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 |
Aerobic Benefit |
Anaerobic Benefit |
From 0.0 to 0.9 |
No benefit. |
No benefit. |
From 1.0 to 1.9 |
Minor benefit. |
Minor benefit. |
From 2.0 to 2.9 |
Maintains your aerobic fitness. |
Maintains your anaerobic fitness. |
From 3.0 to 3.9 |
Impacts your aerobic fitness. |
Impacts your anaerobic fitness. |
From 4.0 to 4.9 |
Highly impacts your aerobic fitness. |
Highly impacts your anaerobic fitness. |
5.0 |
Overreaching and potentially harmful without enough recovery time. |
Overreaching and potentially harmful without enough recovery time. |
Training Effect technology is provided and supported by Firstbeat Analytics. For more information, go to www.firstbeat.com.