How plans work.
Profile
Use running VO₂max or all six profile values.
Running VO₂max
Used firstOr use your profile
- Age
- Height
- Weight
- Sex
- Resting heart rate
- Usual activity
defaults
Level
Your profile shapes the lower levels.
Phases
Targets change between phases. More time adds phases.
Each activity has its own easy speed and maximums. Speed and incline peak in separate phases.
Settings in Connect IQFormula reference
Fitness input
- Q
- Running VO₂max or Jurca estimate, in mL/kg/min.
- BMI
weightKg / heightMetres²- Jurca Q
3.5 × (18.07 + 2.77S − 0.10age − 0.17BMI − 0.03restingHR + P)- S coding
- Female: 0. Male: 1. Complete profile required; ages 20–70.
Activity offset
| Usual activity | P |
|---|---|
| Little beyond pleasure walking | 0 |
| Regular modest recreation | 0.32 |
| Aerobic exercise: 20–60 min/week | 1.06 |
| Aerobic exercise: 1–3 hours/week | 1.76 |
| Aerobic exercise: over 3 hours/week | 3.03 |
Profile and level
- Scale
c = clamp((Q − 20) / 40, 0, 1)
s = 0.6 + 0.4c (missing: 0.6)
q = (level − 1) / 24
r = q × (s + (1 − s) × q)- Speed
speed = start + r × (phaseMax − start)- Grade
gradeEnd = shape × maxIncline
gradeStart = min(s × grade₁, gradeEnd)
grade = gradeStart + r × (gradeEnd − gradeStart)- Speed maximum
- Fastest phases use your activity maximum or treadmill maximum. Other phase ceilings keep the activity’s pattern.
- Incline maximum
- Use your activity override or treadmill maximum. Shape is each phase’s share of the steepest climb.
- Easy speed
- Your override sets the low end. Each phase keeps its fixed place between Easy and this level’s peak.
- Outdoors
- The same activity maximum applies outdoors. Treadmill caps do not apply; incline stays zero.
- This example
Q=40 · level=15 · s=0.8 · r≈0.5347
Four activity examples
| Activity | Phase | km/h | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | 6 · Sprint 30s | 14.6 | 0 |
| Fat Loss | 6 · Run 60s | 13.7 | 0 |
| Stamina | 4 · Jog 60s | 7.1 | 6.8 |
| Hills | 5 · Jog 60s | 6.1 | 7.2 |
Your settings
- Open
- Open burnd on your watch, exit to the watch face, then reopen Connect IQ settings.
- Defaults
- Garmin fills available profile values. Your profile shapes lower levels.
- Edit
- Edit Easy, Max speed or Max incline for each activity. Clear one field to restore Auto.
- Activity
- Choose usual activity yourself; Garmin cannot supply this questionnaire answer.
- Limits
- Level 25 reaches the treadmill maximums, unless overridden. Speed and incline peak separately.
- Next session
- Save and sync. Active and paused workouts keep their targets.
- Upgrading
- Reset this program to restore Auto. Manual values remain until cleared.
Research behind the plans
These studies inform the fitness estimate and training approach. They do not validate burnd’s exact targets or phase timings.
- Estimating fitness from your profile
Uses age, sex, body size, resting heart rate and usual activity to estimate fitness.
- VO₂max reference ranges
FRIEND reports how values vary by age, sex and exercise test.
- Running intervals of 30 seconds
Studied runs near maximum effort with three minutes of recovery.
- Intervals and body fat
Compared interval and continuous cycling in young women with obesity.
- Intervals and aerobic fitness
Compared short intervals, intervals of four minutes and continuous running.
- Slower uphill walking
Studied slower uphill walking in adults with obesity.
- Profile values Garmin can supply
Lists the optional profile values available to apps.