The Suunto Ambit3 Manual 4: The New Workout Planner

A little interlude in the regular (finally returning) Suunto Ambit(3) manual videos / video manual, as Suunto has just updated the Movescount app (still only for iOS devices, but coming to Android next month – April 2015) to version 2.1.1. and the Ambit3 software to version 1.5.

Included with this update: a new workout planner in the app and a new workouts menu in the exercise options. (Voice guidance in the app had to be pushed back a little.)

So then, let’s have a look at how it works.

First, setting up a workout in the Movescount app:

Secondly, of course, putting the workout to actual use:

A few small updates will be a good idea (for Suunto to do), but the capabilities of this new workout planner are very nice. It just makes the Ambit3 line nicer again; the lack of this feature in the earlier lines and the lack of an Android version of the app (to date) more noticeable, however.

Play around with the different “target” (and zone) settings, I’d advise.

Questions? Comments?

95 responses

  1. Ambit 3 Peak 1.5.25 available – Page 2

    […] I'm back: The Suunto Ambit3 Manual 4: The New Workout Planner (I also finally went and got some instructional videos for the sports mode customization online, […]

  2. Jose Avatar
    Jose

    Hello.
    I have a question that I can not clarify.
    If I plan an interval workout in Movescount App, taking off autolap in Movescount, I do training without pressing the lap button on any home segment, to synchronize the move registered Ambit3 to web Movescount, Will I automatically generate lap of each segment of the workout?

    Thank you very much.

    1. A “step” (to use the word the workout planner also uses) does *not* make a lap.

      So, if you want to be shown the different intervals as different laps, you would have to hit the “lap” button yourself as a new interval starts.

      I think it’s a problematic issue either way:
      Some people obviously want intervals to be autolaps so they can be compared more easily; but having these added as laps and perhaps also getting autolaps by distance would make for a confusing display on Movescount (that is why autolaps and manual laps are now treated differently in MC, too…)

      1. Patrik Avatar
        Patrik

        Hi,

        Do you think they will implement autolap recording from the workout (that a step creates a lap automatically)? For analysis purpose it kind of sucks not being able to see (in an easy and quick way) how fast you ran a certain interval

        Br
        Patrik

        1. Interesting question, that. It would be possible and I can remember that quite a few people had been asking about it… May be time to remind some developers of this. They are probably busy with only too many things 😉

  3. Andrea Avatar
    Andrea

    Hi! I bought an Ambit3 Peak the last week. Yesterday I ran with it for the first time. I create a Workout with my iPhone ( Total 25 Step ) and I start it. I save the training when I came back at home. Now I see in grey the move on the iPhone. I follow your post/video about the problems, but nothing. If I record a running with a simple start/stop when I sync I see it on the website. Do you know / have similar problems? If you want more details about it, you can contact me via mail.

    Thanks and great blogs! 🙂

    1. There’s a fix in the works; several people have had problems syncing their moves… (I think it works better to turn off the auto-sync via app right now and sync via the computer, but that may be just my impression. Either way, fixes are in the works.)

      1. Andrea Avatar
        Andrea

        Thank you! I’ll wait the fix 🙂 I know … it’s better the sync via pc than iphone, but the auto sync wasn’t off and it wasn’t good!

  4. John C Avatar
    John C

    Hi – love the blog. Do you know if there’s a way to save/share a workout that I’ve created in the workout planner?

    1. At least at the moment, not really. If you paired another (person’s) Ambit3 with your Movescount app, you could save the workouts you have created on that, too (but it would also link it with your Movescount page and settings, I guess), and of course you can give a sort of guide to your setup by making and sharing a screenshot.

      That’s not what you meant, though. A simple share that copies a workout to another person’s app, á the (public) training programs in the Movescount website, isn’t available (yet?).

  5. Vincenzo Avatar
    Vincenzo

    If i set up a range like 4:50 min/km – 5:05 min/km and i run under or over this range is it possible to set an alarm that hurry up me about this?

    1. Ah, you mean in a workout planned via the new workout planner… (A “planned move” does give acoustic – as well as visual – guidance for the pace, if set up to do that.)

      Short answer: No.

      The workouts don’t seem to use acoustic guidance for the limits set up in them, “only” the visual via the graph.

      Could be that things are implemented this way because of the voice guidance that was planned for the workouts/Movescount app (though I don’t know if that is meant to give guidance like you are thinking of, either). That’s mere speculation on my part, though.

  6. dick Avatar
    dick

    Hello.

    Today I have gif myself a Suunto ambit 3 peak.
    Somhow I have chance the view button for to go in a menu.
    How can I chance it back to normal?

    Thanks

    1. Either this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC8e_ZtzX7Y or that one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tfnMwcpgVc should make it clear how the “view” button gets changed. Also note that the “view” button can (and does) go to different places in the different time displays (time – altitude/barometer – compass – etc.)

  7. Erik Avatar
    Erik

    Hi Gerald,

    I have created around 10+ ‘Workouts’ in moves count. When syncing with my ambit3 peak, I only have visible 5 workouts to choose from. And strangely enough, when I sync again, 5 different workouts appear on my watch, but never more han 5.

    Have you experienced this too?

    thanks and kind regards,
    Erik

    1. If I remember that right – and it sure looks like it – there’s a limit of 5 workouts that can be in the watch at once.
      Apparently, since workouts are only handled via the iOS app, the warning for that is missing (unlike those for e.g. the sports modes limits on the Movescount website).

      What you’ll want to do is toggle the workouts you want / don’t want to use in the watch on or off in the app (on the workouts screen, push “edit”, then that toggle button appears alongside the option to add a new workout or the possibility to get into and change/edit a workout you created before).

      THen sync.

  8. Anton Avatar
    Anton

    Hi,

    I’m trying to set up a few simple workouts and I like to start all sessions with a warmup segment that I manually can end. I.e. I wan’t to start the workout with the first step as a “lap target”. However, when I start the exercise my Ambit (3 peak) immediately skips to step 2.

    Have you encountered this? If so, is there a way to get by this?

    One example of a workout:

    step1: warmup, target=lap
    step2: run, target=time 12min
    step3: cooldown, target=lap

    But, as I said, when I start the workout the watch immediately skips to step 2. 🙁

    1. Just tried it, also on an Ambit3 Peak, and didn’t have that issue.

      Whether I started the workout before starting the recording of the move or did it the other way round, and whether the warmup ‘lap’ includes any e.g. heart rate range I say I want to be in (making it display heart rate) or not (in which case, it just displays the time in that step), I’m only in step 1 of the workout until I press the back/lap button…

      Strange you’re seeing a problem. Obvious (and always stupid-sounding) first question: You are on the latest software?

      1. CarlosGeorge Avatar
        CarlosGeorge

        Is it possible to skip a step? For instance, what if I set up Step 1 as a warmup for 2 miles but want to begin Step 2 at only 1.5miles. How do I skip to Step 2? Or if I have a Recovery of 4 minutes between intervals but decide I want to start the next at only 3 minutes, how do I end my recovery early? Thanks

        1. The way things currently work, the answer to “is it possible?” is “No”.

          One could, as a workaround, set up steps as laps so they only advance to the next step when one hits the lap button. Not good for all of them, but at least for things like warm-ups that may well have variable lengths, that might do the trick. Otherwise, it would probably just increase complexity (which button should do the skipping when they are all used for something, and how much use would it be to put that somewhere into the menu if it could only be done similar to the “skip waypoint” in navigation?)…

          So, it’s rather like with the whole set-up of sports modes (displays): Get it right or live with the way you set it up. Changing it on the go is rather too much of a hassle, anyways. So, if it was wrong, learn from it and change it before the next workout. 😉

          1. Anthony Avatar
            Anthony

            Hi Gerald, a bit disappointed that I can step through my interval workout if I want to cut short a segment (my old Garmin forerunner allows me to do this using the lap button!), but I thought maybe it’s possible to create an app that allows it? your thoughts?
            Anthony

          2. Anthony Avatar
            Anthony

            I meant to say ‘can’t’ instead of ‘can’ for stepping through interval training
            Anthony

          3. Well. Could be that Suunto couldn’t do that since there would be a workout step ending with a lap button press (if you choose that).

            Can be annoying, or could also be considered one of Suunto’s typical ways of doing things: Plan and then do.

            It’s the same with sports mode customization… Decide what you need, then live with what you chose (or change it for next time). No instant wavering 😉

          4. Anthony Avatar
            Anthony

            thanks for your response Gerald, I’m only a runner/track and field user, and I do like the Suunto’s chronograph over my old Garmin (which was an expensive watch for something that doesn’t even give you a hundredth or even a tenth of a second!). I’m going to have a go at making an app for my sessions that could beep whenever I’m half way through my recovery interval (every second lap) so I can start my next sprint when I know I have to go… Anth

  9. Sébastien Romaire-Denizet Avatar
    Sébastien Romaire-Denizet

    Many thanks for the “Planned Workout in use” as I was turning mad trying to launch a planned workout 🙂 I embed your video into my article related to this smartsportwatch : http://running.sebrom.org/2015/08/suunto-ambit-3-run.html (crediting your site of course) I hope you will not mind 🙂

    1. Glad I could help 🙂

  10. Heartrate and pace alerts on Ambit 3 Peak?

    […] generator is simple to use but can be quite sophisticated. Gerald has a great tutorial on this here. Reply With […]

  11. Truls Avatar
    Truls

    Hi! Great videos and instructions:)
    I have tried planning an interval workout on my ambit 3 sport. After sync and when I start workout (cycling or running) (yes I hold nextbutton and chose my workout) nothing happens expect it shows me the text for the different steps. It shows each step text for about a 1s.

    Yes I have updated sw from laptop
    laptop. I have a screen shot of my workout but I followed your video on the matter so I don’t think that’s the issue.

    Thanks
    Truls

    1. Two possibilities come to mind:
      1) There could be some bug in the communication between the app and your Ambit – but then, you should probably just not be getting the workout on your watch.
      2) Could it be that you expect to see the details screen for the workout (showing e.g. pace guidance) automatically and haven’t tried pushing the “next” button to cycle through displays (until you get to the workout screen)?

      I’m a bit hesitant to ask that, it sounds silly, but that’s just the kind of thing that tends to happen with these tools 😉

      1. Truls Avatar
        Truls

        Thanks for your reply, Yes I tried scrolling through all displays.

        BUT: This morning I tried using my iPad (iOS) instead of my Sony Xperia z2 (android 5.0.2) . And with great success, my workout worked as intended. It seems like android and movescount app is not a good match, yet. Hope they work this s#%^ out.

        1. That, unfortunately, makes sense. Bugs in the Android app are to be expected, still…

  12. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    Thank you for this information. I could not figure out the step to click on the options once you started the run to pick the workout. That step should definitely be before you start.

    But thanks.

  13. Marçal Juan Avatar
    Marçal Juan

    Hi, Android users have problems with the Movescount App, it doesn’t work properly. I’ve create a video to explain the problem: https://youtu.be/9-_AKQhVdRo
    Please, can you make public pressure on suunto public profiles in social networks? Thanks!

    1. Can you also show / tell how you have set up the workout? The problem could also be with that…

      1. Marçal Juan Avatar
        Marçal Juan

        Hi, thanks for asking. I’ve just create a new workout and let the default workout intact. Then wait for sync and that’s it. The workout in the app shows all steps without problems. It’s a common problem for Android App (see comments): http://movescountandroidbeta.com/suunto-movescount-for-android-1-2-0-released-to-google-play/

    2. Truls Avatar
      Truls

      I have the exact same problem with my suunto and sony xperia z. Im really disappointed with Suunto and their lack of support and will to fix this.

      1. Interesting. Same question to you: Could you expand a little on what you’re trying to do, how you are setting up the workout?

        1. Truls Avatar
          Truls

          I´ve set ut the workout exactly as you did in your video. First on my sony xperia and then on my ipad. On the Ipad it worket perfectly! On my sony, not so much:)

          1. Thank you both. I hadn’t been following what’s been happening with the (released) Android app recently, so completely missed that issue. Just wrote a contact at Suunto, responsible for communications; let’s see what comes. Can’t believe they went incommunicado for a month.

            I can say that there’s quite a bit that has been happening behind the scenes, but much of that may have been about Traverse compatibility… I’ll check something that should show if there’s been progress… Lots happening at Suunto recently, but they still shouldn’t forget to even just say anything about that…

          2. Quick note: I’ll need to check again, but it looks like this issue has been (in the process of being) taken care of and will be solved in the next release… But I need to check again, don’t know when that will come out, and certainly am not happy with Suunto not being more forward in their communications (which is a long-standing issue…)

  14. Marçal Juan Avatar
    Marçal Juan

    With new android app version, the workouts finally works at last. Maybe not for some devices. Thanks.

    1. Glad to hear that 🙂

  15. Truls Avatar
    Truls

    With the new update the app and phone seems more stabile, needs a few tries to get sync complete but still better.
    But the problem with planned workouts still lives strong.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-_AKQhVdRo

    1. Really? What device / android version?

  16. Truls Avatar
    Truls

    Sony xperia z2 Android 5.1.1

  17. Jorge Junior Avatar
    Jorge Junior

    Friend after this update, interval training already uses the automatic lap ?

    1. Not that I know of. And since it was changed to be a different kind of lap from manually set ones, I’d guess it will probably remain different – or I’m thinking of something other than what you are thinking of 😉

  18. Steffen Avatar
    Steffen

    Hello. I have a problem with my ambit3 peak. When I want to do an exercise (running) and have made a WORKOUT in the movescount app and sync with the watch, there is nothing in the menu with the exercises. I press start/stop, exercises, run, wait for the pulse and gps and then holding down the next button. When I get the menu I only get Alti-baro, activate and navigation but NOT workout. It is simply missing. Any ideas what to do?

    1. Two things. One, make sure you have updated the app; two, hope Suunto finds the bug that causes this and remedies it.

      Yeah, quite a tongue-in-cheek answer. This problem happened a while back (the way I remember it) with the Android Movescount app; I thought it had been taken care of, but apparently, not for everyone. Seems to be a problem mainly with Android, as it’s running on such a diversity of devices, some combinations cause issues…

      Yes, you could also try re-installing the app; sometimes it helps. (Sometimes it’s just Techno-Voodoo… no insult to vodun intended.)

  19. Jakub Avatar
    Jakub

    Hey, how many steps can you set for a workout? Is there any limit, e.g. 20 like in Polar M400? I don’t mean repetition of one task but how many different tasks can you do maximum?

    1. Wow, good question. I don’t think anyone’s reached a limit yet 😛

  20. Jeroen Avatar
    Jeroen

    Hi Gerald,

    Reading some of the comments I conclude that it is not possible to create an interval workout on the Movescount app and get all the intervals as laps on the computer. If this is true, I will return my Suunto Ambit3 Peak to the shop. I would be very disappointed by the watch and by Suunto.

    With regards,
    Jeroen

    1. If that’s your deal breaker. I have some intervals of 30 seconds in workouts, and if those were marked as laps… Well, actually I might like it. Good reminder of something I should check / ask about once more.

      1. Jeroen Avatar
        Jeroen

        Yes, fir me that’s a dealbraker. My training regime consists of this this kind of interval training for at leat 95%. So if it is uncapable of logging laps it is of no use to me 🙁 I was hopibg you had a solition for this.

        1. Jeroen Avatar
          Jeroen

          Problem solved. I returned the Suunto and bought myself a Garmin Fenix 3. Very pleased with it. I.m.o. it works (way) better then the Suunto.

          1. Try it first 😉
            (Like with so much tech nowadays, it seems a choice between the devil and Beelzebub: both can make you happy, both aren’t, ultimately, what it’s all about…)

            Would be interested in hearing your longer-term impression, actually

  21. michael carroll Avatar
    michael carroll

    Hello,

    I have just purchased an Ambit 3 Sport

    I devised the following test interval session using the mobile phone app on IOS –

    5 min warm up ( no distance on target heart rate selected )

    2 x 1 km at pace of 3.30 km/min with next interval starting when heart rate dropped to 70 % of my MHR.

    Only 2 reps as I did not want to be out all evening.

    Some points that I hope someone can answer –

    The watch did not ‘ beep ‘ at the end of the first 1 km interval. I had to keep looking at the remaining distance to gauge when the interval would end which is not good as I am running along dark street lit only by streetlamps and need to look ahead not at my wrist.

    After the interval was finished the watch briefly flashed up the target heart rate when I would be good to go again but this then disappeared and the actual live heart rate is not displayed on screen and there was no audible alert to tell me when to start the second interval.

    After syncing the device with ‘ Movescount ‘ I looked under ‘ Laps ‘ as I wanted to see the times for each of the km’s that I ran and there was incorrect data recorded there; nothing related to the exercise that I had just performed.

    Can anyone shed light on these issues please ?

    Thanks.

    1. Oooff. So few steps and yet so not-simple. Can you even set everything up like that?!

      First, what’s easier to answer: If I understand you right, you’re thinking that the watch should be marking your 1 km intervals in that workout as laps, so that you can see the times for those in the laps view on Movescount.
      Problem is, it doesn’t.

      Have had a few discussions about that. Earlier, the Ambits were adding rather too many lap markings, people complained, Suunto changed it. Now, maybe because of that, or maybe it’s a limitation (or something overlooked) in the workout planner function, the steps of a workout are not being marked as laps. Just how it is.

      The not-beeping… Not sure even of what you’re asking. I mean, there should have been / be a beep after 1 km each in your two 1k steps. But, how could you have had to look at the remaining distance when there had been no beep? You should have noticed that it didn’t beep (or you overheard it – not a criticism of you, just a suggestion because the beep’s not the loudest when there’s e.g. a car going by) at the end of the 1k, meaning there wouldn’t have been a “remaining distance” – or, of course, I’m misunderstanding something here (which wouldn’t surprise me in the least 😉 )

      In between the two 1k steps, the easiest explanation for why you didn’t get a beep would be that you didn’t get to the HR you’d set up as starting the next interval (and then, there’d also not have been a km count, nor a beep at the end of that, because that second 1k interval wasn’t started in the watch). But, something’s off here: When you set up an interval to last until you’ve reached a certain HR, then your HR is shown, at the very least in the graphical view – or so it should be.

      Methinks I’ll want to try and give that session/setup a shot myself, see what my Ambit3 makes of it…

      1. michael carroll Avatar
        michael carroll

        Hello,

        Gerald, many thanks for a lightning fast and detailed response !

        In relation to your answer about recording the lap times of intervals I am surprised to see this omission. If the functionality is not there within the software then so be it.

        I would have liked this functionality to be there – I am intending to start performing intervals sessions of 1 km x 8 or 10 or 12 or even longer sessions of 2 km to 5 km in connection with a spring marathon where getting the km pace correct over 42 km is of paramount importance.

        Beeping and audible tones – can I offer an example please ? My Polar 720i can be programmed for intervals. The Polar device emits an audible tone at the end of the warm up, also at the end of each time based interval.The device also emits a tone in response to a heart rate being reached or completion of a set recovery time. The Polar device was purchased by me in 2004 and is still going strong !

        After completion of the first interval I am convinced that my heart rate fell to under 70 % of max thus triggering the second interval. This must have happened because the timer started recording the time for the next interval and the screen changed to show my pace per min for km.

        I will have a further play about with the watch try this out tomorrow in daylight and see what happens.

        I would be interested to see your results to your test or other users responses.

        I may just need to buy a simple GPS running watch rather than a device than is proving tricky to use.

        Thanks all…

        1. Went out, even made videos of the different steps of the workout… and eventually realized something: The first question should be, Do you, perchance, have the button sounds on your Ambit turned off? I think that would override the beeping you should be getting when a step in a planned workout starts/ends.

          And, I certainly did have a beeping, the display of the text for the workout step, the display of the planned workout, and then some indication of how that step went.

          One exception to that last point, though: The workout step with a heart rate target does not show the HR, indeed. I can remember, now that I’ve seen that again, that this has been like that right from the get-go, and it is kinda annoying. Then again, you still get the beep and the display of the next step once you’ve reached your target HR, and you could switch to a screen showing HR if you felt the need to see that. (And if there’s a new step, there’s still the beeping and the display for the new step that’s starting.)

          Shall I show it or does that do the trick?

          1. michael carroll. Avatar
            michael carroll.

            Hello Gerald,

            You are correct to state that yes, I did have the all the button sounds turned off hence the lack of sounds… thanks for that tip.

            You are right to say that the target heart rate within the recovery section is not visible, but as you say, another screen or view could show the heart rate. I could add another screen and have the target heart rate visible.

            But I really wish the target heart rate could be seen ticking down to the target… seems much easier and intuitive that way.

            Many thanks for taking the time to check out the issue.

            Thanks…

          2. Yeah, having seen it (a workout step with a target HR to get down to not showing the HR) again, I remembered that I’d also criticized that before. I seem to remember that there was an explanation/excuse for it (and it doesn’t quite fit into the way the other targets/zones are set up), but I also find it counter-intuitive. Well, at least we do have that workout planner and it’s working – I still remember other times 😉

  22. Larry Littlepage Avatar
    Larry Littlepage

    Hi Gerald, Thank you for the knowledge base. I bought an Ambit3 Peak for myself for Christmas, but I have become frustrated getting the workouts from the iOS movescount app to my Ambit. In Sports mode on the iPhone, three of the five modes are gray, 2 are white. Only the two white modes transferred over. How do I get them all onto the Ambit? Thank you.

    1. Hit the “Edit” button, then you can activate/deactivate those workouts that should (or should not) be transferred. (Same ‘place’ where the workouts could also be deleted or new ones added.)

      (There is also a limit to how many workouts can be transferred to the watch at any one time – five, that is. Not sure how the current version of the app does it; it should simply not allow you to mark more than five workouts as active simultaneously.You can create more than five on the app, just not transfer more than five.)

  23. DataGreed Avatar
    DataGreed

    Is there any way to schedule created workout? E.g. I want to do this workout evey monday, wednesday and friday.

    I’ve found a way to schedule something called “moves”, but I don’t see any way to add my created interval training to it. Do I have to select it manually every time I start the excercise through settings?

    1. Yes, those two are independent of each other, so you’d need to activate the interval workout manually.

  24. Hans van der Drift Avatar
    Hans van der Drift

    Gerald,

    Just wanted to say thanks for creating the missing manual. It’s an awesome resource.

    One question. As a new owner of a ambit 3 sports is the audio Que for heart rate guidance actually 2 mins? Seems a long time to be reminded. But that’s me at my fitness level, I was wondering if you are an elite athlete if this is a less of an issue.

    Hans

    1. Thank you.

      Yes, it is 2 minutes (until the audio cue goes off), and no, it’s a long time no matter at what level 😉
      That said, I personally like it better than things were with the Suunto Quest, which reacted immediately and got so annoying I usually had to turn the HR limits off. So, it’s a typical case of “your mileage may vary” – you develop a good feel for your HR and exertion level, and then only need the watch to check if your feeling is correct. Or so I’d see it.

  25. […] your training plan (set up on the Movescount website) and get guidance for it, and you can use interval workouts created in the Movescount app – but that, again, is just like things are on all the other […]

  26. Ivo Abreu Avatar
    Ivo Abreu

    Good afternoon and congratulations for the excellent work. A few days ago i bought a Suunto ambit3 sport and have the following issue; When the workout ends , there is the information on the display “workout ended”. However, after that the watch returns to the default sport display, with training time still counting. To finish workout i must press the “stop” button. This is normal in suunto workouts? In the past i have several garmin sports watchs and this did not happen. Many thanks.

    1. Yes, when you do a planned workout, this is how it works. The assumption is that you don’t necessarily have the workout end right back at your home, so you want the log to continue…

      1. Ivo Abreu Avatar
        Ivo Abreu

        Thanks Gerald for the information! Best regards.

  27. ILA Avatar
    ILA

    Hi,
    I just found your video and thanks so much so I don’t know if you still check this. You explain things much better than the manual . I just got the ambit3 run and it’s a bit confusing to set up but I’ll just keep watching your videos.
    Thanks

    1. Thank you 🙂
      (Yep, I check comments – and if there are any questions, I try to answer them, too 😉 )

  28. Denis Ballant Avatar
    Denis Ballant

    Hello,
    I’ve created a workout on my Suunto Ambit3 Run. It starts with a lap but when I press the Back Lap button on my watch, it never moves to the next step. I’ve been suffering other software issues like this. Is this common with Suunto ? Poor software quality ?

    1. Not really. Mistakes do happen, of course, but they are usually pretty solid in their work (on the watches).
      I hate asking this, but you *have* activated the workout, yes? (Just want to check, it often happens to be silly things like that 😉 )

      1. Denis Ballant Avatar
        Denis Ballant

        Yes of course I tried different ways: activating the run then the workout and reversely workout followed by the run. None of them works. I get the initial message for 1st step (say “warmup”) and it doesn’t go past that 1st step configured as Lap. I’m planning to ( The app, the watch; they’re all in French. )

      2. Denis Ballant Avatar
        Denis Ballant

        Guess what? I just created a new workout (movescount on Android) to perform a test with a step type other than Lap to see if it goes past the 1st step. After synchronisation, of my 4 workouts only one has been left on my watch. The 3 others are gone, including the one I just created!

        1. That sounds (a bit) like what happens when you create more workouts than the watch can store. Then, you need to go the place in the app where you can choose which workout(s) should be active, and pick just the 3(?) you want to have on the watch

          1. Denis Ballant Avatar
            Denis Ballant

            After a few more syncs, I got them all back! As a workaround for my original issue (Lap step not working), I just removed that step and will wait for the end of the warmup before launching the workout manually. Just to give you another recurrent issue I’ve been facing: after editing a workout, it gets duplicated in the Android app. At one time I had three versions of the same workout, even if there’s no such thing as a duplicate button in the app! Thanks for your help. Take care Gerald.

  29. oli.eichler@gmx.de Avatar
    oli.eichler@gmx.de

    I’m not sure whether this question was already posted. Anyway, I would like to have things cleared up: I had planned some interval training (warmup – repeating [800m intervals – 3 minutes breaks] – cool down). Now, for my analysis I’d love to have splits between all those elements in order to compare my 800m interval times. As I understand this works pressing the button on my Ambit3 Run at the beginning of every “step”. However, the move analysis on my movescount website only shows some weird laps most of them lasting about 1 second.
    What do I miss out?

    1. That’s odd. It doesn’t automatically create laps at the transitions (long story), but as long as you don’t have any steps in the workout (planner) set up to switch by lap-button-press, it should be okay if you press the lap button to add a manual lap… You should still be able to zoom into the different sections in Movescount, but that’s not a very comfortable way to do it.

      1. oli.eichler@gmx.de Avatar
        oli.eichler@gmx.de

        Thanks for your reply! I did some more tests and I think there are a couple of issues 🙁
        First of all, I have the Ambit3 Run watch (firmware version 2.2.16). Auto-lap and auto-Intervall are not active.
        – Lap steps just don’t seem to work. If I set up such a step the display on the watch shows something like “step 1/5 5:00min” (which is correct) and then “600 laps”. To me this sounds like if I had to press 600 times to advance to my next step. I did NOT try that out. 🙂
        – I’m aware of the fact that there are NO auto laps created in the workout (long story, I know). However, obviously there some breaks/laps/don’tknowwhat are set up when doing a workout: Those very short laps I mentioned in the first post are clearly my “reaction time” between the beginning of a new step and me pressing the button. So, if I press 1.5sec after the next step has started (which is quite realistic when training) only some small 1.5sec-lap is created. The workaround here would be to press just BEFORE a step ends but this is just not an alternative.
        – Having a look in the laps section of the workout move on my movescount homepage reveals one event where it says in the description column: “log stopped” – at the exact time the workout starts (if I start the training and activate the interval workout 30sec afterwards this event occurs at 00:00:30). I don’t know what this description means but I get the feeling that there is some major software issue at the point the workout starts (otherwise the “log” just wouldn’t “stop”)

        Again, is there anyone having those problems? Is there a way to “reset” the watch or do something similar? Works on computers sometimes 😉

  30. oli.eichler@gmx.de Avatar
    oli.eichler@gmx.de

    I think, when I use “” everything in between is deleted in my text above. So:
    “this sounds like if I had to press ‘back lap’ 600 times…”
    “…new step and me pressing the ‘back lap’ button”
    “…if I press ‘back lap’ 1.5sec after the next step has started…”
    “…would be to press ‘back lap’ just BEFORE a step ends…”

    1. oli.eichler@gmx.de Avatar
      oli.eichler@gmx.de

      the so-called “angle bracket” and everything in between is not shown. 🙂

  31. Eline Avatar
    Eline

    Hei! I have created a interval session on my app and synced in to my watch. The first step is warmup type lap. But when I press the the back/lap button is doesnt go to the first interval. what can I do to fix this? I cant find the autolap setting on my watch.

    1. Hmm. First thought: Make sure you’ve set up the warm-up step to be as you want it to be, i.e. a “lap” step for it to end when you hit the lap button, or a “time” step to automatically end after a certain time and advance to the next step.
      (I haven’t used these workouts in a while, though, so there could just as well be a bug, or something I’m not thinking of now…)

  32. oli.eichler@gmx.de Avatar
    oli.eichler@gmx.de

    It has been almost half a year since my last post here. I am experiencing quite many small issues with my Ambit3 run. However, I think there was an update on the Movescount Homepage recently. When uploading a move executed with the interval planner there is now a distinction between “interval” and “recovery” steps in the lap section of the movescount Analysis. So, Suunto has made a step in the right direction for me 🙂 However, many issues persist, in my opinion. I’m still not sure whether my watch works completely correct… 😐

  33. interrobang Avatar
    interrobang

    i am using a ambit3 vertical and the android movescount app.
    the workouts created with movscount app are actually not synchronized with the clock – no “workout” within the “Option” menu available – Its a bug. Arrr!

    1. Hmm. Haven’t used that in a long time; will have to check what’s happening. Also heard of people having issues with sync of long moves recently (April/May 2017)…

    2. Hi, apparently there is a bug in the Movescount app that won’t sync the workouts until you sync a move, i’m trying now for almost an hour and searching for workarounds.
      Found this on http://www.movescount.com/fr/mysuunto FAQ this known bug is now 6 months old ^^

      “Il y a en ce moment un bug sur l’application mobile Movescount, qui empêche la synchronisation des entraînements (si dans la meme synchronisation il n’y a pas au moins un move à transférer)
      Nos développeurs sont en train de travailler pour résoudre ce bug dans les prochaines mises à jours: en attendant, il est possible de:
      – Paramétrer les entraînements sur l’application mobile
      – Synchroniser la montre avec Moveslink2 sur l’ordinateur pour les transférer sur la montre.
      il y a 6 mois
      Katja_from_Suunto”

      Regards de Mat

      1. Thank you for letting me/us know, Mathieu! Sounds like it might work if you record some (pseudo-)move (just start recording one and stop it again after a few seconds), then sync…

        1. Mathieu Wagess Avatar
          Mathieu Wagess

          Hi, Suunto pushed a Movescount update yesterday (Android), I synced my daily commute and it definitely doesn’t work.
          But I will try the fake move trick.
          Doesn’t work either on the computer
          Regards

  34. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    I’ve created a workout on my Suunto Ambit3. The first step is a lap and set to ‘Lap’, but when I press the lap button it doesn’t go to the next step. Highly frustrating when you’re outside ready to start a workout and this doesn’t work. Basic functionality not working. This is very disappointing, considering I purchased this watch for the interval training and workouts. And yes, I am on the latest update etc. I recreated the workout and it still doesn’t work. This is a massive bug that you haven’t fixed in the past 4 years. I see other users posting on here with the same problem.

    1. Just wait until you realize (see here) that the impending shutoff of Movescount means the disappearance of the workout planner functionality on the Ambit3…

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