Fenix Users Exercise sync to MFP

envscuba

Hey Fenix Users: How well does the Fenix do with syncing its exercise to MFP? I am currently a fitbit user and fitbit's ability to sync exercise is limited, was wondering if the Fenix does this better. Please also post any of the good bad and ugly issues you have had with your Fenix. I do not want to jump into a $300+ purchase blindly.


Thanks,

AnvilHead

I have the 935, which is the same guts as the Fenix in a different case. Everything syncs to MFP perfectly and effortlessly except the occasional times when they temporarily break something in an 'upgrade'. But it seems like Garmin has had better luck than Fitbit with that, especially over the last few weeks/months.

I have nothing bad to say about the 935. It wasn't cheap, but I've used it 24/7 for over 9 months and am very satisfied with it.

ttippie2000

I have a Fenix 5. Overall it works well. There was a crash bug that got me once or twice when saving workouts, but that has been fixed. Most single activities show up fine.

There are a few peculiarities on a few exercises. For example, when I create a custom exercise, such a triathlon swim/run brick, the import into MFP does not show as any activity at all but registers as calories and steps.

garystrickland357

I have the Fenix 5 and I have had no issues synching with MFP

NorthCascades

I'm delighted to learn my F5X can route along trails. Instead of telling me it's 2 miles in a straight line to Big Beaver, the watch knows it's 5.5 miles along the trail - how I'll actually get there.

It works with my power meter, tracks outdoor swims, usually warns me about approaching storms, has enough battery for a weekend off the grid, is indestructible ... to say that it syncs appropriately would be faint praise.

Duck_Puddle

I use both a Fitbit (because that’s the only tracker that syncs with a program that gets me a significant $$$$ incentive for my health insurance), and a Fenix 5s (because that’s what I use for my actual training needs).

Fitbit is limited on exercise pretty much overall. When you record an exercise on your fitbit, it tallies your totals from the moment you hit start to the moment you hit stop (including BMR-so the numbers tend to be higher than those given on a device or calculator that derives a “net” calorie burn-or the calories burned only through doing the exercise). It approximates calorie burn as well as any other calculator around, and it approximates consistently.

When it comes to syncing with Mfp, fitbit only sends over your steps and total calories burned. Mfp then subtracts out what it expects you to burn for the day and the difference is your calorie adjustment. No individual workouts are sent. I’m assuming this is what you mean by limited.

A Fenix (or 935) device is a training device. Where my Fitbit records pace, HR and distance (with relative accuracy) for a run, my Fenix records all that along with temperature, cadence, moving vs total pace, altitude, where my performance was compared to normal, my VO2max, lactate threshold, training load, whether or not I need recovery time, and on and on and on. And that’s just for running. For biking you can add in power metrics (if you have a power meter), for swimming and rowing you can add in stroke counts/rates, you can record specific exercises/reps/weights/etc for weightlifting. There are about 1700 other sports/activities I don’t do so I can’t comment on them. Plus is connects to a billion ANT+ and BT sensors for even more data points.

Yeah-it calculates calories burned too.

For the Mfp sync side, Garmin sends individual workout entries as well as overall step count/TDEE. So you’ll see the specific workouts in your diary as well as the Garmin step/TDEE adjustment line.

My experience is that Garmin’s yoga activity doesn’t transfer over to Mfp as a workout (the calories do in the general step/TDEE line though). And n-1 workouts post to your newsfeed. Meaning if I go for a run, the run transfers to my diary and my calories are adjusted. If I then do a weightlifting workout, the weightlifting workout transfers to my diary and the calorie adjustment happens-and the run workout is now posted on my newsfeed. If I do a third workout, then all three workouts show in my diary and the calories are adjusted correctly plus the workout entry on my newsfeed now includes the weightlifting workout.

I don’t really care much about posting to my newsfeed so I don’t really care what it posts, nor do I know if that’s how it’s supposed to work or if it’s a bug. I care about my overall total calorie adjustment and that works equally well with Fitbit or Garmin.

I wouldn’t spend the $$$ on a Fenix just to have workouts post to my newsfeed or see individual workout entries in my food diary. I would spend the money on a Fenix because it’s a phenomenal training device that will do everything I could ever need a device to do for all of my training and recreational activities, it’s built like a tank, looks nice enough to wear as a regular watch, and most importantly - it gives me the data to help me become a better athlete.

HilTri

I've had fitbits and recently switched to the Fenix, I love it! My only problem with it is that when I do a spin class for an hour going 18 MPH MPF records it as a leisurely less than 10 MPH ride. I can manually change it in MFP, not a big deal.