Why does Garmin Strength Coach not give me weights?

Garmin's Strength Coach plans suggest a weight only for the main lifts, such as the bench press and squat. Accessory lifts come without one by design, so you pick that weight yourself.

What did Garmin say about the missing weights?

An owner asked about it on Garmin's forum, in a thread titled "Garmin strength plan - no weights listed". They were on week 2 of a push/pull/legs plan. We read the thread on 4 October 2026.

A Garmin team member replied:

• Only the "primary lifts" get a suggested weight, such as bench press and squat.
• That weight comes from benchmarks you set, and they update as the plan goes on.
• For the "accessory lifts", Garmin wrote: "we don't supply a value for them".
• Accessory lifts can be added, switched or removed. Garmin says they help with weak points and muscle growth.

So the gap is how the plans are built. Your watch and the app are working as Garmin intends.

Which lifts get a weight?

• One Forerunner 265 owner described their plan's first week on Garmin's forum. It benchmarked five lifts: barbell bench press, overhead press, back squat, deadlift and dumbbell row.
• The plan estimated a one-rep max for each of them. In week two, it adapted and gave workouts with weights.
• In another thread, a Garmin team member said benchmarks cover a set list of exercises, not all of them.
• They added that triceps work and lateral raises are likely not on that list.

Does Strength Coach progress your weights at all?

Yes, for the main lifts, and it costs nothing.

• Garmin describes its Coach plans as free in the Garmin Connect app. That is from its blog post "Five ways to use Garmin Coach on your watch" (22 September 2025).
• Garmin's Strength Coach page says plans are matched to your goals, target muscles and equipment.
• The same page shows weekly benchmarks, your schedule and your next workouts in the Garmin Connect app.
• The main lifts' weights follow your benchmarks as the plan goes on.
• the5krunner, a Garmin-focused review site, calls the plans progressive programmes with accumulation, intensification and deload phases. That was in April 2026.

We read each of these pages on 4 October 2026.

What should I lift on the exercises with no weight?

1. Pick a weight you can lift for the plan's reps with one or two reps to spare.
2. Enter it on the watch. After each set, the watch lets you edit the reps and the weight you used.
3. If every set reached the plan's reps, add a small step of weight next session.
4. Note what you lifted, so the next session starts from it.

The edit step is in Garmin's fēnix 8 owner's manual, under "Recording a Strength Training Activity", read 4 October 2026. One owner on Garmin's forum also turns on Edit Weight in the Strength activity's settings.

For when to add weight, see When should you add weight?

Is there an app that sets a weight for every lift?

Yes. Several apps decide your next weights, and some run on a Garmin watch.

We compare them in Apps that raise your weights automatically and Best strength training apps for Garmin watches.

BulkForged is our app. This is how it handles accessory lifts.

• Every exercise in your routine has its own target weight and reps. Accessories work the same as main lifts.
• Starter plans, ready-made programs and the routine builder suggest a starting weight for most lifts. You can type your own.
• Bodyweight and band lifts start with no weight.
• The watch shows the target before each set. During rest it shows the next set's weight and reps.
• With Coaching, your first session settles a suggested weight from what you actually lifted.

How does BulkForged raise the weights?

With Coaching, it uses double progression: reps first, up to the top of your rep range, then weight.

• Your lowest working set decides the next target.
• When every working set reaches the top of the range, the weight goes up and reps reset.
• With Coaching, the app on your phone works out the new targets and sends them to the watch.
• Each change is logged with the reason it moved.

How do Strength Coach and BulkForged compare?

Is BulkForged's progression free?

Strength Coach is free. BulkForged's automatic targets are part of Coaching, the paid plan.

• Coaching is open for your first 14 days at no charge.
• Basic stays free. It logs every workout on the phone or the watch, and keeps your history, routines and records.
• Without Coaching, your targets stay where they are. You can still change them yourself.

What Coaching adds, in full: What coaching includes.

What are BulkForged's limits?

• Android only today. iPhone users can join the waitlist.
• It runs on 60+ Garmin watches. No Venu or vivoactive. See every supported model.
• Pairing the watch needs a BulkForged account. The phone app works without one.
• It has no benchmark week. Each target starts from a suggested weight or your own, then follows your sets.

Related: How progressive overload works, The set overview screen on your watch, The rest timer on your watch, Editing a routine exercise.