Swim Terminology
Length: One trip down the pool.
Interval: One or more consecutive lengths. A new interval starts after a rest.
Stroke: A stroke is counted every time your arm wearing the watch completes a full cycle.
Swolf: Your swolf score is the sum of the time for one pool length and the number of strokes for that length.
For example, 30 seconds plus 15 strokes equals a swolf score of 45. For open water swimming, swolf is
calculated over 25 meters. Swolf is a measurement of swimming efficiency and, like golf, a lower score is
better.
Critical swim speed (CSS): Your CSS is the theoretical speed that you can maintain continuously without
exhaustion. You can use your CSS to guide your training pace and monitor your improvement.
Stroke Types
Stroke type identification is available only for pool swimming. Your stroke type is identified at the end of a
length. Stroke types appear in your swimming history and in your Garmin Connect account. You can also select
stroke type as a custom data field (
Customizing the Data Screens, page 35
).
Free
Freestyle
Back
Backstroke
Breast
Breaststroke
Fly
Butterfly
Mixed
More than one stroke type in an interval
Drill
Used with drill logging (
Training with the Drill Log, page 17
Tips for Swimming Activities
• Press LAP to record an interval during open water swimming.
• Before starting a pool swimming activity, follow the on-screen instructions to select your pool size or enter a
custom size.
The watch measures and records distance by completed pool lengths. The pool size must be correct to
display accurate distance. The next time you start a pool swimming activity, the watch uses this pool size.
You can hold MENU, select the activity settings, and select Pool Size to change the size.
• For accurate results, swim the entire pool length, and use one stroke type for the entire length. Pause the
activity timer when resting.
• Press LAP to record a rest during pool swimming (
Auto Rest and Manual Rest, page 16
).
The watch automatically records swim intervals and lengths for pool swimming.
• To help the watch count your lengths, use a strong push off the wall and glide before your first stroke.
• When doing drills, you must either pause the activity timer or use the drill logging feature (
).
Auto Rest and Manual Rest
NOTE: Swim data is not recorded during a rest. To view other data screens, you can press UP or DOWN.
The auto rest feature is available only for pool swimming. Your watch automatically detects when you are
resting, and the rest screen appears. If you rest for more than 15 seconds, the watch automatically creates a
rest interval. When you resume swimming, the watch automatically starts a new swim interval. You can turn on
the auto rest feature in the activity options (
Activities and App Settings, page 36
).
TIP: For best results using the auto rest feature, minimize your arm motions while resting.
During a pool or open water swim activity, you can manually mark a rest interval by pressing LAP.
16
Activities and Apps
