How To: Program Garmin Intervals

Garmin users – here’s something you may find helpful in interval sessions.  If you pre-program and use a workout on your watch, it will split the session up into laps, so you can see how you’ve got on in your “on” efforts etc (vs. having to stop and start your watch to get an accurate idea of all of that).

To do this, open Garmin Connect on your phone. Android users, press the hamburger menu (3 lines, top left of the display) and find Training -> Workouts. iOS users, I believe this is under “more” in the bottom right. Create a workout, choose run. Then delete / add steps, add repeats, whatever. It’s all reasonably self explanatory.

When you’re done, save, give it a name. On Android, it’ll return you to your list of workouts (presuming the same on iOS), select the one you’ve created and you should then see an option to send to your device (top right). If it’s within range and connected, you can then send to your watch.

You can also set workouts/courses on connect.garmin.com, connect your watch to your PC and then sync via Garmin Express.

Once it’s on your watch, it’s a case of working out how to apply it to your session – it differs across models. On Fenix 5s, you choose run, then hold middle left button, go to training -> my workouts, select your workout and then “do workout.” Forerunner 235, top right to run, then bottom left to get into your menu – it’s somewhere under activities there.

This all translates to laps on Strava (if you use that) too – it’s under laps on desktop, but ONLY appears to be available to Summit members on the app (and that’s under workout analysis).

Here’s some screenshots of a pyramid session for an example of what it gives you. The data’s a little off (I was walking in some of the ons), because I was 6 or 7 seconds out of sync with the whistle (was still trying to get this going as everyone had already set off.)  Also, I think I pressed start at the end of the workout vs. saving it, because there should be 14 steps to this, not 15. But anyway.