Fitbit Charge HR
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Has anyone come up with a good solution for getting a more accurate reading during high intensity circuit training?
More accurate than ....?
Studies that have been done, using people doing the workouts in a chamber measuring expired oxygen and CO2, are the basis for most of the entries in the database that Fitbit uses based on METS, or resting metabolism x a factor.
Circuit training, meaning reps of 15-20, rests of 1 min or less, and several circuits of same lifts, heavy for the person, was 8 METS.
That's the most accurate you'll get.
Because based on steps is useless, as it's not walking level calorie burn. How many steps doing squats for 1 min?
0. I know I burned more than sleeping calorie burn doing my squats and deadlifts.
Based on HR is inaccurate too, as inflated HR isn't for providing more O2 for fat/carb burning, not at the level it's at anyway. And when it slowly comes down from anaerobic level back to lower HR, it's inflated that whole time for just standing there.
So that ends up being inflated by HRM calculations.
Lifting weights, reps 5-15, sets and rests of 1-3 minutes with full body lifts, is METS of 3.5.0 -
Today, I tried using the HR on my dominant hand, instead of my non-dominant hand, during my workout, and the heart rate readings were more in line with my chest strap HRM (my vivofit). At times they had the same number or the HR was a about 5 heart beats below my vivofit. There were still times that the HR was 20+ beats lower than the vivofit, but it was much less frequent. I still had issues with the double lines (--) showing up on the HR b/c it wasn't able to get a reading, but again it was much less than usual.
I'm very happy with these results. I'd post the pic, but for some reason my Fitbit app isn't showing the workout right now (it's on my computer's dashboard, but not the app, I'm sure it will pop up later).
Next time, I'll try the dominate hand with the HR on the inside of the wrist to see what happens there.0 -
I was thinking about getting the polar fit instead of the Charge HR for the reason of the chest strap. I think it would be hard to get your accurate HR off the wrist, especially if its not worn tight enough to feel it. I'm leaning towards the Polar fit.
I have a polar loop.... and it's so damn boring!
I hate it, the app is absolutely insignificant, no food tracking, no to any kind of motivation...
so I'd like to buy a charge hr... anything about its comfort? is it ok on your wrist for all the day?
thank you!
I only have the Fitbit flex. I wear it on my wrist. It doesn't bother me. This particular one does not have the HR monitor built in. I use my polar fit for that. I wear the chest strap which hasn't bothered me either.0 -
@karen11g - I am interested to see how it performs in spin class too, since I spin 5x week using my Polar FT4. I was hoping it would make the HRM with the yucky chest strap obsolete. I received my Charge HR last night so this morning was my first time using it for exercise. I wore the Polar and the Charge HR simultaneously. As I checked it throughout class I noticed that it did not pick up my heart rate as accurately as my Polar; it was always a few beats under. My calorie burn was also accordingly lower. It counted a bunch of steps (tells me I walked 2.3 miles) during class which of course I'll have to delete if I can figure out how many steps that works out to.
I'm giving it a week to see if I want to keep it. I'm switching from using the Fitbit One so I'm also wondering if step counts will be slightly different since I'm wearing the device on my wrist now.
Here are my stats from today:
Polar HRM: 90 mins, 544 calories, avg hr 135, max hr 158, time in zone 1:16
Charge HR dashboard report: 520 calories, avg hr 131, max hr 152, time in zones broken down: 16 mins in fat burn, 56 mins in cardio, 18 minutes in peak
I kinda love the detailed chart, but the sweat factor during spin class makes getting the device to stay in exactly the right place a challenge.
I also love the sleep alarm - it worked a charm this morning.
We'll see.
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I have just worn both for a 50 minute yoga class. The chest strap reported about twice as many calories burnt than the Charge HR. Yoga's not exactly cardio, of course, although my heart rate does get high with some of the more rigorous stretches!
I'll use both again on Sunday when I do spin.0 -
HRM calorie burn is invalid use during yoga. Not aerobic, even if HR is elevated, so inflated calorie burn.
Charge HR probably saw no to little steps and so knew you weren't doing a workout that the HRM should be used on. Smart if they did that.0 -
Just got mine Monday and I love it and the Fitbit site which is completely compatible with MFP. IT IS NOT SHOWER SAFE!!!0
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I tried the Fitbit Charge HR and wore it with my Polar chest strap. The bpm were off between 10-30 beats and the calories off around 20. When my heart rate exceeded the recommended range, the Charge HR stopped monitoring and all it displayed were dashes. My Polar 4FT was working just fine the entire time. I returned the Fitbit Charge HR and opted for the Fitbit Charge. Also, you have to wear it uncomfortably tight and higher above your wrist to track the most "accurate" reading. My chest strap during exercise is more comfortable.0
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just got mine as well - does anyone know if your heart rate will sync with the machine you are using i.e. spin bike. MY Polar chest strap syncs with the bike and wondered if this will as well?0
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bought my ChargeHR yesterday _ previously owned the ONE which served me really well.. so far i like it knowing that the heart rate monitor is not totally accurate but serves my purpose just fine.... steps are in line with my ONE... i like the idea of total burn throughout the day rather than just steps... only time will tell.... will update in a couple of weeks0
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I've had my Charge HR for about 10 days now.
Steps counted seems accurate compared to my old Flex.
It tells me that my resting heart rate is above what I can SEE on my Charge HR is my actual resting heart rate, so I'm kind of baffled about that, but overall very pleased.
It syncs in perfectly with MFP so I don't enter anything into my Fitbit Charge HR.
The silent alarm is terrific, and I love being able to see the date and time.
The stair count is accurate when I am going up and down actual stairs. I have one place I frequently do walking "laps" that has a slight incline, probably close to a floor in height. Some days it gives me credit for one floor for each lap, and other times no credit at all.
The caller ID does not always work or even vibrate when a call is coming in. I found out that that if the Charge HR is syncing, it caller ID/notifications won't come in. And it's never notified me simultaneous with the phone ringing, there is always a delay. That being said, it at least will frequently notify me that I've missed a call, because I feel my wrist vibrate.
I'd love to be Fitbit friends with anyone over 50, send me a message!0 -
Just ordered it! Can't wait!0
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Just bought mine today, and so far, I am happy. It is light and not obnoxious looking. But automatically syncing is going to make my life easier and allow me to loose more weight by tracking everything.0
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I am noticing after two days that my burns during spin classes come in lower than my HRM shows but my overall daily burn is higher by approximately 200 calories, which would explain why I was able to lose weight by eating just slightly lower than the burn number my One was giving me. I am getting the feeling that this device is more accurate than the One for overall daily calories expended for that reason.
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just got mine as well - does anyone know if your heart rate will sync with the machine you are using i.e. spin bike. MY Polar chest strap syncs with the bike and wondered if this will as well?
No, it only has BT, and the data for the HR is contained in a proprietary stream, much like Polar's is. But Polar is much bigger so manufactures made their machine compatible.
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becuzIwanttoo wrote: »bought my ChargeHR yesterday _ previously owned the ONE which served me really well.. so far i like it knowing that the heart rate monitor is not totally accurate but serves my purpose just fine.... steps are in line with my ONE... i like the idea of total burn throughout the day rather than just steps... only time will tell.... will update in a couple of weeks
Just curious, the One would give total daily burn too, what do you think is going to be different?0 -
Just curious, the One would give total daily burn too, what do you think is going to be different?[/quote
@haybales.... a more accurate reading that is not just steps....for instance when shovelling a driveway up here in Canada....or doing weight workouts with dumbbells and barbells...0 -
I was thinking about getting the polar fit instead of the Charge HR for the reason of the chest strap. I think it would be hard to get your accurate HR off the wrist, especially if its not worn tight enough to feel it. I'm leaning towards the Polar fit.
I have a polar loop.... and it's so damn boring!
I hate it, the app is absolutely insignificant, no food tracking, no to any kind of motivation...
so I'd like to buy a charge hr... anything about its comfort? is it ok on your wrist for all the day?
thank you!
Regarding the comfort level of the HR ... I have tiny wrists (5.5" circumference, slightly more than 2" across.) I wear the HR size small. For the most part, the HR is comfortable. It took a couple of days fiddling with the tightness of the band to both get an accurate heart rate AND not feel bruised directly under the heart sensor. Additionally, because the rigid portion of the HR is nearly equal to the width of my wrist, it can cause discomfort when riding against my ulna and/or radius.
I would imagine that for people who have larger builds than I, most of these things won't be an issue. I'm guessing some will have to experiment with the snugness of the band to find a consistent comfort level.
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