Acute Load

Acute load is a weighted sum of your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) for the last several days. The gauge indicates whether your current load is low, optimal, high, or very high. The optimal range is based on your individual fitness level and training history. The range adjusts as your training time and intensity increase or decrease.

Training Load Focus

In order to maximize performance and fitness gains, training should be distributed across three categories: low aerobic, high aerobic, and anaerobic. Training load focus shows you how much of your training is currently in each category and provides training targets. Training load focus requires at least 7 days of training to determine if your training load is low, optimal, or high. After 4 weeks of training history, your training load estimate will have more detailed target information to help you balance your training activities.

Below targets: Your training load is lower than optimal in all intensity categories. Try increasing the duration or frequency of your workouts.

Low aerobic shortage: Try adding more low aerobic activities to provide recovery and balance for your higher intensity activities.

High aerobic shortage: Try adding more high aerobic activities to help improve your lactate threshold and VO2 max. over time.

Anaerobic shortage: Try adding a few more intense, anaerobic activities to improve your speed and anaerobic capacity over time.

Balanced: Your training load is balanced and provides all-around fitness benefits as you continue training.

Low aerobic focus: Your training load is mostly low aerobic activity. This provides a solid foundation and prepares you for adding more intense workouts.

High aerobic focus: Your training load is mostly high aerobic activity. These activities help to improve lactate threshold, VO2 max., and endurance.

Anaerobic focus: Your training load is mostly intense activity. This leads to rapid fitness gains, but should be balanced with low aerobic activities.

Above targets: Your training load is higher than optimal, and you should consider scaling back the duration and frequency of your workouts.

Load Ratio

Load ratio is the ratio of your acute (short-term) training load to your chronic (long-term) training load. It’s helpful for tracking your training load changes.

About Training Effect

Training Effect measures the impact of an activity on your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Training Effect accumulates during the activity. As the activity progresses, the Training Effect value increases. Training Effect is determined by your user profile information and training history, and heart rate, duration, and intensity of your activity. There are seven different Training Effect labels to describe the primary benefit of your activity. Each label is color coded and corresponds to your training load focus (Training Load Focus). Each feedback phrase, for example, “Highly Impacting VO2 Max.” has a corresponding description in your Garmin Connect activity details.

Aerobic Training Effect uses your heart rate to measure how the accumulated intensity of an exercise affects your aerobic fitness and indicates if the workout had a maintaining or improving effect on your fitness level. Your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) accumulated during exercise is mapped to a range of values that account for your fitness level and training habits. Steady workouts at moderate effort or workouts involving longer intervals (>180 sec) have a positive impact on your aerobic metabolism and result in an improved aerobic Training Effect.

Anaerobic Training Effect uses heart rate and speed (or power) to determine how a workout affects your ability to perform at very high intensity. You receive a value based on the anaerobic contribution to EPOC and the type of activity. Repeated high-intensity intervals of 10 to 120 seconds have a highly beneficial impact on your anaerobic capability and result in an improved anaerobic Training Effect.

You can add Aerobic Training Effect and Anaerobic Training Effect as data fields to one of your training screens to monitor your numbers throughout the activity.

Training Effect technology is provided and supported by Firstbeat Analytics. For more information, go to firstbeat.com.

Recovery Time

You can use your Garmin device with wrist-based heart rate or a compatible chest heart rate monitor to display how much time remains before you are fully recovered and ready for the next hard workout.

NOTE: The recovery time recommendation uses your VO2 max. estimate and may seem inaccurate at first. The device requires you to complete a few activities to learn about your performance.

The recovery time appears immediately following an activity. The time counts down until it is optimal for you to attempt another hard workout. The device updates your recovery time throughout the day based on changes in sleep, stress, relaxation, and physical activity.

Recovery Heart Rate

If you are training with wrist-based heart rate or a compatible chest heart rate monitor, you can check your recovery heart rate value after each activity. Recovery heart rate is the difference between your exercising heart rate and your heart rate two minutes after the exercise has stopped. For example, after a typical training run, you stop the timer. Your heart rate is 140 bpm. After two minutes of no activity or cool down, your rateis 90 bpm. Your recovery heart rate is 50 bpm (140 minus 90). Some studies have linked recovery heart rate to cardiac health. Higher numbers generally indicate healthier hearts.

TIP: For best results, you should stop moving for two minutes while the device calculates your recovery heart rate value.

Heat and Altitude Performance Acclimation

Environmental factors such as high temperature and altitude impact your training and performance. For example, high altitude training can have a positive impact on your fitness, but you may notice a temporary VO2 max. decline while exposed to high altitudes. Your Descent watch provides acclimation notifications and corrections to your VO2 max. estimate and training status when the temperature is above 22ºC (72ºF) and when the altitude is above 800 m (2625 ft.). You can keep track of your heat and altitude acclimation in the training status glance.

NOTE: The heat acclimation feature is available only for GPS activities and requires weather data from your connected phone.

Pausing and Resuming Your Training Status

If you are injured or sick, you can pause your training status. You can continue to record fitness activities, but your training status, training load focus, recovery feedback, and workout recommendations are temporarily disabled.

You can resume your training status when you are ready to start training again. For best results, you need at least one VO2 max. measurement each week (About VO2 Max. Estimates).

1. When you want to pause your training status, select an option:
   • From the training status glance, hold MENU, and select Options > Pause Training Status.
   • From your Garmin Connect settings, select Performance Stats > Training Status > > Pause Training Status.
2. Sync your watch with your Garmin Connect account.
3. When you want to resume your training status, select an option:
   • From the training status glance, hold MENU, and select Options > Resume Training Status.
   • From your Garmin Connect settings, select Performance Stats > Training Status > > Resume Training Status.
4. Sync your watch with your Garmin Connect account.