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Forbes review of Fitbit Charge HR

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  • cindyangotti
    cindyangotti Posts: 294 Member
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    If it struggles giving an accurate heart rate during exercise then what is the point of buying an HR? It also says the clip on step counters are most accurate but HR is okay compared to it's competition. That doesn't sound acceptable. I currently have the ONE and have had it for a long time. I have been looking at the HR mostly to track my gym workouts. But according to this article it doesn't seem like it will be very reliable.
  • keithcw_the_first
    keithcw_the_first Posts: 382 Member
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    I have the HR; it does a fine job of tracking pulse during workouts. To be fair, I mostly stick to strength training. Occasionally it will fail to display a reading but it runs averages when it can't find a pulse and I find that when reviewing the workout, there aren't any HR reading that are way out of ordinary.

    Sometimes I can see the sets of each individual exercise, solely by heart rate.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
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    Mine does just as well tracking my heart rate during exercise as my chest strap HRM did. I mainly do walking and Wii Zumba with a little bit of strength training.
  • cindyangotti
    cindyangotti Posts: 294 Member
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    I do running, treadmill, and arc trainer which is all high cardio. I wonder if I will just basically get the same number as I get on the machines. It would have been nice for running and biking but now I'm not sure.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
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    I don't use a treadmill or other machine that gives a calorie reading, but my son does. He just got a Charge HR a couple of days ago, so he's only done one workout with it. He's been curious because he sometimes does treadmill and sometimes does elliptical and one machine feels to him like a harder workout, but the other one tells him he burns more calories (I forget which is which). The one workout he's done he said the Fitbit gave him about 100 more calories than the machine (I don't know which machine it was).
  • fatjon73
    fatjon73 Posts: 379 Member
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    cindyangotti wrote: »
    I do running, treadmill, and arc trainer which is all high cardio. I wonder if I will just basically get the same number as I get on the machines. It would have been nice for running and biking but now I'm not sure.

    I am currently doing a couch to 5 k on a treadmill......and have the Charge HR..........my treadmill which is a good one it does not input my stats.....it has a polar HR on it...hand type....and I compare the 2.....the Polar is usually a bit higher than my Fitbit....by about 5 beats.......but the cals burn is a massive difference.......I track both....today I did my half hour.....and got 180 cals burn off my treadmill...and 398 off my Fitbit.........over double.....so there is a difference......I also do the same routine 3 times a week.....and each time my Fitbit measure virtually the same reading each time......so its also consistent.......I think the adjustment give me is high....but that is another discussion altogether.....

    If you like Data then the Charge HR is as good as there is I think...you get a lot of info.......I have had it 2 months now...so I am still understanding there figures......

    I may be wrong on this....but I also think the dashboard on the Charge gives a lot more too......but I have only had a charge.......
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    If the treadmill doesn't have at least weight, then it's formula for calorie burn is based on some average figure, manual probably says what weight.

    If no stats then the built in Polar is not used for calorie burn, but merely HR and zones and maybe some HR zone profile routines. HR formula need even more stats for a stab at estimating calorie burn.

    So only trustworthy thing here is the Charge, either step-based calorie burn if the distance was correct, or HR based which really just depends.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/774337/how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    cindyangotti wrote: »
    I do running, treadmill, and arc trainer which is all high cardio. I wonder if I will just basically get the same number as I get on the machines. It would have been nice for running and biking but now I'm not sure.

    A nicer treadmill that has weight stat will likely use the research based calorie burn formula based on weight and pace.

    Arc trainer probably does have as nice a formula since not too many variables like elliptical would have - if it asks for weight. At the least these devices can read the watts you are generating and assume the normal 20-22% efficient turning calories in to energy, and converting watts to calories burned.

    Biking and running outdoors where there are variable resistance changing all the time (hills, wind) lends to HRM having better chance of accuracy, if it's accurate in tested conditions. See post above.

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