It’s like Christmas morning: you’ve perused our list of the best Garmin watches, you’ve picked one out for yourself, and now you want to strap it on your wrist and go for an inaugural run. Well, not so fast – there are a few things you should do to get the most out of your Garmin watch, especially if this is your first time using one.
As TechRadar’s Senior Fitness & Wearables Editor, I’ve been reviewing Garmins for years, and I know my way around these ace fitness watches. Below are the five things I do straight away when I try on a new Garmin, before it gets any use out on the roads.
1. Select favorite workouts
My preferred workouts are mostly running, but I mix in some lifting and boxing training in now and again, along with the occasional surf, hike and yoga flow. To get started in the Workout section of the Garmin interface, tap the Down button (or scroll down, if you have a Garmin Venu 3 or similar touchscreen watch) until you get to the “Add” function and you’ll be able to select new favorite activities.
You can also add customized workouts you’ve built yourself in Garmin Connect. If you love to do treadmill classes that also involve strength work, for example, you can build a workout incorporating both disciplines so it’s ready for you at the touch of a button.
2. Hot Key Music Controls and Alarm
Hot Keys is a useful feature that allows you to program Garmin watch buttons as shortcuts to get to certain complications straight away. They’re customizable, granting you the ability to really make the watch yours. Head to System > Hot Keys in the radial menu to get started.
The first two I always use are Alarms and Music Controls. By holding the Start+Down or Start+Up buttons, I can always access two of my most-used features regardless of which Garmin watch I’m using at the time.
3. Edit Glances
Much like my Workouts, I like to customize my list of widgets and complications on every Garmin watch.
I tend to get rid of the Altimeter and Barometer widgets as I don’t do a great deal of serious mountaineering, but I keep the Compass. I add in Training Status, Last Run, and occasionally Race Calendar, if I’ve got an event coming up and I have a watch that can support it. You can do this by scrolling down to the bottom of the list of Glances, then hitting Edit.
4. Load my favorite running routes
I like to generate courses to keep me on track with some of my favorite local running routes using the Create Courses tool in Garmin Connect. For long routes, it allows me to stop focusing on where I’m going and focus more on the run itself.
You can check out our guide on How to create a Course in Garmin Connect for more information on this, including how to export the course to your watch. I load some of my favorites on straight away, so I’ve got all my regular routes ready to go.
5. Visit the ConnectIQ store
The ConnectIQ store is where Garmin’s third-party apps live. What you download will entirely depend on how you like to use your watch: I always opt for Surfline, which shows me essential information such as wave height and high tide times at my favorite surf spots.
If you’re a hiker, you might choose to download the Komoot widget, or perhaps opt for some custom watch faces. To access, go to Start > Down > Connect IQ Store.
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