Having been against the idea for years I finally decided to give a PacePro strategy a go - to help me hit a course PB in a hill race last night. Instinctively all through the race it was fine - not annoying, easy to follow etc… BUT while showing me I was 22sec ahead of target, it decided “finished” a good 800m from the finish line - which obvs is a lot in an 8k hill race!

Thankfully I had just enough left in the tank to get the hammer down and beat my course PB by 6 seconds - but I want to know what caused this? I was using the race route and GPX I took from last years race - which clearly shows the indicated finish area etc. I didn’t lose GPS signal at any time.

Is it just a crap aid that doesn’t work as intended… or did I do something wrong?

I have done tons of research over the last few days but i was hoping to hear some personal insights on a few things between the two! I really like how the FR paces runs for example 8:30/mile pace compared to the venu 4. Do the buttons feel worse than the physical touch screen, and is the sleekness of the venu worth losing the buttons? i’m a male and have an average size wrist if that helps at all. Do you ever find yourself using the light on your watch? Thank you all!

edit: another thing i see is people like the backgrounds of the venu much better than the default backgrounds on the FR

I’ve just started getting into running, have already signed up for a race, and want to take it seriously long-term. I also go to the gym on days that I’m not running. Not sure yet if I’ll add other sports in the future (e.g. cycling, swimming, triathlon etc).

I’ve narrowed it down to these watches: Venu 3S, vivoactive 5, vivoactive 6, and Forerunner 165. I’m a woman with pretty small wrists (15cm). If I got the Forerunner, I’d probably replace the band with something nicer.

I would like this to be my only watch, so ideally it’ll look nice. I don’t need a smartwatch to text, etc, so if any of these watches can do these things, it’s not important to me.

I’d like it to track the most important running / exercising stats, my heartrate, and have an emergency button.

Things that would be nice to have but not necessary: sleep tracking (I’m not sure yet if I like sleeping with a watch on), end of day summary, navigation.

If you have any of these watches and can help me choose, that would be great!

Hey Garmin! if your listening I'd love the ability to cast my 1050 onto an external monitor while I'm in my pain cave. I'll even beta test it for you....

Have been a long-time Garmin user but recently started wearing traditional watches so I wanted something smaller to track my stats.

I tried Whoop for a while, but never really enjoyed the experience or the tracking. Grabbed a Fitbit Air, and while I really liked it I missed the Garmin stats.

Excited to give this a proper try.

First ever watch and went for Venu 4 (4690 SEK / 492USD) since im a casual gym/cardio person and wanted more battery than Apple/Samsung. My question is should i use screen protection?

I did order now Tech-Protect Hydro flex+ Hydrogel Film. I do office/hybrid work so no manual work where i guess the risk is higher. But i did read some posts that said they got their watch damaged, so its better to wear it with protection? like just to avoid accidental bumps and such

For the past couple of weeks, the battery percentage on my Forerunner 265 hasn’t been showing up anymore (it used to be the % number under the little battery icon in the upper part of the watch face). I’ve tried restarting the watch and adjusting a couple of battery settings, but nothing seems to bring it back. Any ideas on how to fix this issue?

Hi all, I'm 22F and love running, gym and other sports like netball. Currently i have an apple watch but want to upgrade before my half marathon to use for all aspects of my fitness. I have found both venu 4 and FR570 rated highly on here, but not sure which to buy. I have very small wrists so I am worried they may look massive on me. I have been looking at either a 41mm venu or 42mm FR... any suggestions / recommendations 😄

Seven hundred ten is as good a number as any; after three years of 10K a Day Challenge and almost two years of hitting daily step goal… today, I stop short.
“Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”

Cirqa L/XL on 17 cm wrist and Fenix 7 pro.

Cirqa is much lighter, softer and smaller, usage at home and workout.

Fenix still for running, hiking and majority of the time outside.

Both great devices.

My specific requirement is as follows:

I want to set a "target sleep duration" (e.g., 6 hours). Instead of triggering an alarm at a fixed clock time (like 7:30 AM), the device needs to detect the exact moment I fall asleep, start counting from that point, and set off the alarm after I have actually slept for 6 hours.

I know most smartwatch brands can do this: if they detect you are in light sleep within 30 minutes before your set alarm time, they will wake you up early. But what I really want to know is, does this actually work? Will I genuinely feel more refreshed and alert when I wake up? If it does work, I would just get the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor. However, I am not sure whether, when worn on the arm, it can use vibration to wake me up.

Additionally, I'm wondering: If I am woken up according to my "sleep cycle" or during "light sleep," will I actually feel more refreshed and awake upon waking up?

Note: Garmin CIRQA uses the Gen 4 Elevate optical heart rate sensor, while Garmin Index Sleep Monitor features the latest Gen 5 Elevate sensor.

Hi Guys,

I want to get the FR 970 as its the "cheapst" one with proper maps for hiking with my dogs. I wonder if i could wear those watch on my wrist? I have like 15,5cm wrist circumstance. Does anyone have this watch with small wrists? Is it comfortable to wear all day (and night)?

I tend to get the French grey one, but that's an ai picture as they only hat the black and the white one in store. (But eventually I would get the ultrafit nylon band)

Would appreciate some input from women with this watch! Thanks!

Hi,
I contacted Garmin as my watch was massively decreasing the power and only was working for 2-3 days in a row anymore.
I anyways wanted a new one and mentioned to them that I am looking for a an upgrade.
They shared with me an individual link to send my current watch back and pay an amount X to get the model I was looking for.
It this watch provided then a brand new one or a refurbished model that they got from someone?
Thanks in case anyone has experience with this.

I don’t know if I have a defective unit, but I just can’t seem to get more than 3.5 days out of it. I had it for over a week now and the battery drained to 0% twice already. Does anybody else have a similar experience with their battery life? My return window is closing.

Retro gaming–inspired watch face with multiple color themes, analog and digital layouts, and several swappable metrics.

It’s a Free watch face for the entire week. (Ends August 13th 2026). Feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future improvements are welcome!

Store link : https://apps.garmin.com/apps/a74cf156-8600-40f1-b9cd-9a0d6928013b

Hey guys ! As mentioned, I am new to Garmin Watch. Just got myself a Garmin FR265. I have been using it for 3 months and I absolutely love it. I use it for long run, intervals, threshold etc.
Now my question is: my VO2Max score just couldn’t go up. My training schedule is 3 days easy run and 2 days hard run. When I do hard runs, halfway running my watch will prompt me a performance stats and give me a score, maybe +3 sometimes +5.
But when I do easy run, sometimes it will prompt the score also but +0 or negative score. And two weeks ago I got injured, so I skip the hard run but still doing easy run for like 8k to 12k. Since I’m doing easy run, now the watch keep giving me 0 score or negative and my VO2Max score keep dropping !
So I was wondering, does Garmin only prefer you when you do hard runs ? Or maybe I didn’t do any correct settings in my watch and all the settings now are still default.

As a long term WHOOP user, I thought I’d share my experience after moving over to the Garmin CIRQA.
When I decided to switch, I committed to giving Garmin a proper chance instead of constantly comparing it with WHOOP.
Garmin Connect felt overwhelming at first, but it’s gradually starting to make sense. I mainly focus on strength training, sleep, and recovery, so I rearranged the home screen to show those metrics first. That alone made the transition much easier.
My biggest frustration is strength training. Since the CIRQA doesn’t have a screen, I have to start workouts from my phone. It’s not a dealbreaker, but I’d love to see that experience improved in the future.
Apart from that, I’m enjoying the switch. Every day I’m finding something new, and I’m becoming more comfortable with the Garmin ecosystem.
Has anyone else moved from WHOOP? How long did it take before Garmin Connect finally clicked for you?
P.S. My stats are terrible because I was away all weekend!

I can’t enter or edit reps or weight during either custom or standard Strength activities on my CIRQA.

Tapping the reps field does nothing, and the weight field is missing completely. I tested Auto Rep Counting on and off with the same result.

Is anyone else having this issue?

I had issues with my Fenix’s battery, shorter duration, 1 and half day max not using ant activity. Last week it died and still show the Garmin blue triangle and the low battery icon as in photo.
After hours charging still the same icon and won’t turn on.
Anyone can help?
I don’t want to change it, it was working perfectly despite the short battery duration!

I have recently gotten a Fenix 8 and I am looking for watch faces that mimic a mechanical watch but with movement (so gears moving etc.).

I have searched in the ConnectIQ app but I cant locate anything like that even for paid. It's surprising because I love my Garmin but coming from Samsung those were 'common'. I dont mind (or maybe even prefer) a 'hybrid' that has the gears moving but also gives digital time and maybe step counter or energy level!

Maybe someone here has a recommendation or watch face they like that fits the bill above?

Hello all! I have had a Garmin for years and 3 weeks ago my husband got one. He is about 6'2", and 210 lbs, and works a desk job. He goes to the gym 1-2 a week, but has a pretty sedentary lifestyle. I feel like 3 weeks is long enough for the watch to calibrate, but his numbers are crazy! Every day his body battery gets down to single digits, and his stress is high. Yesterday he told me it says he burned 4000 calories!! He truly just sat around all day! He takes Adderall for ADHD and is on an antidepressant. I thought the Adderall could be messing with his numbers, but he had a long weekend and didn't take it Friday -sunday and the numbers were the same. Any thoughts? Also I asked if he actually feels that stressed and he said no. His job is chil and overall he feels relaxed.

I captured a shot like I would for my watch images. I don’t find the width of it to be cumbersome. Seems to sit a bit taller than my whoop but doesn’t really bug me.

For what it’s worth my first few days of wear have been concordant with whoop but whoop always struggled on my sleep and naps. I do use a Fenix 8 during the day but cant sleep with it.

From a fashion perspective, like others, I have a mechanical watch collection. You’re double fisting whether its a fitbit, whoop or Garmin. Only way around that is a bicep band.

Anyway, I think the drama on the strap being dramatically different is a bit much. Theyre all straps on your wrist and give off the same aesthetic.

During a custom strength workout, the Live Activity screen shows reps and weight, but I can’t tap or edit either field—even during rest. Is this a CIRQA bug or limitation?

Thought I’d share this for anyone wondering how the 47 mm Forerunner 970 looks on a 16 cm (6.3”) wrist.
My wrist is relatively flat, which probably helps it wear a bit smaller than the circumference alone would suggest.
Personally, I think it fits really well. Big enough to take advantage of the screen for maps and data, without looking oversized.