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Using the Garmin 1040 Post-Ride Analysis Reports

Garmin 1040 Post-Ride Analysis

The Garmin 1040 Is the Ultimate Garmin Bike Computer –

But it’s the Post-Ride Analysis That It Gives, Which Makes Such a Difference

Garmin Connect Post-Ride Analysis Training Effect
When you finish a workout, Garmin’s latest bike computers provide a detailed breakdown of Training Effect. the Garmin 1040 Post-Ride Analysis Reports start with this screen.

I’m now about 4 weeks into my return to fitness, using the Garmin Connect Ecosystem. I know that some of the metrics are controversial. That said, I’m enjoying the Garmin 1040’s Post-Ride Analysis Reports and Physiological Interpretation of the data via the head unit and Garmin Connect.

Before we go any further, if you like what you’re reading here, then:

 

 

Let’s Begin With This Chart – Courtesy of Garmin Connect

Garmin Aerobic Low and Aerobic High Definitions
This is a general description of the values achieved from different durations and intensities of work when cycling or running. I’m generally trying to keep most of my midweek rides between a 3.0 and 3.5, and keeping my EPOC between 80 and 150.

I begin most rides by looking at the following screen when cycling.

Garmin FirstBeat 1040 Metrics Page
I may have shown this before, but this is my primary Garmin screen when I ride following the Garmin Connect Ecosystem. The four boxes at the bottom help me ride with LESS intensity, and the two graphs are color-coded to help me further.

The knowledge that the first chart provides, is used by me mentally, to help “Temper ACTION with Wisdom“. In other words, we all want to get fit, fast. Getting fit, however, can’t be done quickly. It takes time. We have to think of it like a slow cooker and stew. Riding slower, longer, and with an AUTONOMIC system that responds to our stimulus. This entire exercise is about learning whether this works. I’ll write up a 28-day update soon, but by following this new information WHILE RIDING, it leads to tempered action and greater wisdom on heart health and aerobic fitness.

Ride’s Over – Now What?

When a ride ends, as long as the bike computer is linked to a phone or wifi connection, the data gets uploaded to Connect, and summaries are presented on the Garmin head unit itself.

Exercise Load Summary Garmin 1040
The horizontal bar that is first on the screen, shows a value, as well as a ‘range’ of ‘optimal’. I THINK this is based on EPOC/LOAD, and I THINK it’s based on a rolling 7-day SUM, but honestly, I don’t know, and emails to Garmin have gone unanswered.

The second area of the screen reveals my 7-day history of EPOC/LOAD, and the color-coding tells me whether it was ‘LOW Aerobic’ ‘HIGH Aerobic’ or even ‘Anaerobic’. A few of the vertical bars have a grey area. These are ‘other’ aerobic events, like hikes or dog walks.

The third area is somewhat controversial, and it’s about ‘Recovery Time‘. Recovery Time on the Garmin Connect ecosystem has largely been a frustrating thing to interpret; If a Recovery Time states that you need THREE DAYS of NO EXERCISE to recover, well, that makes training and planning to train much harder. Instead, the Garmin 1040 and now the 840 and 540, through post-ride analysis, use this time more generally. It provides a value or comment the next day, with their algorithmic sense of what might or might not be appropriate. The “Train as Usual” is that judgment by the Connect Ecosystem.

Garmin 1040 Post-Ride Analysis Page 1 – TRAINING STATUS

Garmin 1040 Training Status Summary Page
The ‘Training Status’ page is found after the ride is uploaded to Connect. It provides a quick summary of progress, along with an estimate of Vo2max, and the ‘Acute Training Load’ over the last 7 days. Green is good. Swipe Right for more information….

 

VO2 Max

Garmin 1040 Vo2max Summary Last 7 Days
This is the next screen, and it shows Garmin’s ESTIMATED Vo2max for each of the last 7 days. I’ve usually found this value to be pretty darned close, but then again, I have a Vo2master that I scrupulously calibrate to run my own breath-by-breath analysis. That said, I think this is accurate for my weight and for my energy output at this time.

ACUTE LOAD

Garmin 1040 Acute Load 7-Day Graph
I’m going to come right out and say it – I LOVE THIS GRAPH! I wish this graph was available on the Garmin Connect ecosystem online. Why? Well, right now, we DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT VALUES of the UPPER and LOWER areas of the GREEN RANGE. But by looking at the Acute Load, and comparing that to the graph, we can get a better understanding of what might constitute a more appropriate workout for the NEXT RIDE or RUN! Think “Bookends”.

EXERCISE LOAD

Garmin 1040 Exercise Load Last 7 Days
This is another summary of the last 7 days, showing EPOC/LOAD, and color-coding the bars to reveal the intensity of the effort. I’m trying to stay mostly blue on my base rides, I take Mondays off, and my Tuesdays and Thursdays are now dedicated to more intense rides as my fitness develops.

LOAD FOCUS

Garmin 1040 Load Focus 28-day Summary
The next swipe reveals a rolling 28-day graph of volume in different intensities. There are a couple of things that I love about this graph, but I also have my questions… First – look at the ‘ghost’ boxes. The Garmin Connect ecosystem has its’ ideas about how much time should be spent in each zone. I can’t tell if the values on the left are EPOC Points, or minutes. But this does provide a look at what the values are achieving via Heart Rate Variability in Garmin’s Ecosystem.

CYCLING ABILITY

Garmin 1040 Cycling Ability Chart
This chart is fun, but I want to see where it ends up going with me. I used to fancy myself as a “Climber” in the 1990’s when I raced mountain bikes, but when I moved to Texas, I had to basically reinvent myself as an anaerobic Breakaway Specialist or Sprinter. I am NOT a Sprinter, I’ll just tell you that. I’m really more of a Puncheur, specializing in int 30-90 second efforts at insane intensities to try and tackle terrain or peel other cyclists off my wheel and improve my odds with a Breakaway. I’m nowhere close to that righ tnow, but this summary claims I’m improving my “Climbing”. I’ll have to drive over the Sierras and return to my beloved Reno to try one of the low-traffic road climbs over there.

CYCLING ABILITY – ABILITY LEVEL ANALYSIS

Garmin 1040 Cycling Ability - Ability Level Analysis
When you press “View Analysis” from the previous image, this is what you get; a brief overview of your current status as a cyclist, and where to direct your training. It’s vague but compelling, and again, I LOVE how Garmin has “Distilled” Fitness demands from “7 Zones” or “9 Zones” or whatever series of FOCUS is popular these days, down to, “5 Minutes or less”, “20 Minutes”, and “Go Ride More”.
I’m NOT going to click on ‘View Courses’ because I don’t have enough time outdoors in this town, and I want to write a separate block on this feature entirely. So, some other time.

Garmin 1040 Post-Ride Analysis Page 2 – What Are “Intensity Minutes”?

Garmin 1040 Intensity Minutes
This feature did not exist on my Garmin 1030 at all, and I never studied it in the Garmin Connect Ecosystem. Let’s see what it offers in terms of fitness assessment.

The TL:DR about “Intensity Minutes” is that they’re a general roundup of Medical and Physiological Scientist Prognoses for maintaining and improving overall health and fitness. The Garmin 1040 Post-Ride Analysis (and Garmin Connect Ecosystem) defaults to 150 minutes of moderate effort in, and 75 minutes per week of high intensity effort in as well. This can be changed, but I haven’t really looked to find out where. I’m not sure how the Garmin calculates “Moderate” and “Intense”, but it’s probably connected to traditional heart rate zones. In this metric, High Intensity work gets counted 2x towards that overall value. Here’s what it looks like when you tap on the bar.

Garmin 1040 Weekly Intensity Minutes Goal
This is the first of 3 images dealing with ‘Intensity Minutes’. It’s showing the arc towards a goal of 360 minutes, and below that, a chart showing the daily score. There’s an explanation about this feature at the bottom.
Garmin 1040 Moderate and Vigorous Minutes
This image was snipped this morning, which was a fairly hard workout. It’s showing 47 minutes of ‘Moderate’ intensity (which I will assume is Zones 3 and 4 in Garmin terms), and 76 Minutes in Zone 5 and above.

When you meet your goal for the week, it looks like this!

Garmin 1040 Intensity Minutes Goal Met
Yea! 6 Hours moderate and intense cardio fitness! Let’s go eat some lard and re-clog our veins with peanut butter!

Garmin 1040 Post-Ride Analysis – CONCLUSION

I’m really falling in love with Garmin’s Ecosystem. I think I see the Method to their Madness. They’ve got a science-backed Heart Rate Variability Protocol with the purchase of FirstBeat. They’ve implemented the fitness features into their bike computers, watches, and scales. The Garmin Connect Reports show summaries. the On-Screen Garmin 1040 post-ride analysis gives a pretty good review of what was accomplished on the bike that day, that rolling 7-days, and the rolling 28-days. Follow the guidelines, use the EPOC, Aerobic TE, Anaerobic TE, and “Performance Condition” when riding, especially for Base, Zone 2, LSD, whatever you want to call it. I always aim for a ride between 80-150 EPOC, an Aerobic TE above 3.0, and as low an Anaerobic TE as I can get away with, indoors or out. I’ll work on the Anaerobic stuff later. I still want to see how far I can go following the Aerobic TE and EPOC.

The metrics at the end of the ride are certainly helpful. It gives me something to think about for the next day, and the next, and the next. It’s ‘Dynamic Progression and Periodization.’ It is NOT static.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!



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