Weird training bug strikes Garmin Forerunner and Fenix watches – here's how to fix it

Man grimacing checking GPS watch
(Image credit: Getty Images)

If your Garmin watch seems to have thrown your training plan out the window, you're not alone. Owners of Fenix and Forerunner watches are reporting a strange bug that's turning every workout into a scheduled rest day, even if you're well recovered and ready to run.

The problem seems to have begun within the last week, and appears to be affecting several different watch models including the Forerunner 265, Fenix 6, Fenix 7X, and Tactix 7.

"Garmin gave up on me" wrote Reddit user Short-Second-9372, who posted a video of themselves scrolling through a full week of suggestions on their Forerunner 265 – all of them marked 'Rest day'.

"For some reason Garmin wants me to rest for the rest of my life," they said. "As long as it doesn't lower my VO2 max I'm cool with it."

Garmin gave up on me from r/Garmin

They aren't alone – another user reported the same issue happening with their second-hand Garmin Fenix 6, and one watch owner shared photos of their device suggesting nothing but rest despite their training readiness score being high, with several people in the replies commenting that their was doing the same thing.

Several people have also reported the problem on Garmin's forums in the last couple of days.

"After the software update 15.76 my daily suggested workouts is rest day," wrote one user, who owns a Garmin Fenix 7. "Is a non problem for me, because rarely use that function but I noticed that, so only informing this issue."

"Training readiness high, HRV balanced, training status productive, recovery 0 hours," reported another, "yet my suggested workout is seven days of straight rest. Why is this?"

Garmin has yet to respond to these reports, but the issue only seems to have begun very recently. It's possible that they may be connected to the major software update the company began rolling out on December 6. If you're having the same problem, it seems you may be able to resolve it by entering your training settings and changing which days are assigned to long runs. Many watch owners reported that every day of the week was marked as a long run, and changing this solved the 'rest' problem.

Cat Ellis
Editor

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.