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The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd
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This is my sorta-fake pet peeve this year. Has anyone else noticed how bad the gramin goal steps algo is? I'm talking in particular about my 920XT, but I assume it's the same algorithm across similar devices. The algo basically has no long term memory and 'penalizes' you for missing your goal for a couple of days in a row.

Case in point: Last Thursday my steps goal was 13458 steps. In the ensuing seven days, I logged 110022 steps (average daily 15717), which is 16% more than I needed to hit 13458 seven times. And yet, in that time, my steps goal dropped from 13458 to 12894, a 4.2% decrease.

Okay, I know this doesn't matter, and honestly I don't really care. But is there anyone from Garmin on here who can comment? I assume the algo is simple linear regression, but that only one or two days of data are used to make the prediction for the next. Has anyone else noticed how ridiculous this is, or am I alone here?

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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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The 920 counts steps? Kidding. Not kidding.

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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [rsmoylan] [ In reply to ]
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rsmoylan wrote:
The 920 counts steps? Kidding. Not kidding.

:)

Like I said, it's a sorta-fake pet peeve. But I do believe that a company such as Garmin can/should put out a good algorithm.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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Well, Garmin connect can't even give me simple power/heart rate averages over time period, so I'm not so sure about that
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [imswimmer328] [ In reply to ]
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imswimmer328 wrote:
Well, Garmin connect can't even give me simple power/heart rate averages over time period, so I'm not so sure about that

Okay, maybe change my 'can/should' above to just 'should'.

Honestly the daily steps goal should approach the year to date daily average steps. I'm having fun plotting those values for myself and watching the curves not converge at all.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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First world problems.

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [japarker24] [ In reply to ]
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You don't have to accept the step goal changes. I set the goal for 10k on my 235 and left it there.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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I just enjoy when I've had like 3 weeks of hard, almost daily training, with some two a days, and I take a day off that I normally workout, and garmin pops up a message "oh you're not moving as much today" lol I don't really notice what the steps are telling me.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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A) Who cares

B) What were the totals for the individual days, not the average? If you did almost nothing the last day or two then it will adjust down. Mine changes daily, but I don't really look at it. I like having the total number of steps per day but it's more of a "oh look, cool" at the end of the day.


--Chris
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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The whole step counting thing is out of control.

I am not sure if is that helpful for anyone's fitness, but especially for someone doing tri training who cares?

But that is just my opinion, I also get that we are a generally type A OCD bunch and if there is a metric that can be tracked, we will do it.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [Rrr8400] [ In reply to ]
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Rrr8400 wrote:
The whole step counting thing is out of control.

I am not sure if is that helpful for anyone's fitness, but especially for someone doing tri training who cares?

But that is just my opinion, I also get that we are a generally type A OCD bunch and if there is a metric that can be tracked, we will do it.

I agree wholeheartedly. I'm disappointed, as someone who writes algorithms for a living, that Garmin has put out such a poor one.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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My last half marathon was more than enough to hit my goal steps by 9am and I kept getting "Move!" Messages for the rest of the day.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [Running mom] [ In reply to ]
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Running mom wrote:
My last half marathon was more than enough to hit my goal steps by 9am and I kept getting "Move!" Messages for the rest of the day.

Yeah, I also got those after an 11 hour MTB race last summer. Hilarious.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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When I got my Garmin 235, I was most impressed with Garmin Insults (er.. I mean Garmin Insights). It was happy to tell me that my least active day was Sunday and maybe I should stop being such a lazy turd and go out and do something.

Even though I received the watch on a Wednesday and hadn't even owned it on Sunday yet. So much awesome.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [spudone] [ In reply to ]
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That made me chuckle.

I've got a Garmin Vivoactive HR and noticed that I got my move counter clear by not actually moving on more than a few occastions. Driving home it has happened a few times as it somehow is registering the back and forth of the steering wheel as walking....or when a couple of times washing or rinsing my face in the sink too. Then there is the time I was walking my infant son (holding his two hands) and walked back/forth for 10 minutes in my living room....move/step counter decided nope....I'm not gunna count that because F-your couch!! (for your Charlie Murphy fans). .
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [loxx0050] [ In reply to ]
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One of my cars has a very stiff suspension, it seems to be just the right amount of bounce going down the road that it counts as a step. Got 25k steps on a recent 8 hour road trip where I got out of the car twice to pump gas, and did nothing else.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [aarondb4] [ In reply to ]
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aarondb4 wrote:

One of my cars has a very stiff suspension, it seems to be just the right amount of bounce going down the road that it counts as a step. Got 25k steps on a recent 8 hour road trip where I got out of the car twice to pump gas, and did nothing else.
Probably got a few KOMs too :)
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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My 920 tells me to move during bike rides sometimes. Pretty sure it's not supposed to do that, makes me laugh when it happens during a VO2 max interval on the trainer, I'm dying and dripping sweat and apparently it's just not enough
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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CCF wrote:
Running mom wrote:
My last half marathon was more than enough to hit my goal steps by 9am and I kept getting "Move!" Messages for the rest of the day.


Yeah, I also got those after an 11 hour MTB race last summer. Hilarious.

Yeah, well, their move algorithm isn't that complex. It doesn't look at what you did earlier that day, it just says move if you've been stationary for a certain time. It also only considers longer periods of motion to be movement (I think it's around 3-5 minute of motion), which will result in it occasionally telling you to move when you're already walking around.
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Re: The Garmin goal steps algorithm is absurd [bufordt] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, I have no issue with the movement algorithm (if you can call it that), silly as it may be. It's the steps that grates on me.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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