Garmin Acquires TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic: What It Means for Garmin Watch Owners

Garmin has officially acquired TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic, the two leading platforms for endurance and strength training used by millions of athletes and coaches worldwide. The acquisition was announced on July 22 and brings approximately 120 employees from the Louisville, Colorado-based Peaksware Holdings into Garmin's global workforce.

What Was Acquired

• TrainingPeaks: The dominant platform for structured endurance training plans — used by triathletes, cyclists, runners, and their coaches for workout scheduling, performance analytics, and Training Stress Score (TSS) tracking.
• TrainHeroic: A strength and conditioning platform used by gym coaches, CrossFit boxes, and performance facilities for programming and athlete management.
• Not included: Peaksware's music businesses (MakeMusic, Alfred Music, Fons) remain with the parent company.

What This Means for Garmin Watch Owners

For the 10+ million active Garmin Connect users, this acquisition could mean tighter integration between Garmin's wearable data and TrainingPeaks' coaching tools. Currently, Garmin watches sync training data to TrainingPeaks via a third-party connection. Deeper integration could bring TrainingPeaks workout plans directly to your Garmin watch face, auto-sync performance metrics without manual setup, and potentially include TrainingPeaks features in Garmin Connect or the optional Garmin Connect+ subscription.

Industry Impact

The acquisition positions Garmin to own the full athlete pipeline: wearable hardware → sensor data → training plans → coach collaboration → performance analytics. This is a competitive move against Apple (which lacks a coaching platform), Samsung (no training ecosystem), and standalone platforms like Strava. DC Rainmaker noted the deal makes strategic sense given the decade-long partnership between the companies, but raised questions about data portability and third-party access.

What This Means for Buyers

If you're choosing between smartwatch ecosystems, this strengthens Garmin's case for serious athletes. The Garmin Venu 4 and Fenix series now come with the promise of a more integrated coaching experience. See our full smartwatch comparison guide.