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Suggested workouts don't match Load Focus shortages, seems like they should

JazzRunnerDP
over 1 year ago

The situation: I've been doing the daily run workout that has been suggested by my Garmin 965. Most of the workouts suggested are Base runs, which the Training Status > Load Focus screen classifies as Low Aerobic. After the run, when I check the Training Status > Load Focus screen, it often displays that I am over the Optimal amount for Low Aerobic activity and that I am short on either High Aerobic or Anaerobic activity. When I look at the suggested workout for the next day, it is very often another Base run, although it does show that High Aerobic and Anaerobic runs are in the schedule for the upcoming week.

The question: When Load Focus displays a shortage in a type of activity, why isn't the next day's activity one that would be for the area that has the shortage?

Hey Garmin: Perhaps this is an area that could use some improvement via an update.

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  • 0 over 1 year ago

    This deserves a standing ovation! Yes: this thing is a mess. Personally, I look at my load focus, then pick one of the suggested workouts of the week to increase the areas that are lower in the load focus range. If I don't find any appropriate suggested workouts in the next days, I have "copied" some in my "manual" workouts, and pick the most appropriate from those.

    But you are absolutely right. Obviously at Garmin they don't use the watches they produce because this thing should have been fixed long ago: do you think they all have Apple Watches?

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    One thing to check is whether the training effect of your runs is close to what Garmin estimated in the suggestions (this requires checking the suggestion before taking it).

    If your base run training effect exceeds the watch's expectation, it could cause it to change its future suggestions to easier ones.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Are you using the race calendar?

    Different phases of training are going to have different load focus targets, so depending on where you may be in a training cycle, the upcoming workouts may shift 

    For example. As you right now my load focus is on Target - and Balanced for my current phase of training. I have a full low and high aerobic, with barely a finger nail slice in the anaerobic section. 

    But it's enough anaerobic for me, right now, and it only takes a few strides, or a 5-6 very short intervals on the bike.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Narziss

    Hi Narziss

    Thanks for the standing ovation. I too often select an alternative workout. Thanks for the suggestion of using a manual workout.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to JazzRunnerDP

    Some things I would recommend checking first:

    - Is your training load right? Is your acute load is in the green zone determined from chronic load? If you're not in the zone, the watch might be trying to ramp you up first.

    - Does the proposed target pace or power for an interval match the expected zone for this type of training? Base targets should be in Z2, etc. Strangely enough, in my case they are often off, probably confused by the ramp tests I am doing.

    - Did you set a target event? As Jamie mentioned, people have better experience with suggested workouts when the training periodization is driven by the calendar rather than opaque Garmin algorithms.