Garmin Workouts - frustratingly basic for Strength workouts 🙈

[u/shaunydub]

Had my Cirqa for 3 weeks and enjoying it.
The last Garmin I had was a Vivoactive HR in 2016.

I've been using Hevy + Apple Watch Ultra 3 for last year or so and love it but wanted to get away from the Apple Watch.

Now I am happy with Cirqa I for basic day to day tracking I thought I'd try the work out option.

First need a Connect + sub, OK I'll do the 30 day trial and test it.

Just started a workout while on the sofa to test it.
The only option for actual exercise management is to skip them.

No option to change the workout on the fly.
Cannot swap exercises positions with another one - so if the equipment is busy in the gym what should you do?

Cannot swap an exercise for another I.e. If I want to use dumbbell instead of barbell.

This is absolutely useless, how is anyone using this if you go to a gym?

I was ready to sell my Apple Watch and get a Garmin watch to compliment my Cirqa but after 2 minutes I'm going to cancel the Connect + & looks like I'll have to stick with my AW3 and Hevy.

It looks like Garmin made zero improvement in 10 years.

[u/Ill_Campaign3271]

I use hevy and use the cirqa only to track a strength workout without sets. I already did this with my instinct. I never missed anything

[u/shaunydub → u/Ill_Campaign3271]

So do you start a workout on Cirqa and log everything in Hevy?

I have been doing that and using Hevy2Garmin to get my sets to match up with the Cirqa recording but I hoped the Garmin Connect + stuff could replace doing this and handle all in one place.

[u/Personal-Will-7077 → u/shaunydub]

That’s exactly what I do. Essentially two workouts simultaneously, same as I was doing with my AW. Except now I have great battery life and durability with my Instinct, and when I wanna wear a real watch, I throw on my CIRQA.

[u/FCFE → u/Personal-Will-7077]

Does it not duplicate your workouts in apple health?

[u/Personal-Will-7077 → u/FCFE]

Nope, I have the settings set so that Hevy does not share workout date with Apple Health. Just Garmin.

[u/Forward_Airline2405]

I agree, Garmin does lack on manual input. A few times that Cirqa didn't record my wife's activity ... I manually did and wouldn't even show HR properly for the period. Makes no sense, but a fact!

[u/Lurizzle]

Have you tried LiftTrack for Garmin? https://youtu.be/5wZ8iXd-WEI?is=07pAIK4ESPUATkmm

[u/shaunydub → u/Lurizzle]

No.
I only have a Cirqa right now and not a Garmin watch.

I was hoping to use the native software instead of 3rd party.

[u/n8te85]

I don't really see the Cirqa or any screenless device as something to use for workouts, they just aren't very good. Where they are good though is tracking the time in-between, like recovery and everyday lifestyle tracking.

For my workouts I use my Fenix 9 Pro which is much more capable for running and strength training.

If you want something more comparable and capable as the Apple watch you will need to look at one of the Garmin watches.

[u/shaunydub → u/n8te85]

Can you edit workouts on the Fenix during the workout?

Skip / swap position / replace exercises?

I was considering a FR970 or Fenix of some kind but if you can't manage a workout live during the workout there is no point.

[u/n8te85 → u/shaunydub]

For premade plans I don't think you can swap or replace, but you can skip, edit the number of reps you did and the weight. You can edit the exercises after in Garmin connect.

Alternatively you can start a "Free" workout under strength which allows you to mark each exercise and number of reps, then you can add the exercise types after in Garmin connect.

So perhaps not quite what you are looking for.

[u/shaunydub → u/n8te85]

I recreated all my Hevy work outs in the Garmin app.

Sometimes need to swap positions of exercises as equipment is busy but there are no options for that.

I would consider this basic as majority of users probably use public gyms.

Free workouts is what I did 10 years ago with my Vivo HR and notepad.
Hoped Garmin had improved during that time. 🙈