After a few months of structured training and digging deep into the data, I’m starting to question how much “intelligence” is actually built into Garmin’s ecosystem.
Garmin often positions itself as a smart training companion — adaptive, personalized, and data-driven. But the more I look under the hood, the more it feels like a collection of glorified IF-statements wearing a bow tie.
Take this real-world example: I quit smoking recently. Since then, my HRV has increased significantly, my resting heart rate has dropped, and I genuinely feel better — stronger, more recovered, and ready to train. And yet, Garmin interprets the change in HRV as a sign of increased stress and insists I need more recovery. It flagged the trend as if something was wrong — when in fact, something had finally gone right.
Wouldn’t it be logical for an “intelligent” watch to ask, “Your HRV is significantly higher than normal — have you made any lifestyle changes?” Imagine if you could then say, “Yes, I quit smoking,” and Garmin would adjust its baseline expectations and give smarter feedback. That’s what a coach would do. That’s what actual AI would do. But Garmin doesn’t ask questions — it just reacts.
And the VO₂max training logic? It doesn’t add up either. I had a recent session with 16 solid minutes in my VO₂max heart rate zone — textbook structure, excellent quality — and Garmin gave me less VO₂max benefit than a previous session that was clearly inferior. Why? Because it seems to judge based on shallow metrics: average pace, heart rate spike, overall duration. Not quality. Not progression. Not execution.
The watch doesn’t “know” if the intervals were better than last week’s. It doesn’t recognize that you nailed your pacing, or that you’re handling more volume at the same effort. It’s still just: if X bpm + Y pace + Z time, then increase fitness score. Else, nothing.
Don’t get me wrong — Garmin’s hardware is top-tier. Sensors are accurate, battery life is amazing, and the ecosystem is rich. But if Garmin wants to stay competitive, especially with platforms like Runalyze and HRV4Training creeping up with much smarter insights, it needs to evolve. Fast.
What Garmin needs isn’t more alerts or metrics — it’s context. It’s adaptability. It’s the ability to recognize you as an individual who’s changing over time, and to respond intelligently when something big shifts in your life, your health, or your training.
Right now, it’s all just logic trees. IF-statements dressed up in a tuxedo and pretending to be your coach.
Still useful — just don’t confuse it for smart.
What do you think?
