Garmin has formally rolled out a major upgrade to its Forerunner platform, with a host of new features landing on its devices.
We previously reported on the beta of this update from Garmin support forum posts – but now we have more complete, official details – and there are some extra new features we didn’t report on.
First off, a recap. Garmin is bringing over the trail running VO2 Max to Forerunner 245, 745 and 945 devices. Debuted on the Garmin Enduro, trail VO2 Max offers better estimation of fitness when you’re away from the comfort of asphalt, and the ability to track rest stops on long distance training and races.
Interestingly, Garmin is also adding a rate of perceived exertion metric, which enables you to tag how a run felt, aside from the biometric tracking of the session. We’re guessing this doesn’t train the algorithm yet – but could help you assess elements of your preparation.
And Garmin is also improving the tracking of intensity minutes across the range.
And the Forerunner 245 is getting workout and training suggestions based on based on training history, fitness level and recovery time.
The Forerunner 245 from 2019 continues to get updates and support
The Forerunner 745 and 945 are also getting some big improvements.
Firstbeat’s algorithms will take over the tracking of sleep – and this was a positive part of the review of the Venu 2, which impressed us with its sleep accuracy.
The Fitness Age metric will also come across to these two devices, which will assess the fitness and readiness of your body compared with average ages. This is a motivating metric and something that’s certainly pleasing to reduce – but we’re curious as to why it’s appearing on the more advanced devices in the range, when we feel this is something that would be most useful to people at the beginning of a fitness journey.
The Forerunner 745 and 945 are built for endurance training, so Garmin has added an ultrarunning sport profile. The key difference here is a rest timer, so you can track how long you spent at aid stations.
And there are improvements to the on-watch training and Garmin Coach elements too.
And the Forerunner 945 and 745 are getting more animated workouts for activities such as pilates, strength and cardio, which can be downloaded from Garmin Connect.
The update is now rolling out globally. You can check for the update on your Garmin watch by heading to the system menus on the device > Settings > System > Software update.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.