First 10 things to do with your new Garmin watch

Garmin watches are like onions: it is advisable to peel down a number of layers of settings to get to the great things (after which cry from the arduous exercises).Every time I swap from Garmin to a different watch model, I find yourself lacking simply how complete and thorough Garmin Connect is, actually giving me a whole information to my health coaching. I’ll even be the primary to confess that Garmin Connect is a dense, convoluted app the place the data and settings you want are buried and poorly defined with out a ton of Googling. Not to say the truth that you want a second app (Garmin Connect IQ) so as to add new apps and customized watch faces, and that altering settings on a Garmin watch itself is simply as convoluted.Sunday Runday(Image credit score: Android Central)In his new weekly column, Android Central Fitness Editor Michael Hicks talks in regards to the world of wearables, apps, and general health tech associated to operating and well being.When you first arrange your Garmin watch, the app fortunately walks you thru just a few key steps: including music, Wi-Fi, Garmin Pay, emergency contacts, syncing to Strava, and StayTrack. But after that, you are principally left to fend for your self. For new Garmin watch homeowners — or potential consumers questioning what the fuss is about — here’s a set of Garmin ideas and methods in the case of taking full benefit of your new watch! Note: some options are restricted to newer Garmin watches.Finish establishingIf you are something like me, you will most likely skip a variety of the difficult Garmin watch setup and plan to get again to it later. Then you will get bombarded with pop-ups asking, “Now do you want to set up Garmin Pay?” Spare your self the day by day annoyance and end establishing each core function. In the Garmin Connect app, faucet the watch icon on the highest banner, then choose your present watch (or sync it if it is disconnected). Your first possibility will likely be Finish setup, which guides you thru the aforementioned options like including Wi-Fi and security options. Or, for those who’ve already accomplished setup however wish to change issues after the very fact, you will discover these options in the identical watch Settings menu; Garmin Pay and Music are apparent, whereas Wi-Fi is underneath Connectivity and Safety & Tracking permits you to change your Emergency Contacts or allow StayTrack.Change your targets(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)When you first obtain Connect or arrange a watch, it will immediate you to set targets to your day by day steps, weekly depth minutes, or day by day flooring climbed. You also can discover these targets by tapping the watch settings icon > Health & Wellness. For steps, you’ll be able to set it to make use of an “auto average” or set a selected aim like 10,000 steps. Auto common modifications based mostly on what number of steps you sometimes tackle a given day, subtly adjusting greater for those who match or surpass the aim or decrease for those who fail to hit it. An auto-updating aim will push you to enhance however could climb too excessive so that you can hit; at that time, you might wish to swap to a guide aim as soon as you understand what you are actually able to.For weekly depth minutes, the World Health Organization recommends adults aged 18–64 hit 150–300 minutes of reasonable exercise or 75–150 vigorous exercise to remain wholesome. So to illustrate you select 250 minutes as your goal: Garmin will robotically use coronary heart fee zones to find out if an exercise is reasonable (zone 3) or vigorous (zone 4+) and double the logged minutes in case your coronary heart fee is excessive sufficient. You can change these, equivalent to making zone 2 reasonable or making solely zone 5 “vigorous,” if you would like.I additionally suggest checking your precise coronary heart fee zones. Go to your watch settings > User Profile > Heart Rate & Power Zones. Here, you’ll be able to modify your max coronary heart fee, lactate threshold, and 5 HR zones. Garmin can solely estimate your max coronary heart fee based mostly in your age and health, and your lactate threshold — the extent at which lactate builds up in your blood as a consequence of bodily exertion — will get greater the fitter you’re, based on this UVA School of Medicine examine.So you need to carry out a stress take a look at to find out your private well being values. I adopted this information by Training Peaks and located my common coronary heart fee at max effort during the last 20 minutes of a 30-minute exercise to calculate my LTHR, then adjusted my zones accordingly. Eventually, Garmin will collect sufficient information out of your exercises to offer you extra correct post-run data.Set up a coaching plan(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Most current Garmin watches have day by day urged exercises that suggest how lengthy and arduous to coach, based mostly in your current coaching information, VO2 Max, restoration time, and sleep information. While helpful, these exercises lack context if, for example, you are coaching to hit a sure distance or time; they usually do not account to your day by day life and schedule. Runners and cyclists could wish to arrange an precise, official coaching plan as an alternative of counting on the algorithm. In Garmin Connect, go to More > Training & Planning > Training Plans. Runners will select a 5K, 10Okay, or half marathon plan based mostly on what number of miles they run per week, their aim (whether or not to merely end a race or hit a sure time), and which model of Garmin Coach they need. Cyclists will purpose for a selected mileage aim like Century or Gran Fondo, a time trial aim, or to enhance their mountain biking skills. You also can obtain customized, self-guided Garmin Connect coaching plans not out there by Garmin Coach, equivalent to a marathon coaching plan or triathlon coaching. On the online, go to this Garmin Connect hyperlink, select a plan, and add it to your schedule.Once you have arrange a Garmin Coach coaching plan, day by day exercises will seem within the Calendar in your app and watch, so you’ll be able to see how rigorous immediately’s exercise will likely be forward of time. Some newer watches, just like the Garmin Forerunner 255, actually have a Morning Report that offers you that data as quickly as you get up. Create your individual exercises(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)During a urged or scheduled exercise, your watch reveals how your present tempo or coronary heart fee falls inside a goal vary, buzzing your wrist to inform you for those who’re too excessive or low, or if it is time to shift to the following a part of a exercise. It’s a implausible self-training too, however as I discussed in my current Garmin function wishlist, you’ll be able to’t simply edit a exercise previous to beginning it, in case you are feeling too drained or wired for what the Garmin algorithm is suggesting. I like to recommend making your individual customized exercises and saving them to your watch so you’ll be able to entry them at any time. Go again to More > Training & Planning and choose Workouts > Create a exercise. You can arrange a run or biking session, reserve it underneath a customized identify, after which ship it to your Garmin watch by tapping the cellphone icon. Once you are on the exercise begin display, maintain the Menu button (left-middle) on 5-button watches or the Back button on 2- or 3-button watches. Select Training > Workouts > Custom exercise identify > Do exercise. I’ve just a few generic exercises saved, like “Long run,” that warns me if I fall beneath a sure tempo, or extra particular Track Run coaching plans for intervals. That means, if I do not like what’s on the Calendar for the day, I can simply drag and drop it to a unique day and do my very own exercise as an alternative. You’re in luck for those who’re extra considering indoor power coaching, yoga, HIIT, or different actions than operating. On the Workouts display within the app, you’ll be able to Find a exercise and select between a ton of exercises centered on finishing reps, both at dwelling or within the gymnasium. Garmin has over a thousand exercise varieties, they usually’re animated so you’ll be able to examine on the shape earlier than you begin a rep your self. Watches with AMOLED shows just like the Venu 2 Plus provide the greatest expertise on that entrance. Change your information screens(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Each sports activities exercise reveals important information in your wrist throughout a run. For instance, the Run exercise reveals the timer, distance, tempo, and coronary heart fee. But you’ll be able to see much more throughout a run if you wish to: coronary heart fee zone, stamina, operating energy, your operating dynamics (aka stride size, cadence), a map/compass, elevation modifications, and so forth. You can change an exercise’s default information fields in your wrist or within the app; I like to recommend the latter. Go to your watch settings > Activities & Apps, select a selected exercise, then Data Screens > Add Data Screen. You can add a default display themed on particular information (like stamina or elevation), or you’ll be able to create your individual customized screens with as much as six fields of information. The latter is very helpful since you’ll discover tons of choices that are not on the generic screens, like real-time charts of your tempo/velocity/coronary heart fee over time. You can combine and match information that may usually seem on separate screens, so you will hopefully spend much less time scrolling by them when you have to be staying within the zone. Or you’ll be able to prioritize much less mainstream information fields; for instance, you might desire seeing your Average Pace or Lap Pace as an alternative of your real-time Pace.Make your GPS monitoring extra correct(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)The newest and biggest Garmin watches assist all-systems or multi-band GPS, making them essentially the most correct GPS watches in my checks. Many of them use SatIQ to modify to raised satellite tv for pc information as soon as it detects a sign blockage or delay, however you’ll be able to select to all the time use the highest-level monitoring if you would like the absolute best information always. Hold down the Menu button and choose Activities & Apps > Run (or one other exercise) > Run Settings > GPS and select All + Multi-Band for the absolute best accuracy. If you solely see GPS and UltraTrac, your Garmin would not assist the newer choices. You’ll most likely wish to do the identical to your Walk or Hike exercise, which additionally auto-selects on some watches. Some will desire UltraTrac, which takes rare GPS readings to save lots of battery; others will desire one thing extra correct, particularly in the event that they’re utilizing a longer-lived Garmin watch just like the Instinct 2X Solar. Battery life vs. options(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)You most likely selected a Garmin watch regardless of its lack of conventional smartwatch “smarts” due to its lengthy battery life, amongst different issues. But generally, you will wish to lower into the battery capability for particular options — or in the reduction of to make it last more. The GPS setting above is only one instance. When it involves blood oxygen monitoring, Garmin is among the solely manufacturers to supply 24/7 checks as a means for athletes to examine their altitude acclimation or common well being, however you may as well arrange during-sleep monitoring or carry out guide spot checks On your watch, maintain down the Menu button, scroll right down to Health & Wellness, choose Pulse Oximeter, and select both All Day or During sleep for those who suppose your battery can deal with it. If you might have a memory-in-pixel show, you might not like how dim the show is, particularly indoors; Garmin tends to make 20% the default outdoors of actions, which is fairly arduous to learn. Hold down the Menu button, then scroll right down to System > Display > General Use. You can change the default brightness, allow raise-to-wake so you do not have to press a button, alter the display timeout time to be a bit of longer, and even make always-on the default. I’m assuming that your new Garmin watch has a robust battery life and might face up to extra demanding settings. But for those who’re having the other downside and wish to lengthen your battery, I wrote a information on easy methods to repair Garmin watch battery issues that can assist you out. Long story brief, you’ll be able to activate a Battery Saver mode that disables the most typical battery-draining options. Customize your watch face(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Your Garmin watch face is what you will spend most of your time gazing, so be certain that it is enjoyable (or informative) to have a look at! Once once more, maintain down that trusty Menu (or Back) button, relying in your watch’s variety of buttons, and Watch face must be your first possibility. Select it, then scroll by the generic watch faces out there in your watch by default. Select a watch face you want, then select Customize. You can change the general structure, which information is displayed, and/or the accent coloration for the watch face. The Garmin icon meanings are a bit of obscure, particularly when you’re first beginning out and your information is empty. Go to this Garmin assist web page, change the watch identify to your present mannequin, and see (A) which icons can be found in your watch and (B) what they imply. If you need recommendation, my private favorites are remaining restoration time (so you understand when your physique is able to work out once more), step depend (duh), earned depth minutes, weekly operating distance, and climate. I’m not a fan of displaying my coronary heart fee or different well being information, because the fixed replace burns by the battery and likewise offers me anxiousness if my coronary heart fee is simply too excessive, however it’s as much as choice!If you need watch faces past what Garmin affords by default, you will must obtain a second app — Garmin Connect IQ — on the Google Play Store or iOS App Store. You can use Face it to create a customized watch face with your individual private pictures or go into the IQ Store and discover/obtain a watch face made by the Garmin neighborhood. Set up Hot Keys(Image credit score: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central)Most Garmin buttons have set shortcuts once you maintain them down, like opening the music participant after squeezing the bottom-left button. But you most likely do not know (I did not till very just lately!) that there are six different shortcuts you’ll be able to arrange on a 5-button watch: Hold START, Hold BACK, START + Down, START + UP, BACK + LIGHT, and BACK + UP. With any of those shortcuts, you’ll be able to pull up a favourite function instantly, as an alternative of getting to scroll by widgets or menus to search out them. Go to Menu > System > Hot Keys so as to add your new shortcuts — I depend 24 choices on my Garmin Forerunner 965. These are my private favourite Hot Keys that I’d suggest including to your watch:Wallet: If you arrange tap-to-pay, you wish to pull up that possibility instantly as an alternative of maintaining the individuals behind you ready as you swipe by submenus. Flashlight: Most Garmins do not have a built-in flashlight just like the Instinct 2X Solar, however this setting will make the display 100% shiny, serving to you see your means at the hours of darkness in a pinch.Timers/stopwatch: These useful instruments do not want any clarification. Navigation: It’s good to have the ability to pull up your present environment throughout a GPS-tracked exercise; this solely applies for watches with correct mapping, like a Garmin Fenix or the Forerunner 955.Brightness: As I discussed earlier than, you might wish to maintain your brightness low to save lots of battery, however have the choice to lift it shortly at any time. As a facet notice, in case your watch helps emergency help and also you set it up, then it’s essential to maintain the designated button for about seven seconds, after which, the watch will vibrate thrice and your real-time location will likely be despatched to your preloaded emergency contacts. You cannot change which button triggers this. Use Find My Phone / Find My Watch(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)So lengthy as your smartphone and Garmin watch are linked by way of Bluetooth, you should use both machine to search out the opposite. Garmin’s Find My function is not practically as sturdy as a Wear OS or Apple Watch because it depends upon Bluetooth. But it is nonetheless fairly useful to have for those who’re in a rush and your watch or cellphone is buried within the sofa cushions.On your watch, go to the Controls menu; maintain the Light button on a 5-button watch or the Start button on a 2-button watch. Find My Phone is the icon with a cellphone and query mark; choose it. Your cellphone ought to ring loudly, whereas your watch will show a colourful indicator displaying how shut you’re to it. In the Garmin Connect app, choose the watch icon and scroll right down to Find My Device. Your linked watch will vibrate till you dismiss the pop-up notification, serving to you to trace it down if it is close by. Hopefully, these Garmin ideas and methods will enable you get extra use out of your new Garmin watch! Once you do the early work of getting every thing arrange, Garmin’s analytics and algorithms deal with the remainder, so you’ll be able to simply take a look at your wrist and see what sort of exercise you need to do subsequent.Not all Garmin watches share each function. The extra you pay, the extra Garmin crams into the watch. So for those who’re shopping for a top-end Forerunner watch or Fenix watch, you will wish to transcend what I listed above and actually dive into menus and settings your self, so that you’re getting your cash’s price.Now that you simply’re all set in your Garmin settings, it is time to hit the observe or path and get shifting! And even for those who do not use each Garmin trick within the e book, it is okay; we just lately examined the Garmin Forerunner 265 in opposition to different manufacturers for step depend accuracy, and it outperformed the opposite manufacturers.