additional info until yesterday I even got warnings from 4w load focus that I am not in the optimal range (sorry, but I dont remember how exactly it was worded). Because I was really above the optimal range in case of High Aero.

On the other hand in the last 6 or 7 days in Today’s Suggestion I always got workouts which was mainly Tempo with High Aerobic HR/pace zone in the middle (after a warm up and before a cooldown, of course). The only difference between those and the one on today was that those proposed me just 1 step of high aero in the middle, while today’s one proposed me 3 steps of high aero from the 7 steps. Maybe the reason of the different suggestions is that I am already just a bit over the optimal range as regards 4w load focus. Maybe it is not. :-)

But as a whole I dont understand it. If it is said I am over any optimal range, high aero in this case, why does Fenix 6x propose me to fulfil a workout which will increase the load of exactly that type where I am overloaded/overtrained?

My way of thinking is:

Maybe it is so, because Garmin deems that 4w (28 days) load focus (which is a proxy of the type of your fitness, I guess) has nothing to do with 7 d load (fatigue without analyzing the type of the load). I mean I assume that today’s suggestion just considers that 7 d load. If so I can explain the behaviour of my watch as regards Workout Suggestions.

But if it is so then one should not ever get any complaints on the 4w load focus, because it is as it is, it is just the level and type of fitness one has, it cannot be good or wrong, I mean you cannot be overtrained for the last 28 days, you can only in the last 7 days.

Can someone please give me a reasonable explanation, which can make all of these elements consistent?

0 jaamgans over 3 years ago

Would suggest reading this https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=oYknGZ910l1pfBNzkDHX6A https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/fitness/daily-workout-suggestions-for-runners/

and

would suggest reading this: https://discover.garmin.com/en-GB/performance-data/running/

Without seeing your history its difficult to comment.

0 Tisztul_A_Visztula over 3 years ago in reply to jaamgans

The only relevant parts are

”What Data Is Used to Create Suggested Workouts?

The following items all factor into your workout suggestions:

Training Status
Training load and load focus
VO2 max value
Recovery time
Sleep data
Profile of recently performed workouts”

“Your current training load, load focus, recovery time, sleep data and the profile of recently performed workouts all factor into your workout suggestions.”

These are almost the same, or practically the same (vague!) statements, because Training Status depends on the others, too.

Sidenote: I am quite familiar with Firstbeat measures, I mean the basic ones, I even read their white papers like 2 years ago.

“The training load focus data screen provides you not only with a graphical depiction of how your training load is distributed among the 3 major intensity categories, but with qualitative feedback as well.

Shortage: You are lacking exercise in a training intensity category.
Balanced: Your training is well distributed across different levels of intensity.
Focus: Your training variety is reasonably well structured but is particularly focused in one area.

In addition to the above 3 categories of load focus feedback, it is also possible to get feedback that your overall training load is too low (“Below Targets”) or too high (“Over Targets”).”

And actually it was what I got as a message “Over Targets”. I mean related to High Aerobic.

And on the same day I got a Workout Suggestion to have more Tempo!

And it was not just one day, but like 5 or 6.

And finally a quoted part, which says clearly that the main factor behind the type (not the length, not the level) of Workout Suggestions is 4w Load Focus:

”If you are already familiar with the Load Focus screen in the Training Status widget, you will probably notice that these runs map neatly onto the Anaerobic, Low Aerobic and High Aerobic bars that help guide your Training Load toward the right balance.”

Thanks for the links. This last piece confirms to me that there was a real contradiction between the theory nicely worded and the proposal. Again I have been above the ideal range of High Aerobic for a week or so and I have been receiving a suggestion to do a workout to increase the High Aerobic load.