Related

Different default heart rate zones for general training and running. Why?

JazzRunnerDP
3 months ago

On my 965, I allow the watch to auto-detect and set my maximum heart rate and lactate threshold. I have the heart rate zones set to be based on maximum heart rate. I note that the default heart rate zones are different for the general, non-sport, zones and the sport-specific running zones. The Garmin reference material addresses the idea that one can set the zones to one's preferences, but does not address what drives the defaults. I'm wondering why the defaults for these two settings are different. Any insights would be appreciated.

Here are the default settings:

  • Zone 5
    • General: 93% - 100%
    • Running: 90% - 100%
  • Zone 4
    • General: 85% - 93%
    • Running: 80% - 90%
  • Zone 3
    • General: 60% - 85%
    • Running: 70% - 80%
  • Zone 2
    • General: 51% - 60%
    • Running: 60% - 70%
  • Zone 1
    • General: 43% - 51%
    • Running: 50% - 60%
  • 0 3 months ago

    Today's surprise:

    My HR zones are set up like:

    Running: max: 178, LTHR:167, Resting: 53, zones: based on LTHR: z1:65-80%, z2:80-89%, z3:89-95%, z4:05-99%, z5:99-114%

    Swimming: max: 157, no LTHR set, resting: 53, zones: based on maxHR: z1:50-60%, z2:60-70%, z3:70-80%, z4:80-90%, z5:90-100% 

    and 2 activities I made today:

    7km Easy Run, HR: avg:119, max:152 (48 minutes run time, with some additional minutes of walks) ->total calories: 488

    550m Easy-Medium hardness Swim with stops after each 100m, HR: avg:127, max:154 (20 minutes swim time) -> total calories: 4454

    This 9 times difference in total calories seams strange. Can it be right? Or it points to another configuration problem? My bet is that the swim maxHR is too low? What should I set it to? Or what else can cause the high calories? Or is it really this high because of the water resistance?

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to flocsy
    flocsy said:
    550m Easy-Medium hardness Swim with stops after each 100m, HR: avg:127, max:154 (20 minutes swim time) -> total calories: 4454

    Could it be that the swim time is completely off, like in the case here?

    https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-945/376662/innacurate-activity-time

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to flocsy

    Since you set your maximum running heart rate to 178 and your LTHR to 167, I'll be interested to hear what your watch gives you for suggested workouts and, if you attempt them, what you think of their accuracy. I know that before my watch reduced my maximum running heart rate, I felt that the workouts that the watch suggested for me were pretty difficult to get good scores on. And since the watch, through auto-detection, reduced my running maximum heart rate, it's been easier to earn a better score for the suggested workouts.

    Since running at lactate threshold, at least for me, is really running on the top margin of my ability, I suspect the real test for you will be how long you can run at your set LTHR of 167. The references I've seen say that you should be able to run at that pace for 30-60 minutes. If you can't do that, then it would seem like your setting for maximum heart rate is too high. If that's so, you should consider doing the built in lactate threshold test that the 965 has in it to establish a lower lactate threshold for yourself that is more in sync with your capabilities.

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to flocsy

    Hmmm. I think you should contact Garmin support. If the HR data is right and the duration is right, it is indeed hard to believe you consume that many calories in 20mn Cold sweat

  • 0 3 months ago in reply to Etupes25

    I'll. Today I swam again. I increased my max hr, this time I got 330 calories on a longer swim. So on one hand Garmin will say, if it was a one time thing, we don't care.

    On the other hand I found another bug: I noticed (at least twice) that when I stopped after a few hundred meters and looked at the watch (which automatically switches to the resting layout) that the interval average hr was higher than the interval max hr...

    Garmin clearly needs a math lesson (like when at the end of my run with 178 max hr they set my user's max hr to 158)