Garmin Forerunner 620

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Hi,

I am interested in comments etc. on the new Garmin GPS Sports watch Forerunner 620

The watch incorporates a HRM with built in accelerometer to calculate (estimate) the running dynamics of cadence, ground contact time and body oscillation, as well as estimating VO2Max, recovery time and other stuff.

Looks impressive, but how useful from a training, technique effect?

BTW I use a 4yo Forerunner 405.

 

I not familar with that 620 or similar 220, but have been using the 210 for a while now:
https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/fit.../forerunner-210/prod83280.html#accessoriesTab
It does all the basics good - GPS; time; pace; laps; heart rate. ... happy with it. - does not do cadence.

EXCEPT, despite charging it up the night before (probably did not plug it in properly) ... the battery went flat at the 10k of the 1/2 marathon! ... not happy as then had no idea how I was tracking!

The 620 and 220 look like a prettier interface than the 210.

 

Craig,

Doesn't it have an 8hr training battery life, lets hope it was a charging problem

I use mine with a foot pod to measure cadence, but interested if ground contact time and body oscillation would add much.

The 220 doesn't do the running dynamics.
They have also changed their website cadence from strides to steps.

Link to one of my runs for info. on how cadence displayed.

 

This just turned up on YouTube on the 620. I want one!

 

Craig
That is what I am thinking, and some positive comments from the elite podiatry minds will help me convince "she who knows best"

 

Xmas not far away - I already dropped some hints

 

Just a word of caution re: vertical oscilation of the torso, from Kerdock et al. http://jap.physiology.org/content/92/2/469.full.pdf : "Farley et al. (14), and Ferris et al. (17) have commented that an observer looking only at the upper body of a runner would be unable to discern when the runner experienced a change in ground stiff- ness. This suggests that runners compensate for vari- able ground stiffness without affecting the fluctuations in the motion of their center of mass. This is consistent with our findings that dsurf is offset by ylimb, thus resulting in the minimal 0.8-cm change observed in ytotal. Hence, utilizing preferred support mechanics might represent a general principle of running." In other words even when leg stiffness changes the vertical oscillation of the CoM doesn't change much (so that eye 's aren't bounced around)- so what factors influence leg stiffness?.... hmmm.

Also, the idea of minimising vertical displacement of the CoM is questionable, it has been shown that flat-lining the vertical CoM displacement is less metabolically efficient- I can find the ref if you need it.

Also, I'd like to know more about how the accelerometer "knows" where vertical is? Is it set into a gravity dependent gimble? Otherwise if one leans forward with the chest strap on the orientation of the accelerometer relative to a global co-ordinate system changes and the x,y and z components of acceleration change in response, you can see this with the accelerometers in the i-phone using an app to provide the raw data from them.

Nice toy though, I'm sure you could get an estimate/ measure of leg stiffness with this.