How the watch and phone stay in sync during a workout

Your Garmin watch and your phone update each other every 5 seconds during a workout, through your BulkForged account.

Which device is in charge?

• Either one can start a workout, log a set, or finish it.
• Whichever device changed something last is the one that counts, field by field.

See it happen: watch and phone sync, on video.

What if my phone is in the locker?

• The watch keeps running the workout by itself. It does not need the phone nearby.
• It pushes its own progress to your account every 5 seconds, whenever it has a connection.
• Your phone picks up the same workout, already logged, the next time you open it.

What if a set gets logged on both devices?

• Both logs reach your account and merge.
• If the exact same thing changes on both, the newest edit wins.
• A set logged once on each device is kept on both. Nothing gets dropped.

What if the gym has no signal?

• The watch keeps the whole workout running with no connection at all.
• It uploads while the watch app is open and has a connection again. It does not upload in the background.
• If you left the app closed, open it once you have signal and the workout goes up.

What if I close the app mid-workout?

• Closing BulkForged on your phone does not end the workout.
• Your phone keeps its own copy of the running workout on the device.
• Open the app again and the workout is exactly where you left it.

What if I start the workout on both?

• If you start the clock on both, the workout's start time is whichever one started first.

What happens when I finish?

• Finish on either device and the workout ends on both.
• The device you finished on saves the session. The other one just stops, so nothing saves twice.
• With Coaching, your next targets are worked out after the session and sent to the watch for next time. On Basic, the free plan, they stay where you set them.

Does it only sync after the workout?

No. Each device sends what it has every 5 seconds while the workout runs, not only at the end.

More on choosing a watch app for lifting: Best strength training apps for Garmin watches.

Related: Adding your watch, Using your Garmin watch, How progressive overload works.