Garmin has released its annual analysis of user data, and shown the sports and activities that Garmin users have been enjoying over the past year.
Garmin had a busy 2023, with updates to the Forerunner range in the form of the all-AMOLED Forerunner 265 and Forerunner 965, as well as Wearable of the Year, the Venu 3.
But Garmin users were also busy exploring workout profiles. Garmin’s study shows growth in almost all sports types – but some big swings in specific workouts.
One of the biggest upticks is in HIIT, which was added across the range in 2022. HITT saw an increase of 112% year on year.
Likewise, the use of fitness equipment was up 19% and strength training also increased 30%.
Running saw moderate increases across the board, but track running workouts saw a huge spike of 76% year-on-year.
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Yoga was also up 23% and pilates 48%, which shows no sign of slowing down, after similar increases in use after COVID lockdowns. The growth is likely fuelled by the addition of muscle maps for these workouts on premium Garmin devices.
Some of the data looks as if it’s been affected by new profiles added by Garmin in the past couple of years.
There are also huge boosts for esports (yep, the mind boggles) and horseback riding/climbing activities. These are all recent additions into the Garmin cache, so it’s unsurprising we’re seeing an uptick here.
We’re out at CES next week where we’re expecting Garmin to be busy, so stay tuned here for the latest news.
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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.