Fitbit Charge HR
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Just got mine yesterday! I thought I had pretty small wrist so I ordered the small. I should have gone with the Large, it does fit, but I am on the last 2 holes. I would definitely recommend the Large if you're on the fence about size.0
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I too would get the large, if there's any question. I was going to post that my small fits me fine but I just looked and it's a large!
MrsBailey- I thought the HR ran too low so I did some tests and in those it seemed ok. One thing I noticed is I think the dashboard HR charts are showing longish time frame readings so if you want to see the details like high 'spot HR' values, you should isolate the time frame of your workout with the little stopwatch tool on the activity log page or use the timer thingy. Then you can view the intra-minute details. But it was a few weeks ago and I haven't looked at it or worn it since so sorry if I'm describing it wrong, from memory. But when I checked the device also, I could see my usual 170+ values, too. Or in the detail charts. But not in the dashboard charts.
Though others on the Fitbit site have said they think it's underestimating theirs too.
Does yours look ok when you feel like you're 170+ and check the device itself, with it pushed highish on your wrist?0 -
MrsBailey149 wrote: »I got one in December when stores had a few for about a day...lucky me! I was super excited. However, the heart rate monitor is useless. I do hard cardio, Hiit training and my heart rate will get up to 170-180 (I've worn a heart rate monitor strap for years), but according to my charge HR, my heart rate is only at about 120 as I'm completely huffing and puffin for air. I wanted to like this soooo bad, but now I"m finding that I'm only using it for steps (could of got something cheaper for that). Maybe mine's a dud.. Anyone else have issues with the HR being so inaccurate?
I have the same issues! The heart rate is perfect for things like walking around, but if I do something like kickboxing, it just doesn't read right. I will be DYING, and then I'll check the app later and it will say that my average heart rate was in the 120's!!!
I think it might be more of a software issue (maybe they are trying to smooth it out to keep from false high readings?), because if I check DURING the workout, the reading I get USUALLY is around how I feel. One workout in particular, every time I checked my heart rate said around 135-145, with getting some readings in the 160s. Yet after I stopped the activity, synced, and checked the app, it said my average heart rate was 128, with the highest being around 151.
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I just did another test, with my Polar on, and the Charge HR did have much lower HR values, even in 'spot checks'. It was 20-50 beats lower. At one point my Polar said 161 and the Fitbit said 117.
I did a 2-finger pulse check thinking the Polar might be wrong because I did think its battery was shot before trying it today but it seemed right.
I wanted to view the detail data in the activity log to see if I saw what I mentioned earlier but unfortunately I had a different tracker model paired to my account and when I re-paired the Charge HR, it lost the prior data.
Hopefully it is some software issue and they work out the kinks.0 -
WalkingAlong wrote: »I just did another test, with my Polar on, and the Charge HR did have much lower HR values, even in 'spot checks'. It was 20-50 beats lower. At one point my Polar said 161 and the Fitbit said 117. I did a 2-finger pulse check thinking the Polar might be wrong because I did think its battery was shot before trying it today but it seemed right.
I wanted to view the detail data in the activity log to see if I saw what I mentioned earlier but unfortunately I had a different tracker model paired to my account and when I re-paired the Charge HR, it lost the prior data.
Hopefully it is some software issue and they work out the kinks.
I hope so, too, because it really is convenient to have an all-in-one device.
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The right side is from my Vivofit w/ HRM strap and the left is with my Charge HR. Clearly there is a disconnect. I know the vivofit is more accurate bc this was a hard cardio workout (it was an Insanity Max 30 workout). I'm going to give the Charge HR a few more tries and if I can't get it to give me an accurate reading while working out, I'm going to return it. The Charge HR gives a fine reading while I'm not doing anything, but it struggles while I'm working out.
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There's no way your max heart rate was 243, so the average on your vivofit is likely skewed by "max" spikes in the unreasonable range. At your age, a 100% max effort heart rate would be ~193.0
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I know '220 minus age' is a rough guideline, and I've gotten mine over 200 at age 44 in a lab, but that 243 jumped out at me as well. But 124 avg seems too low for anyone doing tough cardio, too. I wonder if the 243 was a quick anomaly? Otherwise, the Vivofit data doesn't look that unlikely to me. Around 10 calories/minute for tough cardio is pretty normal.0
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I have the Fitbit Charge and I just started syncing to myfitnesspal...does anyone know if you should still add your cardio as exercise or just go by what the steps say? Seems like the calories earned by fitbit steps of doing an hour on the elliptical is much lower than the actual calorie burn if I were to log it separately. Not that I plan on eating the calories...but if I sweat it I want the credit for it lol!!
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WalkingAlong wrote: »I know '220 minus age' is a rough guideline, and I've gotten mine over 200 at age 44 in a lab, but that 243 jumped out at me as well. But 124 avg seems too low for anyone doing tough cardio, too. I wonder if the 243 was a quick anomaly? Otherwise, the Vivofit data doesn't look that unlikely to me. Around 10 calories/minute for tough cardio is pretty normal.
It spikes at 243 when I work too hard and it's trying to figure what the h is going on, but after a few moments it will drop back down to a more regular reading. This happened with my Polar as well. But for the most part it gives me a pretty steady reading of between 160-190 when doing Insanity workouts.0 -
Those of you ladies who have the surge - does it look really bulky on your arm? I was hoping to wear mine all the time but they seem really huge!0
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Hmmm... if I'm really working hard the monitor says my heart rate gets up to about 170. Could it be a difference in placement?0
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Hmmm... if I'm really working hard the monitor says my heart rate gets up to about 170. Could it be a difference in placement?
I tried moving it up 3 fingers width, like it recommended for the best reading, and I still got a low reading during my intense workout.
Today, I used both my Charge HR and my Vivofit today for another Insanity Max 30 workout. This time I made sure it was 3 fingers up my wrist and I slowed myself down during the workout. Multiple times when I checked the HR it couldn't get a reading, but here are the side by side comparison. I'd love any suggestions on how to get a more accurate reading with the HR.
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I love my Charge HR!0
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Different people just have different ranges, too. Mine has always been much higher than the rough guidelines suggest. It's just a genetic thing.Hmmm... if I'm really working hard the monitor says my heart rate gets up to about 170. Could it be a difference in placement?
MrsRose- The Surge is too bulky for me but so is the little Flex so I'm not a good example!
jdhcm- At least your two devices are consistent with themselves across time, if not each other!
I wonder if that 'not getting a reading' is part of your problem? When I checked my HR in elevated heart rate cardio, it always read something. Too low but something.
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Hmmm... if I'm really working hard the monitor says my heart rate gets up to about 170. Could it be a difference in placement?
I tried moving it up 3 fingers width, like it recommended for the best reading, and I still got a low reading during my intense workout.
Today, I used both my Charge HR and my Vivofit today for another Insanity Max 30 workout. This time I made sure it was 3 fingers up my wrist and I slowed myself down during the workout. Multiple times when I checked the HR it couldn't get a reading, but here are the side by side comparison. I'd love any suggestions on how to get a more accurate reading with the HR.
To be honest, I think the Vivo is overestimating your burns. If your average is in the 160s and it peaks in the 200's, that's not right. You said it has trouble figuring out what's going on, but it is still calculating those numbers into it's final reading and, if that happens often, your entire workout's data will be skewed. I think the FitBit is actually more accurate.
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mynameiscarrie wrote: »Hmmm... if I'm really working hard the monitor says my heart rate gets up to about 170. Could it be a difference in placement?
I tried moving it up 3 fingers width, like it recommended for the best reading, and I still got a low reading during my intense workout.
Today, I used both my Charge HR and my Vivofit today for another Insanity Max 30 workout. This time I made sure it was 3 fingers up my wrist and I slowed myself down during the workout. Multiple times when I checked the HR it couldn't get a reading, but here are the side by side comparison. I'd love any suggestions on how to get a more accurate reading with the HR.
To be honest, I think the Vivo is overestimating your burns. If your average is in the 160s and it peaks in the 200's, that's not right. You said it has trouble figuring out what's going on, but it is still calculating those numbers into it's final reading and, if that happens often, your entire workout's data will be skewed. I think the FitBit is actually more accurate.
I think the Vivofit does that when I get to the point of dying, I've thrown up before during Insanity b/c I've pushed myself too hard (it was a learning experience that I do not want to repeat). When I see it climb into 190s, I know I need to slow down, but I'm not always paying attention to the numbers. The images I posted today are a more accurate reading of what I normally do. Yesterday's workout was b-tch, and I was working super hard to keep up, today I was able to keep up with a bit more ease.
But 200 calories for an Insanity workout is much too low. So the HR is definitely under estimating the burn.
I put more stock into the Vivofit b/c it's giving me numbers close to what my Polar (which would give me burn between 430-520 calories for 1 hour depending on the workout) used to give when I did Insanity workouts. So I know that 10 minutes into an intense cardio session, and I'm getting a reading of 117 is completely incorrect. Idk. I'll try to discuss it with customer service and maybe they'll have a solution. I really want the HR to work b/c it would be nice to have an all in one device.
When I checked heart.org it gave these estimates for my age range:
Age, Target HR Zone 50-85%, Average Maximum Heart Rate, 100%
20 years, 100-170 beats per minute, 200 beats per minute
30 years, 95-162 beats per minute, 190 beats per minute
I'm 27, so getting to 190-200 range is not out of the question for my age.
@WalkingAlong you're right. They are both being consistent which is a good thing. Maybe the HR isn't good at reading Insanity, which is possible, I'll give it a whirl during my spin classes and my pole fitness classes to see how the two compare.0 -
shutterbythesea wrote: »I have the Fitbit Charge and I just started syncing to myfitnesspal...does anyone know if you should still add your cardio as exercise or just go by what the steps say? Seems like the calories earned by fitbit steps of doing an hour on the elliptical is much lower than the actual calorie burn if I were to log it separately. Not that I plan on eating the calories...but if I sweat it I want the credit for it lol!!
Id like to know the answer to this too... Do I still need to log cardio manually, or will the fitbit take care of that via its calories burned?0
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