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What do people use their VA3s for? Genuinely interested

Former Member
Former Member over 7 years ago
I bought this device for monitoring and managing exercise. I'm most interested in keeping my heart rate in certain regions, recording how far and fast I run/walk, and getting an estimate of Calorie consumption for exercise that I do away from a gym (in the gym, I have other ways of getting this information.) By at large, the VS3 does all these things reasonably well, although I think it overestimates Calorie consumption.

But it seems to have a whole heap of features that either don't work, or don't provide useful information. I repeatedly ask questions about these things in this forum, and don't really get answers, not even "sorry, I don't know either."

For example, I can't figure out how "Intensity minutes" are calculated. I can't figure out why I record high stress levels when I'm asleep, and often get no reading at all. I can't figure out in what circumstances a VO2Max reading will be accurate. Or how accurate a Calories consumption reading is likely to be, for particular kinds of exercise.

So I wonder -- do people actually use any of these features? Or do people really care only about heart rate and GPS? Or are some people just buying these things as a kind of lifestyle accessory?

Just wondering.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 7 years ago
    brontide Yes, that kind of makes sense. If there were short drop-outs in the HR record, they might be smoothed away by the displays, but still able to upset analysis. That would explain a number of other odd things I've noticed, as well. Certainly it would help to explain how essentially the same exercise is reported differently on different occasions. Thanks.
  • 0 over 7 years ago
    At first I thought about using the Vivoactive 3 as a replacement for my FR305, that is, just for running activities.
    Although I am currently using it daily and also in cycling and swimming activities.
    If the VA3 had running metrics like lactate threshold and training effect I think it would be perfect haha.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 7 years ago
    Tracking ball park of my mountain bike excersise
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 7 years ago
    I'm quite relaxed these days when it comes to fitness devices and take them for what they are. I've owned countless of them, both Garmin and other brands, and especially when it comes to Garmin you need to understand that you should never buy any of their products earlier than a year from launch. Hardware is usually nice, but software is rarely up to par.

    Having said that, I have had my Vivoactive 3 since before christmas. :rolleyes: I bought it because I wanted a semi smart watch that looks good (I have the slate version) and something that I could use for my running and strength training.

    I wouldn't trust any novelty data such as stress score, climbed stairs, steps walked or calories burned etc. These metrics could be removed as far as I'm concerned because they are simply not accurate.
    I do however find the gps and heartrate useful and for my serious running sessions I'll pair my footpod and put on a hr-strap. The strength training app is surprisingly smart with detecting movements and the ability to get sets and reps uploaded automtically to connect is nice.
  • 0 over 5 years ago

    I'm a 60 year old competitive XC skier, so I use the VA3 to make sure that I am in my target zones while training. I don't look at it much while racing, because I'd probably scare myself at how high my heart rate is.

    During the off-season, I use it to track my bicycle rides (speed, elevation, heart rate) and overall fitness (steps, stair climbing). I used to own a Samsung fitness tracker and the Garmin is much more accurate and has better battery life. That said, I don't use the VA3 for backpacking trips because the battery won't last more than 10 hours on one charge while the GPS is running. I just track steps and stairs instead, which gives me a general idea of my hike.

    So yes, some of us do use a certain set of features but it does take a few weeks to figure out how to best use the data. Each morning I spend a few minutes looking at Garmin Connect to see how I'm progressing, and I'd say that the VA3 has done a decent job keeping me on track with my fitness goals.

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    Rowing, as it is one of very few devices that supports it