Create a workout in Garmin Connect: step by step, or in one sentence
In the Garmin Connect app, a workout takes about five minutes to build step by step, then goes to your watch. Here is the exact path on your phone and on the website, what Garmin lets you set for steps, durations and targets, and then the shortcut: with Running Workout connected, you describe the workout to Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini and it lands in Garmin Connect a few seconds later.
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Connect your Garmin, then describe the workout
Free to start · official Garmin connection · workouts sent to your watch
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Ask your assistant
Once your Garmin is connected, paste one of these into Claude or ChatGPT:
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« Create a 6 × 800 m session at 95% of my MAS with 2 minutes of recovery and send it to my watch for Thursday. »
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« Build a threshold session for Tuesday: 15 minutes warm-up, 3 × 10 minutes at 88% of my MAS with 2 minutes of jogging, 10 minutes cool-down. »
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« Plan a 50-minute easy run with a heart rate target for Saturday. »
Free to start · 4 workouts a month sent to your watch
A workout created in conversation
Warm-up 15:00 · 6 × [800 m at 6:13–6:25 /mi · jog 2:00] · Cool-down 10:00
Example exchange; your workouts depend on your settings and your data.
In the Garmin Connect app, step by step
Workouts live under Training & Planning in the Garmin Connect app. This is the path Garmin's help center gives; labels can vary slightly with the app version and your phone.
- Open Garmin Connect, tap More (bottom right), then Training & Planning, then Workouts.
- Tap Create a Workout and pick the workout type, for example Run.
- Add the steps one by one: warm up, run, recover, rest, cool down, each with a duration and, if you want, a target.
- For intervals, group the run and recover steps into a repeat, then tap Save and name the workout.
- In the Workouts list, open the workout, tap the Send to Device icon and choose your watch.
- Sync: the workout reaches the watch the next time it syncs with the app.
Give each workout a name that differs within the first 15 characters. According to Garmin, most watches only read that far, so two workouts that both start with "Intervals 400 m" may show up as one on the watch.
On the connect.garmin.com website
On a computer the path is almost the same: sign in at connect.garmin.com, choose Training & Planning in the left-hand bar, then Workouts, select a workout type and click Create a Workout. Build the steps, then click Save Workout. A big screen makes long workouts easier to enter.
One difference matters when sending: according to Garmin's help center, sending a workout from the website to a watch requires the Garmin Express software on the computer. Without it, add the workout to your Garmin Connect calendar instead: the watch downloads upcoming calendar workouts when it syncs with the phone app.
Steps, durations and targets: what Garmin Connect offers
A Garmin Connect workout is a sequence of steps, each with an end condition and an optional target. During the workout, the watch alerts you when you drift outside the step's target.
| Element | What Garmin Connect allows |
|---|---|
| Step types | Warm up, run (or bike, swim…), recover, rest, cool down, other |
| End of a step | Time, distance, lap button press, calories, heart rate above or below a value, power |
| Targets | Pace, cadence, heart rate zone, power zone (for running, only if your watch measures running power) |
| Repeats | A group of steps repeated up to 99 times, with an option to skip the last recovery |
| Limits | 50 steps per workout; 25 non-scheduled workouts on most watches, preloaded ones included |
What is missing: Garmin Connect does not know your MAS (maximal aerobic speed). For "95% of MAS" you work out the pace yourself and enter it as a range, for example 6:13 to 6:25 per mile for a MAS of 10 mph. The assistant connected through Running Workout does this maths from your MAS.
The same workout in one sentence, with Running Workout
With Running Workout connected to your Garmin account, you describe the workout to your assistant, Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, instead of entering it step by step. The assistant reads your MAS and max heart rate from your profile, turns percentages into paces, builds the steps, shows you the workout, then sends it to Garmin Connect once you say yes.
With a date, the workout is placed on your Garmin Connect calendar and the watch receives it at the next sync, in its training calendar. Without a date, it stays in Garmin Connect. To change it, ask the assistant to move it, delete it or create a new version.
What Running Workout does not do
- Running, cycling and pool swimming only: no strength, yoga or HIIT.
- Steps end on time, distance or a lap button press; no step that ends at a heart rate or a calorie count.
- For running, one target per step, and no audio notes.
- Garmin watches only; Garmin's own limits (50 steps, names read on 15 characters) still apply.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create a Garmin workout without a computer?
Yes: everything is done in the Garmin Connect phone app (More, Training & Planning, Workouts, Create a Workout), and the same app sends it to the watch. With Running Workout, you can also ask for the workout from the Claude or ChatGPT app on your phone.
Can I set a target as a percentage of MAS in Garmin Connect?
No: Garmin Connect offers pace, cadence, heart rate zone and power zone targets, not a percentage of MAS. You convert it yourself (MAS times the percentage, then into minutes per mile), or you let the assistant connected through Running Workout do it from the MAS in your profile.
How many steps can a Garmin workout have?
Up to 50 according to Garmin, and a group of steps can repeat up to 99 times. Use repeats rather than copying steps: a 10 × 400 m session fits in a handful of steps.
Which Garmin watches accept Garmin Connect workouts?
Most recent Forerunner, fēnix, epix, Enduro, Instinct, Venu and vívoactive models, according to Garmin's compatibility list; the Forerunner 45 and 55 only take run and bike workouts. If your watch shows a Workouts or Workout Library menu, you are good.
Is Running Workout free?
Free to start: Garmin connection, plans, reading your activities and 4 workouts a month sent to your watch. Running Workout Pro (€4.90 a month or €35 a year, no commitment) removes the limit.
Connect your Garmin, then describe the workout
Free to start: official Garmin sign-in in two minutes, then your assistant creates the workout in Garmin Connect.
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