Suunto 7 - Interval training and/or training plans

olymay · 30 Nov 2020, 16:48

Hi all,

I am looking to step up my running and train for a half marathon next year. In order to do this, I would like to use a structured plan and incorporate interval sessions.

Has anyone had any experience with doing this on the Suunto 7 please? I’ve looked through the Suunto App and can’t find anything at all

I would dearly love to continue using the Suunto App as I love how it works, the data it records, and the way it sips at the battery. I also want to keep all of my data in the Suunto App on my phone so it’s in one easy to see place.

Any help and advice gratefully received.
Oliver

Brad_Olwin · 1 Dec 2020, 10:17

@olymay You can download a timer and use that, there are several. I use Tabata timer for gym workouts. For my complex intervals on the watch I simply remember them and use the lap button as I do with other Suunto watches. You can search this, and for now there is no integration of complex intervals with any Suunto watch on the Suunto app.

olymay · 1 Dec 2020, 10:17

@Brad_Olwin Thanks Brad.

I guess I was hoping there would be an automatic way to do it for running intervals, particularly more complex ones based around distance instead of time (or ideally distance and time together, such as sprint a certain distance and then rest for a specific time, etc).
A friend of mine can do this on her Garmin so I was hoping to do the same.
Ah well, I’ll figure something out.

Brad_Olwin · 1 Dec 2020, 13:51

@olymay there may be a third party app that will work for this. You do not have to use Suunto’s fitness app. Battery life will be shorter but you might find one.

olymay · 1 Dec 2020, 14:04

@Brad_Olwin Thanks Brad.

Yeah, I suspect there are third party apps out there. I wanted to keep all of my data in the Suunto App as I am really impressed with the display when running and how it then presents the analysis data post-workout.

I’ll have a look around and see what I can find. But I am very open to suggestions from the community

brotzfrog10 · 12 Jan 2021, 13:04

@olymay this is another one of those crazy features Suunto eliminated from the 7s software. The 5 and 9 have an internal timer as an optional added data field but for the 7 they made the conscious choice to just hack it off. It’s completely bewildering.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos · 12 Jan 2021, 13:05

@brotzfrog10 you can use an app for all this guys.

Just saying.

Interval timer at the playstore for wear .

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos · 12 Jan 2021, 13:13

@brotzfrog10 Hey

I think I am not clear here and I do not like the way you write some things because they make this sound bad or kinda like you are blaming something or Suunto specifically.

Let me explain gently.

this is another one of those crazy features Suunto eliminated from the 7s software

There was never such a feature to be eliminated. Wear os is not what the other Suunto watches run.

The feature was never there and it’s not in the specs of the watch.

he 5 and 9 have an internal timer as an optional added data field but for the 7 they made the conscious choice to just hack it off. It’s completely bewildering.

No one hacked it off.

Important

There is only one thing that is not tolerated in our forums. Speculations and writing your opinion as it is a fact that others did. For example as explained above

made the conscious choice to just hack it off.
Suunto eliminated from the 7s software

Those 2 statements above are wrong.

While in this forum you are most welcome to express your opinion, add your feedback and have a civil conversation or even shitstorm Suunto from a consumer perspective, writing things that are not true as if you know better is not tolerated here.

Dont get me wrong. It’s just an explenation before you get me wrong

And hey welcome dont take this as something bad.

brotzfrog10 · 12 Jan 2021, 13:23

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos it’s fine. I’ll refrain from partaking for now as my poor experience with the S7 is very fresh. My conclusion is correct though in that intervals and Bluetooth sensor support are a part of the regular Suunto workout experience but they were not made part of the S7 Suunto training app. I think saying hacked off for the BT and interval support in the Suunto app is correct just as reviewer say Apple took away the always one display for the watch SE. Yes the SE never had an always on display but other models of Apple watches before it did so they are effectively eliminating that feature from the watch. Now they did it for a specific reason (cost and product differentiation). I can’t see what Suunto eliminating the basics from their own training app does. That’s just my opinion, and apparently one that’s shared by many on this forum.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos · 12 Jan 2021, 13:32

@brotzfrog10 that is correct. They never came in but it was not like it was intentional in the sense of : OH lets not do it so they can buy the s9. etc.

We also have the s3 that doesn’t have GPS for example

I would welcome BT and intervals on the s7

brotzfrog10 · 12 Jan 2021, 14:19

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos As would a large volume of other people welcome it (sensor support and intervals) based off forum posts and tester reviews. At some point I think it’s fair to say sunnto is choosing not to add those things when it’s been asked for, for nearly a year now. Also especially when sensor support exists in other WearOs apps.

Nigel Taylor 0 · 12 Jan 2021, 16:46

@olymay With the new update (which I haven’t tried yet, or indeed tried anything - given my S7 only arrived today! but I have read a lot over the last few weeks!!)…you potentially could use POI’s for some types of structured workout?

Create a route, and set Waypoints after certain distances with reminder labels on them for what you’re doing next?

So for example I might plan a 10mile route, and tag a certain point where there’s a nice little 200metre loop of road that I like to do intervals on…I can just throw a waypoint just before the start of that to remind me I need to do 5x100metre strides or whatever…and then I’ll just manual lap press at the start and end of the 100metre (I know the distance from lampposts), recover on the loop back and go again.

Likewise you might just have a structure which is recovery/warmup zone for x distance, easy/fatburning zone for y distance, and approaching marathon race zone for z distance…just set up a POI on a route at x, y & z to remind you what heart rate you are supposed to be driving next??

Jamie BG · 12 Jan 2021, 17:53

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos Are you saying the S7 suunto app is a completely different app from the one that runs on the S5 / S9 and isn’t just an adjusted app that has been ported across to work on wear os.

As personally I would think that Suunto had gone the port route, and I suspect most others assume the same. If this is what you think and is the case, then when you compare the options of the 3 watches it does feel like certain features have been ommitted that we may feel should have been kept.

Of course if this app is a complete build from scratch, that might help explain why some of those features where ommitted.

Brad_Olwin · 14 Jan 2021, 00:05

@Jamie-BG My understanding was development was from scratch. WearOS is completely different and Suunto spent considerable time optimizing the battery life. I’ve concluded this from reading about the release and some interviews. One would have to agree that for a WearOS watch, sports battery life was essential. Given that I think it likely a completely new development effort, I am amazed at how similar the entire experience is.

Aleksander H · 14 Jan 2021, 09:58

@Brad_Olwin said in Suunto 7 - Interval training and/or training plans:

Given that I think it likely a completely new development effort, I am amazed at how similar the entire experience is.

That’s my impression as well. I’m impressed by the app given this was likely done from scratch. The interface looks great and feels like it’s made by people who understand workout watches. The fact that it’s a Wear OS app also gives me hope that it will be (relatively) easy to keep bringing new features to the S7, even after it gets replaced by a new model, as they will hopefully simply be running the same app.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos · 14 Jan 2021, 11:44

S7 to S9/5 etc is 100% different. Starting with the programming language used.

There might be common parts ie some logic etc that are empirical etc

Aleksander H · 14 Jan 2021, 11:55

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Suunto 7 - Interval training and/or training plans:

S7 to S9/5 etc is 100% different. Starting with the programming language used.

There might be common parts ie some logic etc that are empirical etc

Purely out of interest, if you are permitted to share. What programming languages are used on the S5/S9?

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos · 14 Jan 2021, 12:03

@Aleksander-H from what I have “fished” is basically C++/Assembly . ITs completely a Suunto thing.

But I am not sure about the UI etc. That I have no clue. Could be anything from xml/html to QT but I would doubt about QT.

Jamie BG · 14 Jan 2021, 12:21

@Brad_Olwin - and I think this is partially what causes a lot of the confusion when comparing to the rest of the S range - it has same look, the app looks similar; in fact everthing pretty much says its the same line; so users of the other models expect similar functionality.
Suunto may have been better off giving it another designator to point out it really isn’t part of the same line.

Saying that I still think they should provide the missing pieces - simply from a strategic market perspective and the opportunity to differentiate themselves and own that growing market share. I could understand if this was a cheaper product where that investment may not make sense, but when viewing the market share/competing models this is a premium product, a differentiator and would benefit covering the gaps that are missing compared to competitor models.

Aleksander H · 14 Jan 2021, 12:32

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Suunto 7 - Interval training and/or training plans:

@Aleksander-H from what I have “fished” is basically C++/Assembly . ITs completely a Suunto thing.

But I am not sure about the UI etc. That I have no clue. Could be anything from xml/html to QT but I would doubt about QT.

Do you happen to know if the dev team find development on Wear OS to be easier than on platforms such as S5/S9, or merely different?

Sorry. This is the last non-topic related question I’ll ask here