Garmin Challenges and Badges

yirara

I would guess that intensity level differs a lot across different exercises. As pretty much all my exercise is above the anaerobic threshold (my muscles don't have much oxidative abilities) and my HR is often all over the place but usually quite a lot higher I set a fairly high intensity minute goal to account for every possibility 🤣 Mostly, strength training doesn't count for vigorous though, and neither does walking unless it includes steep inclines.

spiriteagle99

I've never had an issue with getting 150+ minutes of intensity. My Forerunner gives me moderate intensity minutes when I walk the dog, even though I never turn the watch on when I do it. Lots of start and stop so not really very intense except when going up hills. For the past year, I averaged 585 minutes of moderate intensity and 335 minutes of vigorous per week.

There is a big difference in my maximum HR depending on activity. With running, my HR gets up into the 170-180s when running hills. On my stationary bike, I almost never get above 120, even doing HIIT.

yirara

I got the first two badges: May Walking (30 miles) and Active May (20 activities). I had to stop running and strength training temporarily as I was feeling not well. Turned out I had a uti. Feeling better now, and am currently in Italy, and San Marino before that. Thus lots of walking :)

yirara

Didn't get too many badges this month because I was away on a short vacation twice and got sick on top. I have:

May Gaines: 4hrs strength training. Will do another session tonight
May Step Month
May Walking
Active May
And I only need 40 more km on the 3 month Walking Stage 2. Might get this with another trip coming up.

frankwbrown

I earned my last May badge yesterday: May Gains

Since I bailed on several cycling challenges I had planned to go for, I'm all done with May. Here's my final badges, in chronological order of the day the badge was earned:

• Connect: Active May, May Swim Week, May Likes, May Photo Share, POC Cycling 100, May Steps Podium, May Warrior, May Walking, 2025 Walking Stage 2, May Time to Swim, May Step Month, May Gains
• Connect+: Low Stress May, May Heart Walks, May Calorie Burn, Intense May, May Battery Booster, May Intense Cardio, May Meditations

frankwbrown

In addition to the usual monthly challenges, there are:

• four new "Beat Yesterday" challenges:
  • Beat Yesterday Pro Walk 2025 — 5 days out of 7 w/ each walk at least 5 minutes longer than the previous
  • Beat Yesterday Pro Run 2025 — 5 days out of 7 w/ each run at least 5 minutes longer than the previous
    
  • Beat Yesterday Expert Walk 2025 — 10 of 14 w/ each at least 5 minutes longer than previous
  • Beat Yesterday Expert Run 2025 — 10 of 14 w/ each at least 5 minutes longer than previous
• four single day challenges:
  • June 3 - World Bicycle Day 2025, Record a cycling activity on World Bicycle Day, June 3, 2025
  • June 4 - Global Running Day 2025, Record a running activity on Global Running Day, June 4, 2025
  • June 5 - World Environment Day 2025, Record an activity on World Environment Day, June 5, 2025
  • June 14 - Global Wellness Day 2025, Record an activity on Global Wellness Day, June 14, 2025
• sixteen new Garmin Trails challenges — these are new and available but only on certain devices. They all relate to Garmin's new Trails feature.

Read about them all here: June challenges and badges

frankwbrown

About Garmin Trails:

Garmin now has support for trails/routes (Garmin Trails), similar to www.alltrails.com (excellent site).
This feature is only available on devices that support "courses". Additionally, it requires a subscription to either Garmin Connect+ or Outdoor Map+.

Sixteen new challenges all relate to this new Trails support. Although I have a Fenix 8, these challenges are not available. That's very disappointing.

There is one interesting new feature: The walking activity now supports entering a weight for a backpack/rucksack. This will allow the calculation of Vo2Max more accurate, as it takes into account the extra weight. I have a 16-pound weighted vest I sometimes wear on walks, so I can use this feature.

DaffyGirl88

Got my May Step Month badge today, nothing like waiting until the last minute! 😂

p8m6bwghh9

May Badges:

Let’s Get Physical

Active May

Saddle Up

Sleep Savant x7

Super Strength 

May Gains

May Weekend Walking 

Intense 150

May Walking 

May Step Month

60-Day Goal Getter

10K a Day Challenge x5

frankwbrown

Here's my swim/walk/ride stats for May:

I wish it would give me a concise summary of other activities, like strength, yoga and tai chi.

AustinRuadhain

Hi there! I was excited to see that there's a discussion of Garmin badges. I find thrm fun and motivating.

I have earned a small stack of badges this month. I will bookmark this and check in to share and see ho0w others are doingl

yirara

I certainly completed the 150km walking in 3 months badge this month. Was on Greenland and walked a lot! Still injured with.. not sure a slipped rib or something like that thus not many badges this month.

frankwbrown

I'm making steady progress on this month's challenges (the ones I've joined, I mean). I won't be doing any of the running challenges nor most of the cycling challenges, but I did do the June Weekend 40K challenge this past Sunday.

I almost wish I had power meter pedals for my bike, but not really. I'm not an avid cyclist and don't really need those metrics. And they're expensive! It's just that I yearn to earn the Yin & Yang badge.

I want this badge only because I do tai chi and I like the concept of yin and yang. But the badge is not for martial arts, it's for achieving a 50/50 split of power between your left and right sides during cycling. I understand the idea of trying to achieve balance, but I wish they'd chosen a different symbol. I want it for philosophical reasons. But spending $600+ for power meter pedals just to earn this badge would be the epitome of… foolishness, if not worse.

(and who's to say that I could achieve that balance even with the pedals! 🤔 )