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LTHR zones are calculated by changing % instead of base LTHR number

It is kind of hard to explain but simply said : when a new LTHR is detected and you have your zones by %LTHR.

Instead of just updating the LTHR number, zones ranges are changed.

You can see it on the watch, in heart rate zones. When you reset you zones, last zone is >100%.

Now after a few LTHR detected, my zone 5 is 99-113%.

Use case:

If I change watch, I want to be able to set my LTHR and continue training. It doesn't make any sens when you choose zones by LTHR% to then change zones % ranges.

Also I am not sure it is the intended way of updating zones when new LTHR is detected. I am pretty sure it is a bug because zone range % shouldn't be messed with when choosing zones by LTHR%.

  • So if you "reset zones" essentially your're resetting progress since your LTHR was properly set. I did see that at some point z5 went over 100% like yours and I reset them back to normal. Bugs everywhere...

  • Exactly, if I reset zones it goes back to normal ranges with z5 at 100%. Same if I set my LTHR to another watch, I have the intended zones.
    That's why I think it is a bug and the zone ranges shouldn't change when setting zone based on LTHR%.

  • Anyway, I knew it would be hard to explain properly.

  • I think another way of looking at this is the zones, as absolute numbers in BPM, likely aren't changing at all.

    If Garmin stores the zones as absolute numbers in BPM rather than as percentages of LTHR, then the percentages will change if your LTHR changes, even if the absolute numbers stay the same. You could verify this by looking at your zones in Garmin Connect (the website or the app) and checking whether the absolute values change at all, when your LTHR changes. I kinda confirmed this for myself by looking at the network request that's sent when you change zones on the site - only the absolute numbers are sent to Garmin, which tells me it's probably only storing absolute numbers, and not  percentages. In other words, when you set your zones, the percentages are used to calculate the absolute values, but when you look your zones, the percentages are probably just calculated from the absolute values (as opposed to being stored.)

    You could argue that's a bug (and I'd agree), but Garmin could also say that it would be a bug to change the absolute numbers. They might also argue that it's ambiguous what people want in this case, so they have to pick one.

    I'm guessing the same thing would happen if you set your zones based on HRR%, and your resting HR changes. I use HRR% but I also use a fixed resting HR, so I wouldn't know.

    Anyway, you can try submitting an idea here:

    [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/]

  • Do you have your original Z5 based on LTHR in percentage? The current range seems not off. The high end of Z5: 113% x 163 = 184 matches your MHR.