Garmin’s TrainingPeaks acquisition and the Garmin Cirqa smart band could have a surprise connection — as the Cirqa puts access to its coaching software behind the Connect+ premium tier

The Garmin Cirqa is a strong new addition to Garmin's ecosystem of devices.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p>The Garmin Cirqa is a strong new addition to Garmin's ecosystem of devices. It's a screenless fitness tracker like a Whoop band, working with the Garmin Connect app to track sleep, workouts, and health metrics. You can read all about what happened when <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-trackers/is-garmin-cirqa-good-i-wanted-to-know-if-garmins-fitbit-air-rival-is-accurate-so-i-tested-it-against-a-gold-standard-electrical-heart-rate-strap">I tested the Garmin Cirqa against a heart rate monitor</a> during its UK launch event here.</p><p>One under-the-radar announcement most people have glossed over is that even though most features are subscription-free, you need a Garmin Connect+ subscription to access Garmin Coach. This is Garmin's digital coaching feature, offering personalized training plans for its users to help achieve their strength, running, or cycling goals. </p><p>The reason this is important is that it's the first time Garmin Coach has been locked behind a paywall. It used to be that more expensive watches came with Garmin Coach features, while less expensive watches didn't. That was it. This latest development means we could see future budget-friendly Garmin offerings, such as the successor to the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/garmin-forerunner-70-review">Garmin Forerunner 70</a>, get Garmin Coach capabilities but keep them locked behind Connect+ in order to keep costs down. </p><p>While this is very much in line with how Fitbit and Apple run things on their fitness apps, it's a big change for Garmin and one that could rile existing users.<a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/live/live-garmin-connect-backlash-tell-us-what-you-think-about-garmins-new-premium-tier"> We've seen how the Garmin community reacted to Connect+</a> when it was first introduced last year — negatively, with many people fearing new watch features would be locked behind a paywall, as ongoing subscriptions are very profitable for tech companies.</p><p>At least it's still substantially better value than <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-trackers/whoop-mg-review">Whoop's pay-annually mandatory subscription</a> model. </p><h2 id="garmin-acquires-trainingpeaks-and-trainheroic">Garmin acquires TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:3350px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.24%;"><img id="uPGVznvG9UhTVo6gVKbbiH" name="TrainingPeaks_Product_Athlete" alt="Man using TrainingPeaks app on smartphone" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uPGVznvG9UhTVo6gVKbbiH.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="3350" height="1884" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: TrainingPeaks)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Garmin has acquired TrainingPeaks and its sibling platform TrainHeroic. TrainingPeaks is an incredibly popular cross-platform programming software where users can download and use fitness plans and communicate directly with coaches. It's available on lots of different devices, not just Garmin watches. </p><p>Naturally, many people are afraid this means TrainingPeaks will become a Garmin-exclusive piece of software, and anyone who currently uses, for example, an <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/apple-watch-ultra-3-review">Apple Watch Ultra 3</a> will be left in the cold. Even those that use it on Garmins may fear another subscription will be required.</p><p>Our homes editor and ex-fitness editor Cat Ellis uses TrainingPeaks to train for her marathons. She said: "I use TrainingPeaks and a Garmin watch, so I’m interested in what the future will hold as the two become intertwined — but also concerned for owners of non-Garmin devices. It seems plausible that owners of devices from other brands — such as Polar, Suunto, and Amazfit — might be left out if Garmin folds TrainingPeaks plans into Garmin Connect+. </p><p>"I’m also curious how Garmin might integrate TrainingPeaks. Will there be a separate Connect+ membership tier that unlocks access to TrainingPeaks plans? What about plans from coaches that TrainingPeaks users currently pay for separately? It’s going to be an interesting time."</p><h2 id="cross-platform-confirmation">Cross-platform confirmation</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1669px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.26%;"><img id="oTm6FbcxXyMrwqdV3gy7nh" name="TrainingPeaks-Intervals.jpg" alt="TrainingPeaks API screenshot" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oTm6FbcxXyMrwqdV3gy7nh.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1669" height="939" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future)</span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2026/07/garmin-acquires-training-trainheroic.html" target="_blank">TrainingPeaks & TrainHeroic MD Lee Gerakos told DC Rainmaker</a> that "TrainingPeaks will continue to operate as a cross-platform ecosystem, enabling athletes and coaches to use the devices, platforms and services that best suit their needs."</p><p>TrainingPeaks users can breathe a sigh of relief, for now — but it's not hard to connect the dots. Garmin's most recent, highest-profile product puts its coaching features behind a paywall at the same time it announces the acquisition of one of the most popular third-party coaching platforms. Garmin could be aiming to improve its coaching platform to get more people to join Connect+. </p><p>This isn't a bad thing per se — much of the criticism levelled at Connect+ was that its offering was a bit thin — but the pressure will be on for Garmin to keep its existing users, along with existing TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic users, happy with how the new coaching features are implemented. </p> </article> ]]>