Garmin buys Training Peaks and TrainHeroic in major coaching push

Garmin has acquired TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic, bringing two established coaching platforms into its fitness business. The deal gives Garmin a much stronger position in endurance training, strength programming and paid coaching services.

Garmin is buying more than two apps

As detailed in the press release, around 120 employees from the two businesses will join Garmin, although the companies have not disclosed the financial terms.

TrainingPeaks has spent more than two decades building tools for endurance athletes and professional coaches. It handles training calendars, structured workouts, performance analysis and coaching relationships, with a particularly strong following among runners, cyclists and triathletes.

TrainHeroic covers the strength side. Its platform allows coaches to create programmes, manage clients and deliver workouts remotely, while athletes can buy plans through its training marketplace.

Together, they give Garmin something it has never quite had before. Garmin already collects huge amounts of workout and recovery data, but these platforms sit above that data and help athletes decide what to do next.

The Garmin connection already runs deep

This is not a case of Garmin buying a completely unfamiliar service. TrainingPeaks already has a close integration with Garmin Connect, allowing planned running, cycling and swimming workouts to sync to compatible Garmin devices.

Completed activities then travel back to TrainingPeaks for analysis. Sleep, HRV, resting heart rate and Body Battery data can also feed into the platform.

That makes the acquisition fairly logical. Garmin now owns one of the main services coaches use to interpret the information coming from its watches and bike computers.

The tricky part is that TrainingPeaks does not only serve Garmin users. It also works with Apple, Polar, COROS, Wahoo, Suunto, Amazfit and other platforms.

Garmin will need to maintain that broad compatibility if it wants coaches and athletes using rival hardware to remain comfortable with the service. Turning TrainingPeaks into a Garmin-first platform could quickly undermine much of what made it valuable.

Strength training could see the biggest improvement

Garmin’s endurance tools are already extensive, while its strength features still feel less developed. The company has expanded Garmin Strength Coach and introduced more adaptive fitness plans, but logging gym sessions and following detailed programmes can still feel clumsy.

TrainHeroic gives Garmin access to established strength-programming tools, exercise demonstrations, coach dashboards and progress tracking. A deeper integration could eventually make strength workouts easier to build, follow and review on Garmin devices.

TrainingPeaks Virtual is another interesting part of the deal. The indoor cycling service, previously known as indieVelo, gives Garmin a foothold in the same broad market as Zwift and TrainerRoad.

This acquisition is unlikely to produce a major new watch feature straight away. Longer term, it could help Garmin own much more of the planning, coaching and analysis that happens around its devices.

Connect Plus questions are already appearing

The early social media discussions around the acquisition quickly turned to Garmin Connect+. Some users are already wondering whether more advanced coaching plans will eventually become part of Garmin’s subscription service.

That concern is understandable. A recent Garmin Connect app teardown found references to coaching plans that require Connect+, covering cycling, fitness, triathlon and other categories.

Garmin has also been steadily expanding the paid side of Connect. TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic could eventually provide more content and coaching tools for that subscription, although Garmin has not announced any immediate changes.

For now, there is no indication that TrainingPeaks or TrainHeroic pricing will change. Garmin has also not said the platforms will be merged into Garmin Connect or Connect+.