The archive
What your watch measures, gets wrong, and leaves unexplained
Start here
- 1
How to Read Your Garmin Data Like a Coach: The Complete Guide
HRV, training load, readiness, VO2 max, training effect: the mental model coaches use to turn Garmin data into real training decisions, day by day.
Apr 16, 2026
- 2
Periodization with Garmin: Base, Build, Peak, Taper Explained
How to structure base, build, peak and taper phases with Garmin data, what load ratio to target in each, and how to tell whether the phase is working.
Apr 16, 2026
- 3
AI Running Coach for Garmin Users: The Complete Guide (2026)
Compare the leading AI running coaches for Garmin athletes, including Gneta, TrainAsONE, Athletica and AI Endurance, and what actually works in practice.
Mar 16, 2026
- 4
8 Ways to Get More From Your Garmin Data With Companion Apps
Garmin Connect collects incredible data. Here are 8 areas where companion apps can extend your analysis and help you train smarter.
Mar 14, 2026
Garmin Metrics
What each number on your watch is actually measuring, and how far to trust it.
HRV on the Wrist: What Garmin, Polar and Whoop Measure
Garmin averages RMSSD across the whole night, Polar reads the first four hours, Whoop weights the last deep-sleep stage. Three numbers, three methods.
Aug 2, 2026
Race Predictors Compared: Garmin, COROS, Polar and Runalyze
Garmin, COROS, Polar and Runalyze all project one fitness number across distances. Our 85-athlete data puts Garmin's fade at 1.131 against Riegel's 1.06.
Aug 2, 2026
Whose Sleep Score Should You Trust? Garmin, Whoop, Oura, Apple
Apple weights duration 50, consistency 30, interruptions 20. Garmin folds in HRV recovery, Oura names seven contributors, Whoop four. What each can know.
Aug 2, 2026
Body Battery, HRV Status, Sleep Score: Three Metrics or One?
We ran within-athlete correlations on 85 Garmin athletes. Body Battery, HRV and sleep score move together at rho 0.67-0.68, and not one athlete contradicted it.
Aug 1, 2026
Should You Trust Garmin's Recovery Time? What the Data Says
We have no study on the recovery counter itself. But we tested its closest sibling across 5,136 paired runs, and the result changes what the number is for.
Aug 1, 2026
Does Your Garmin Sleep Score Predict Tomorrow's Run?
We matched 7,492 steady runs to the previous night's Garmin sleep score. Median correlation with next-day running efficiency: 0.04. Here's what that means.
Aug 1, 2026
Beyond Garmin Connect
Getting your data out, and what to do with it once it is yours.
How to Connect Your Garmin to ChatGPT or Claude (Every Way, 2026)
Four working routes, from Garmin's sanctioned Training API to self-hosted MCP servers. What each one costs, what you hand over, and which we'd actually use.
Aug 10, 2026
Garmin AI Connectors Compared: Tredict, Chat Connector, MCP (2026)
Four ways to put Garmin data in front of ChatGPT or Claude, scored on trust, cost, data depth and upkeep. Only one runs on Garmin's sanctioned API.
Aug 10, 2026
What to Ask ChatGPT or Claude About Your Garmin Data (2026)
Copy-paste prompts that correct for what Garmin's metrics actually measure, from our studies of 22,422 race predictions and 5,136 runs. Briefing first.
Aug 10, 2026
How to Export Your Whoop Data — and What Whoop Leaves Out
Whoop exports your history as CSV files emailed from the app. There is no FIT or GPX file, no raw signal, and no way to check how a Recovery score was built.
Aug 2, 2026
Switching from Garmin to COROS: what you keep, what you lose
Your activity history moves to COROS as FIT files. Your VO2 max history, Training Status, Body Battery and HRV baseline do not. What that actually costs you.
Aug 2, 2026
Who owns your training data? The law, the export, and the gap
GDPR makes your training data yours. Raw activity files come back, daily sleep and HRV often need a formal request, and the derived scores never come back at all.
Aug 2, 2026
Sport Guides
Training plans and race-day strategy, distance by distance.
10K Training with Garmin: A Data-Driven Plan for Every Level
A 10K training guide built on Garmin data: beginner to advanced plans, why the 10K sits between VO2 max and threshold, and how to pace race day by heart rate.
Apr 16, 2026
The Best Garmin Watch for Triathlon in 2026
The best Garmin watches for triathlon in 2026. Forerunner 965, Fenix 8, 255 and Tactix 8 compared for swim, bike, run and multisport, with who each fits.
Apr 16, 2026
Garmin Forerunner 965 vs Fenix 8: Which Is Better for Serious Runners?
Garmin Forerunner 965 versus Fenix 8 for runners in 2026: battery life, weight, display, training features, and who each watch is actually built for.
Apr 16, 2026
Half Marathon Training with Garmin: A Data-Driven Plan
A half marathon guide built on Garmin data: beginner to advanced plans, the metrics that predict HM performance, and how to pace race day by heart rate.
Apr 16, 2026
Indoor Cycling with Garmin: Zwift, ERG Mode, and Power Zones
Using your Garmin with Zwift, TrainerRoad or a direct trainer: ERG versus slope mode, power zone setup, FTP testing, and clean data into Garmin Connect.
Apr 16, 2026
Ironman 70.3 Training with Garmin: A Complete Data-Driven Guide
A 70.3 training blueprint built on Garmin data: weekly structure, the key swim, bike and run sessions across a 20-week block, and race-day execution.
Apr 16, 2026
Training
Load, recovery, periodization — the principles under the plans.
FTP, Threshold, and Why Your Zones Are Probably Wrong
FTP, lactate threshold, critical power, LT1 and LT2: the terminology is a mess, and most zone prescriptions rest on assumptions that do not apply to you.
Apr 16, 2026
Periodization with Garmin: Base, Build, Peak, Taper Explained
How to structure base, build, peak and taper phases with Garmin data, what load ratio to target in each, and how to tell whether the phase is working.
Apr 16, 2026
How to Use HR Zones for Real Training (Not Just Garmin's Defaults)
How to set heart rate zones accurately, validate them against real data, and use weekly zone distribution to make training decisions rather than record them.
Apr 16, 2026
How to Read Your Garmin Data Like a Coach: The Complete Guide
HRV, training load, readiness, VO2 max, training effect: the mental model coaches use to turn Garmin data into real training decisions, day by day.
Apr 16, 2026
Polarized Training (80/20) with Garmin: The Complete Guide
What polarized training actually means, how to set up your Garmin to track the 80/20 intensity distribution, and why most athletes get the hard 20% wrong.
Apr 16, 2026
Training Readiness Explained: HRV, Sleep, and What Actually Matters
Training readiness folds HRV, sleep, recovery time, stress and load into one score. How each input contributes, when to trust it, and how to act on it.
Apr 16, 2026