What Is the Training Status Feature on My Garmin Device?

Training Status gives you an overview of your longer-term training habits to provide you with an insight into how your training is progressing. Training status can be used to help plan future training and continue improving your fitness level.  

What Devices Are Compatible With Training Status?

Select the following to reveal a list of Garmin devices that feature Training Status.

What Information is Used to Calculate Training Status?

The calculation utilizes several dimensions of your personal physiology.  This includes changes to the following:

• VO2 Max Estimate

• Heat and Altitude Performance Acclimation

• Training Load

Any changes in your longer-term training load can also help you improve your training decisions. 

How Do I Get a Training Status?

To receive a training status, record and sync at least two running or cycling activities per week that generate a VO2 max. Runs must be recorded outdoors with GPS tracking and heart rate data. Cycling can take place indoors or outdoors, but the rides must be done using a power meter and with recorded heart rate data. If you're not receiving a Training Status, see Why is my Training Status not Updating on my Garmin Fitness Device?.

Do Activities Recorded With Third-Party Apps Count Towards Training Status?

Qualifying activities from the Tacx Training app or these select third-party apps can also contribute towards your Training Status:

• Zwift

• TrainerRoad

• ROUVY

For your Training Status to update from a supported third-party app, you must also meet these requirements:

• The third-party app must be linked to your Garmin Connect account.

• You must have a Training Status capable device that you are actively recording running or cycling activities with. If you remove your compatible device from Garmin Connect, you will not receive Training Status data from a third-party or Tacx app activity. 

• Physio TrueUp must be enabled on your Garmin device (see  What is Physio TrueUp?).

To process Training Status data from the Tacx Training app or a supported third-party activity, Garmin Connect must sync the activity data with your device. To accomplish this, your device must be powered on and fully synced to ensure that all data has been processed and your Training Status is up to date. Exercise load data from the Tacx Training app or third-party activities will be visible in your Training Status reports, but it will not be visible in your activity details. If using an Edge device, you must sync your device twice for an updated Training Status to display in Garmin Connect. 

When using the Tacx Training app or a supported third-party app, you must record them with heart rate for exercise load to be calculated, and with power data for cycling VO2 max to be calculated.

NOTE: Indoor runs completed using a supported third-party app, such as Zwift, can affect your training load and therefore impact your Training Status; however, indoor runs will not populate a VO2 max. No activities, including Indoor Runs, uploaded via third-party apps will generate a Training Effect.

Where Can I View My Training Status?

Training status is calculated and can be viewed on your Garmin device or from Garmin Connect.  Choose an option below to learn more.

What Are the Different Training Status States?

• Peaking: you are in ideal race condition. Your recently reduced training load is allowing your body to recover and fully compensate for earlier training. You should plan ahead, since this peak state can only be maintained for a short time.
• Productive: your current training load is moving your fitness level and performance in the right direction. You should plan recovery periods into your training to maintain your fitness level.
• Maintaining: your current training load is enough to maintain your fitness level. To see improvement, try adding more variety to your workouts or increasing your training volume.
• Recovery: your lighter training load is allowing your body to recover, which is essential during extended periods of hard training. You can return to a higher training load when you feel ready.
• Strained: when there insufficient recovery to balance load. 
• Unproductive: your training load is at a good level, but your fitness is decreasing. Your body may be struggling to recover, so you should pay attention to your overall health including stress, nutrition, and rest.
• Detraining: you are training much less than usual for a week or more, and it is affecting your fitness level. You can try increasing your training load to see improvement.
• Overreaching: your training load is very high and counterproductive. Your body needs a rest. You should give yourself time to recover by adding lighter training to your schedule.
• No Status: the device needs one or two weeks of training history, including activities with VO2 max. results from running or cycling, to determine your training status.