Garmin vivoactive HR, Owner'S Manual

your zones on the device or using your Garmin Connect 

account.

1

Hold  .

2

Select 

Settings

 > 

User Profile

 > 

Heart Rate Zones

.

3

Select 

Default

 to view the default values (optional).

The default values can be applied to running and cycling.

4

Select 

Running

 or 

Cycling

.

5

Select 

Preference

 > 

Set Custom

.

6

Select 

Based On

.

7

Select an option:
• Select 

BPM

 to view and edit the zones in beats per 

minute.

• Select 

%Max. HR

 to view and edit the zones as a 

percentage of your maximum heart rate.

• Select 

%HRR

 to view and edit the zones as a percentage 

of your heart rate reserve (maximum heart rate minus 

resting heart rate).

8

Select 

Max. HR

, and enter your maximum heart rate.

9

Select a zone, and enter a value for each zone.

10

Select 

Resting HR

, and enter your resting heart rate.

Letting the Device Set Your Heart Rate Zones

The default settings allow the device to detect your maximum 

heart rate and set your heart rate zones as a percentage of your 

maximum heart rate.
• Verify that your user profile settings are accurate (

Setting Up 

Your User Profile

, page 9

).

• Run often with the wrist or chest heart rate monitor.
• Try a few heart rate training plans, available from your 

Garmin Connect account.

• View your heart rate trends and time in zones using your 

Garmin Connect account.

Broadcasting Heart Rate to Garmin

®

 Devices

You can broadcast your heart rate data from your vívoactive HR 

device and view it on paired Garmin devices. For example, you 

can broadcast your heart rate data to an Edge

®

 device while 

cycling, or to a VIRB action camera during an activity.

NOTE: 

Broadcasting heart rate data decreases battery life.

1

Hold  .

2

Select 

Settings

 > 

Sensors

 > 

Heart Rate

 > 

Broadcast HR

.

3

Start an activity (

Starting an Activity

, page 5

).

The vívoactive HR device starts broadcasting your heart rate 

data.

4

Pair your vívoactive HR device with your Garmin ANT+ 

compatible device.

NOTE: 

The pairing instructions differ for each Garmin 

compatible device. See your owner's manual.

Tips for Erratic Heart Rate Data

If the heart rate data is erratic or does not appear, you can try 

these tips.
• Clean and dry your arm before putting on the device.
• Avoid wearing sunscreen under the device.
• Wear the device above your wrist bone. The device should 

be snug but comfortable.

NOTE: 

You can try wearing the device higher on your 

forearm. You can try wearing the device on your other arm.

• Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes and get a heart rate reading 

before starting your activity.

NOTE: 

In cold environments, warm up indoors.

• Rinse the device with fresh water after each workout.

Recovery Heart Rate

If you are training with a heart rate monitor, you can check your 

recovery heart rate value after each activity. Recovery heart rate 

is the difference between your exercising heart rate and your 

heart rate two minutes after the exercise has stopped. For 

example, after a typical training run, you stop the timer. Your 

heart rate is 140 bpm. After two minutes of no activity or cool 

down, your heart rate is 90 bpm. Your recovery heart rate is 50 

bpm (140 minus 90). Some studies have linked recovery heart 

rate to cardiac health. Higher numbers generally indicate 

healthier hearts.

TIP: 

For best results, you should stop moving for two minutes 

while the device calculates your recovery heart rate value. You 

can save or discard the activity after this value appears.

Widgets

Your device comes preloaded with widgets that provide at-a-

glance information. Some widgets require a Bluetooth 

connection to a compatible smartphone.
Some widgets are not visible by default. You can add them to 

the widget loop manually.

Notifications

: Alerts you to incoming calls, texts, social network 

updates, and more, based on your smartphone notification 

settings.

Calendar

: Displays upcoming meetings from your smartphone 

calendar.

Music controls

: Provides music player controls for your 

smartphone.

Weather

: Displays the current temperature and weather 

forecast.

My day

: Displays a dynamic summary of your activity today. The 

metrics include your last recorded sport, intensity minutes, 

floors climbed, steps, calories burned, and more.

Activity tracking

: Tracks your daily step count, step goal, 

distance traveled, calories burned, and sleep statistics.

Intensity minutes

: Tracks your time spent participating in 

moderate to vigorous activities, your weekly intensity minutes 

goal, and progress toward your goal.

Heart rate

: Displays your current heart rate in beats per minute 

(bpm), lowest resting heart rate for today, and a graph of your 

heart rate.

Last sport

: Displays a brief summary of your last recorded sport 

and your total distance for the week.

VIRB controls

: Provides camera controls when you have a 

VIRB device paired with your vívoactive HR device.

Calories

: Displays your calorie information for the current day.

Golf

: Displays golf information for your last round.

Viewing Widgets

From the watch face, swipe up or down.

Customizing the Widget Loop

1

Hold  .

2

Select 

Settings

 > 

Widgets

.

3

Select an option:
• Select an item to show or hide it from the app list or 

rearrange the app list.

• Select 

Add Widgets

 to add an item to the widget loop.

Connect IQ Features

You can add Connect IQ features to your watch from Garmin 

and other providers using the Garmin Connect Mobile app. You 

Widgets

3