How to Create 80/20 Zones on Your Garmin Device
by David Warden
The short version. Garmin Connect gives you five heart rate boundaries and six power boundaries, while 80/20 uses seven zones with Zone X and Zone Y in between. So you map them. Set your zones to percent of lactate threshold instead of percent of maximum, type in the 80/20 boundaries from the 80/20 Zone Calculator, and remember that Garmin's Zone 3 becomes 80/20 Zone X. The steps and the two mapping tables are below. If you would rather see your real 80/20 zone on the watch, the 80/20 Run and Bike Zones apps do that without any mapping.
1. Establish your 80/20 Zones
To establish your 80/20 zones, see Intensity Guidelines for Running or Triathlon and read through the entire article.
Note: After establishing your 80/20 zones, if you are a veteran user of Garmin Connect, you can skip to step 4*.
2. Setup a free account at Garmin Connect
This step is not required, but is strongly recommended. In addition to providing setup ease, a Garmin Connect account can provide you with valuable workout analysis.
It is much easier to set up your zones on a computer or smartphone via Garmin Connect than by doing it on the device itself. To set up a free Garmin Connect account, go to Garmin Connect, and then on Get Started.
Note: Some older Garmin devices are not compatible with Garmin Connect. Should this be the case for you, you will need to set up your zones directly on your device. Consult the user manual for your specific device on how to input your zones on the device.
3. Download and install Garmin Express and add your device
This step is not required, but is strongly recommended. In addition to providing valuable updates for most Garmin devices, Garmin Express will sync your zone settings (as well as your other settings) from Garmin Connect to your device.
Once Garmin Express is loaded on your device, add your Garmin device(s) to Garmin Express by following the instructions in the Garmin Express software.
4. Navigate to User Settings on Garmin Connect or Garmin smartphone App
- Log in to Garmin Connect.
- From the Garmin Connect homepage, select Devices and Sync Status in the upper right corner, then Device Settings.
- Choose User Settings.
- If you have the Garmin smartphone app, select your device, user settings, and Heart Rate Zones or Power Zones.
5. Set up your 80/20 heart rate zones
Garmin's zone scheme presents several challenges that limit the ability to define intensity. In a well-intentioned effort to keep things simple, Garmin has made them complicated, including items:
- Garmin does not allow you to custom-name your zones (e.g., Zone X)
- Garmin offers 6 HR zones instead of the seven 80/20 zones.
- Garmin Connect only offers one "bucket" per zone instead of two buckets per zone, the result being the 80/20 zones have fourteen buckets (seven zones with an upper and lower limit for each zone), while Garmin offers exactly five total HR buckets. Therefore, some tweaking is required, by using the following steps, to line up Garmin with 80/20:
- Find your 80/20 heart rate zones on the 80/20 Zone Calculator.
If you have a run threshold of 165, your 80/20 zones are:
| Zone | % LTHR | Range (BPM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72-81 | 119 | 134 |
| 2 | 81-90 | 134 | 149 |
| X | 90-95 | 149 | 157 |
| 3 | 95-100 | 157 | 165 |
| Y | 100-102 | 165 | 168 |
| 4 | 102-105 | 168 | 173 |
| 5 | >105 | >173 | |
- From the Device page on Garmin Connect, select the User Settings tab and scroll down to the Heart Rate Zones section.
For this example, we'll use the Garmin 920xt, which offers Heart Rate and Power zones (but no Pace zones?! This is a GPS company for crying out loud!)
- Set Running and Cycling Based on % of LT
- Enter your individual 80/20 zone values from the 80/20 calculator into the Garmin Connect zone table using the guide below (you may have to enter the fields in reverse order).
An LTHR of 165, for example, would look like this:
| Garmin Connect BPM | Garmin Connect Bucket | Corresponding 80/20 Bucket |
|---|---|---|
| 119 | Bottom of Zone 1 | Bottom of Zone 1 |
| 149 | Bottom of Zone 2 | Top of Zone 2 |
| 157 | Bottom of Zone 3 | Bottom of Zone 3 |
| 165 | Bottom of Zone 4 | Bottom of Zone Y |
| 173 | Bottom of Zone 5 | Bottom of Zone 5 |
Enter in your estiamted Max Heart Rate forthe top of Garmin's Zone 5.
Notice that to accommodate the Garmin zone restrictions for 80/20 zones, we had to do the following:
- 80/20 Zone 1 and 2 are merged into one big zone: Garmin Zone 1.
This merge is not optimal; however, because a central tenet of 80/20 training is 80% at low intensity, ultimately the best performance will occur from training that takes place when 80% of your time is spent between Zone 1 plus Zone 2. We would want to see about 80% of your time in Garmin Zone 1.
- Garmin Zone 2 becomes 80/20 Zone X.
When you are analyzing your intensity distribution using Garmin's scheme, or monitoring your intensity in real time, you will want to spend very little time in Garmin Zone 2.
- Garmin Zone 3 equals 80/20 Zone 3.
- Garmin Zone 4 equals 80/20 Zone Y plus Zone 4.
This is necessary to squeeze in the 80/20 zones into the Garmin system. Although Zone Y should be avoided, it is very narrow and not as problematic as Zone X.
- Garmin Zone 5 equals 80/20 Zone 5.
6. Sync your device with Garmin Connect
Now that your zones are defined in Garmin Express, they need to be pushed to your device. Some devices, such as the Garmin 920xt, will sync with Garmin Connect via WIFI. Other devices require syncing with Garmin Express (from Step 2).
7. Set up your 80/20 power zones
Garmin's power zones offer you severn zone buckets.
While still on the Garmin Connect User Settings page (just below the Heart Rate Zones section), you will see the Power Zones section.
To set up your Garmin Zones to match the 80/20 zones, perform the following steps:
- Review your 80/20 power zones from the 80/20 Zone Calculator.
If you have an FTP of 230, your 80/20 power zones from the calculator will be:
Garmin's power zones offer you severn zone buckets.
While still on the Garmin Connect User Settings page (just below the Heart Rate Zones section), you will see the Power Zones section.
To set up your Garmin Zones to match the 80/20 zones, perform the following steps:
- Review your 80/20 power zones from the 80/20 Zone Calculator.
If you have an FTP of 230, your 80/20 power zones from the calculator will be:
| Zone | % FTP | Range (Watts) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55-70 | 115 | 161 |
| 2 | 70-83 | 161 | 191 |
| X | 83-91 | 191 | 209 |
| 3 | 91-100 | 209 | 230 |
| Y | 100-102 | 230 | 235 |
| 4 | 102-110 | 235 | 253 |
| 5 | 110 | 253 | |
- Set your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) in the top field under Power Zones.
- Enter your individual 80/20 zone values from the 80/20 calculator into the Garmin Connect zone table using the guide below (you may have to do this in reverse order to appease the Garmin gods):
An FTP of 230, for example, would look like this:
| Garmin Connect Watts | Garmin Connect Bucket | Corresponding 80/20 Bucket |
|---|---|---|
| 115 | Bottom of Zone 1 | Bottom of Zone 1 |
| 161 | Bottom of Zone 2 | Bottom of Zone 2 |
| 191 | Bottom of Zone 3 | Bottom of Zone X |
| 209 | Bottom of Zone 4 | Bottom of Zone 3 |
| 235 | Bottom of Zone 5 | Top of Zone Y |
| 253 | Bottom of Zone 6 | Bottom of Zone 5 |
| 1000 (just put in a high number) | Top of Zone 6 | Top of Zone 5 |
Notice that to accommodate the Garmin zone restrictions for 80/20 zones, we had to make Garmin Zone 3 equal 80/20 Zone X, which sets up the following chain of events:
- Garmin Zone 4 equals 80/20 Zone 3 and Y
- Garmin Zone 5 equals 80/20 Zone 4
- Garmin Zone 6 equals 80/20 Zone 5
Frequently asked questions
Why do my 80/20 zones not fit Garmin's zones?
Garmin Connect has five heart rate zones and six power zones with one boundary each, and it cannot name a zone. 80/20 has seven zones, including Zone X and Zone Y, the moderate bands most athletes drift into. The tables above line the two up so the watch still tells you when you have left the zone a workout asked for.
How do I set heart rate zones in Garmin Connect?
On the web, Devices, then your device, then User Settings, then Heart Rate Zones. In the phone app, your device, User Settings, Heart Rate Zones. Switch the basis to percent of lactate threshold, enter your threshold heart rate, and type in the boundaries from step 5. Sync the watch afterwards.
What is Zone 2 on a Garmin, and how do I set it for 80/20?
After the mapping above, Garmin Zone 2 is 80/20 Zone 2, 81 to 90 percent of your lactate threshold heart rate. Out of the box Garmin bases zones on a percentage of maximum heart rate, which is why most athletes' default Zone 2 is too fast. Change the basis first, then the numbers.
Can I set pace zones on a Garmin?
Not in Garmin Connect. Running pace zones only exist on the watch through the 80/20 Run Zones app, which shows your current 80/20 zone by pace, power or heart rate on one screen.
Do TrainingPeaks workouts need these zones?
No. A structured workout sent from TrainingPeaks carries its own targets for each step. These zones matter for free runs and rides, and for the data screens that show time in zone.
How often should I update them?
Whenever you retest. Heart rate thresholds move slowly, power and pace thresholds faster, so expect to redo the power table every 6 to 8 weeks in a training block.
Related. How to load a FIT file on your Garmin device, the 80/20 Garmin apps, and the intensity guidelines for running, cycling and triathlon. Every 80/20 plan uses these zones, and Team 80/20 includes them all.