How to create training sessions for the Garmin Instinct watch

If you have bought a Garmin Instinct or Garmin Instinct 2 sports watch, surely you have been curious to try a training session created by Garmin or create your own. How to create training sessions for the Garmin Instinct watch? It is very simple to do it. Let’s see it step by step.

The first thing you have to check is yes, the Garmin Instinct is compatible with Garmin training sessions, and indeed it is together with other models of the brand such as the vívoactive 3, Forerunner 245, Forerunner 935, Forerunner 945, Fenix ​​5, MARQ series, Instinct, Instinct Solar Series, Venu Sq.

What it doesn’t support is on-screen animated training sessions, that are reserved for other models like the Venu, vivoactive 4, Fenix ​​6, quatix 6 Series, tactix Delta Series, Descent Mk2 Series, or the Fenix ​​7.

Page Contents

How can you create training sessions for your Garmin Instinct?

There are two ways to do it. By accessing Garmin Connect on the web or through the Garmin Connect app on your Android or iOS smartphone. In both cases, when you sync your Garmin Instinct with the app or Garmin Express, the training session will appear on your sports watch.

garmen connect workout plans

Just follow the steps below to create your training session:

  1. Select “Train” from the Garmin Connect menu.
  2. You open the Training Sessions tab.
  3. Choose “Find a training session”.
  4. You select a training session.

Garmin training sessions

Both on the website and in the app you will be able to choose Training Sessions created by Garmin from various sports (filtering by difficulty, muscle groups, goals -losing weight, balance, strength…- or duration):

  • Strength
  • Cardio
  • Yoga
  • Pilates
  • HIIT

How to create yourself the training session that interests you the most among several sports:

  • Race
  • Bike
  • Swimming in pool
  • Strength, Cardio
  • HIIT
  • Yoga
  • Pilates
  • Personalized

What is the advantage of having the training session already created by Garmin? Well, they offer you videos and advice to carry out the activity correctly. They indicate the steps to follow, there are images of the exercise. You can see them both in the app and on the web.

At this point, you realize that Garmin could have added more sports to its already created training sessions, for example in the pool, with tips for beginners on how to combine styles, duration of the training, or simply how to stretch correctly at the end of the session. session.

Example? We have created a pool training session, and in this case, you can change several things such as the length of the pool (25 meters), rest time between repetitions, number of repetitions, or type of stroke. You can add the training to the calendar.

Does the transfer of the activity to the device work well? Yes. As soon as you sync Garmin Instinct with the app, the activity appears in the workout menu.

You just have to press the upper right button (GPS), choose the activity, in this case, Swimming in a Pool, and then press the Menu button to display the activity options, including the training session. You can see the steps of the workout, but not modify them on the watch.

Obviously, not being compatible with animated training sessions on the screen like other Garmin models, the training is only for reference, but it is a great help to achieve your goals, especially if the activity has been created by Garmin and you offer explanatory videos in the app or on the web.

In the following video you can see how to create your workouts:

Garmin Training Plans

And the training plans? Garmin has also created training plans that are up to 30 weeks long. You can find for the following sports:

  • Race
  • Cycling
  • UNBOUND Gravel
  • Triathlon.

These training plans are made up of about 3-5 training sessions a week and are the best way to get in shape for the long term, as they include stretching, rest days, cool down, and a great mix of intensities and sports.

For example, in the Triathlon training plan we can find the following in the first 3 days:

Day 1 (light jogging):

  • 5 to 10 minutes of gentle movement exercises.
  • 40-minute race in Z1.
  • 5 to 10 minutes of cooling.
  • 5 minutes of stretching.
  • Try to maintain a consistent heart rate and rhythm; so you shouldn’t start too strong. You should end up feeling good.

Day 2 (steady pace swimming):

  • 300m Z1 swim with some backstroke.
  • 50 m in Z1 of legs. 10 seconds rest. Repeat 2 times.
  • 200 m in Z2 swimming or arms. 20 seconds of rest. Repeat 6 times.
  • 200m Z1 swim.
  • Don’t worry about speed, work on technique and count your strokes every third 50m of the 200. Write them down so you can compare them in later sessions.

Day 3 (easy bike pace):

  • 5-minute bike ride in Z1 at 90 RPM.
  • 5-minute bike ride in Z1 at 80 RPM.
  • 55 minutes of cycling in Z1 at 90-95 RPM.
  • 5 minutes of cycling in Z1 is very relaxing.
  • 5 to 10 minutes of cooling.
  • You can do it road or turbo. Make a smooth pedaling.

Good advice and many training plans. It would be missing, that they completed the loose pool training sessions.

Cycling plans? In this case, they are more configurable, since you can choose your accessories (potentiometer, heart rate monitor, ANT+ trainer), and indicate how many hours you run per week, or how many hours, or days you can dedicate to the plan per week. Based on all this, Garmin will create a personalized training plan.

The same goes for running plans: you choose one of the plans and configure the plan based on your weekly running distance, average pace, and goals; also days of the week. You can even choose a personal trainer with different plans (the weeks and numbers of training change).

You can also choose self-guided plans with combinations of various sports and intensities. You can choose, to improve your fitness, prepare for a marathon, triathlon, or just beginner training.

Conclusion: Garmin training plans and sessions

The truth is that there are many options to choose from, especially in training plans. We are missing training sessions already created by Garmin in sports such as swimming, but the rest of the sports are very well covered both in individual sessions and in the plans.

They give you good advice, there are good videos to do the exercises correctly and it seems that everything is very well thought out. A great complement to your Garmin Instinct sports watch.

Is it worth buying a Casio G-Shock Limited Edition? Is it a good investment?

Is your Casio G-Shock solar watch not working? Possible solutions

How to fix Bluetooth connection problems In Casio G-Shock?

Leave a Comment