Treadmill and Fitbit Charge

Ryoku
Ryoku Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone have any experience using their fitbit charge on a treadmill? Is it going to count the steps or just the number of times I swing my arms? Do you find it accurate?

I've done a lot of searching for an answer before posting but can only find out info for the flex.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

Replies

  • mandyarnie
    mandyarnie Posts: 2 Member
    It tracks the swing of your arm that is why Im waiting for the charge HR (heart rate) I had the force fitbit. You can always log in the about of time exercise and calories burned into fitbit. If you can try not to hold onto the treadmill swing your arms normal like running outside. you burn more calories this way and it will be tracked. BYW I LOVE my fitbit and they are a awesome company that stand by the product. refunding me a full refund since my force came unglued a little and it is being recalled.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    MFP has a Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

    Since the Charge is brand-new, you won't find a whole lot of reviews for it yet. It's going to take some trial & error to make it work for you.

    I love my Flex, which is also worn on the wrist. I get "steps" in the shower, but I've maintained my loss for six months. Which means my Fitbit burn is 100% accurate.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I had just upgraded to the charge but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. When I used the flex on the treadmill and stairmaster it would pick up steps pretty accurately.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Ryoku wrote: »
    Does anyone have any experience using their fitbit charge on a treadmill? Is it going to count the steps or just the number of times I swing my arms? Do you find it accurate?

    I've done a lot of searching for an answer before posting but can only find out info for the flex.

    Any feedback would be appreciated!
    It should do fine. It uses the same technology as a Flex. If you hold the bars, it might not do fine. If you stand still and swing your arms, it might not do fine.

  • grundylady
    grundylady Posts: 19 Member
    I used my charge on my treadmill today. I think it did well. I really did not hold on with my left hand much. Be for I started My charge read .37 miles. After, the treadmill said I walked 1.0something miles and my charge read as 1.34 miles So, pretty close, I'd say.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    grundylady wrote: »
    I used my charge on my treadmill today. I think it did well. I really did not hold on with my left hand much. Be for I started My charge read .37 miles. After, the treadmill said I walked 1.0something miles and my charge read as 1.34 miles So, pretty close, I'd say.

    A 33% variance isn't close
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    You can calibrate your Fitbit: http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-do-I-measure-and-adjust-my-stride-length
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    sheldonklein wrote: »
    grundylady wrote: »
    I used my charge on my treadmill today. I think it did well. I really did not hold on with my left hand much. Be for I started My charge read .37 miles. After, the treadmill said I walked 1.0something miles and my charge read as 1.34 miles So, pretty close, I'd say.

    A 33% variance isn't close
    A mile on her treadmill equated to .97 miles on her Charge (1.34-.37). So 3% difference.

    The best way to test a Fitbit is to note the steps total then walk 100 steps you count out and see how many it advanced. Distance takes into account your stride length setting and/or any error in the treadmill's distance estimate.

  • sweetadelinas
    sweetadelinas Posts: 3 Member
    I have the Charge HR and use it on a treadmill every day. It does count your steps, but I find it misses some...not a substantial amount, though.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    A mile on her treadmill equated to .97 miles on her Charge (1.34-.37). So 3% difference.

    I had to read it a couple of times to interpret what was said, as it did initia\lly read like a huge error.

    Compounding calibration errors on the dreadmill with read error on the device then they seem pretty close.

    But the best bet remains to go outside, do a measured mile walk and then calibrate.
  • gshifrin
    gshifrin Posts: 53 Member
    Try putting it in your pocket.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    gshifrin wrote: »
    Try putting it in your pocket.

    The Charge algorithm is designed for the device to be worn on the wrist. I once left my Fitbit Flex in my bag by accident. It tracked my steps—but way less accurately.
  • Ryoku
    Ryoku Posts: 35 Member
    Thanks for the info guys. I used it last night and it seemed to work pretty well. Luckily I've been working on not holding on to the treadmill for a while so was able to do my whole workout without holding on.
  • littlehome1
    littlehome1 Posts: 9 Member
    I have the fit bit charge l love it so far its pretty accurate for the most part but i only just got it for Xmas.
  • jimmykahn
    jimmykahn Posts: 1 Member
    edited April 2015
    I just did some experimenting with my FitBit Charge while on the treadmill and I can say, definitively, that it does not track the swing of your arms. I had tried several times to count off the steps in my head and then look at my FitBit to see if it was accurate or not. I was finding that, in fact, it was not accurate at all. So I opened the FitBit app on my phone and watched it as I stepped. If I swung in my arms, as a normal person does, it counted far fewer steps than I was taking while, if I left my arms still at my sides, it seemed to count each step. I have the sensitivity set to "dominant hand" as that is the hand that I wear it on. I'm going to try and set it to the more sensitive setting and see if that makes a difference. Who knows? It might just be me.
  • mlopinski546
    mlopinski546 Posts: 1 Member
    Is there a way to override the distance walked after charge hr tracked treadmill walk of 3.1miles at 2.35 miles?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    mlopinski546 wrote: »
    Is there a way to override the distance walked after charge hr tracked treadmill walk of 3.1miles at 2.35 miles?

    You need to calibrate your stride length:
    http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-do-I-measure-and-adjust-my-stride-length
  • bcruz313
    bcruz313 Posts: 56 Member
    sweetadelinas wrote: »
    I have the Charge HR and use it on a treadmill every day. It does count your steps, but I find it misses some...not a substantial amount, though.

    I'd have to agree. Before getting my Charge HR I had a Flex. While doing cardio on a machine or walking thru the grocery store for that matter, I'd just loop it thru my shoe and that worked well. That was at the suggestion of Fitbit customer service. Should work for Charge also.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    The heart rate sensors in Charge HR only work when it's worn on your wrist. If you put it on your shoe (or in your pocket) you must turn off the HR. Otherwise, you'll get an inaccurate HR & burn.
  • LiveLoveRunFar
    LiveLoveRunFar Posts: 176 Member
    I have a charge HR, it's pretty accurate on steps. I'm more interested in the calorie burn though than steps.
  • mporter50sb
    mporter50sb Posts: 1 Member
    IMHO - and I do mean H... I tried the charge HR at the gym enough to conclude that if you wear it normally (as it should be worn, not putting it in your pocket;) it does not calculate the steps accurately. The rolling stairs & treadmill are where I get my most intense cardio workout, & reading a great e-book, "Thornbirds" again after 35 years;). After 30 mins on the rolling stairs @ at speed 6, the fitbit credited 8 floors, the rolling stairs showed 75+, after 30 on the treadmill @ 3.2 mph, fitbit showed 900 steps, pedometer showed 4000+. Of course outside walking the FB is great. I hope sometime soon Nike will resolve this "big problem" (for me anyway) maybe by adding a comfortable bluetooth ankle transmitter, or some such. Now, Nike would have a big fan.. just my humble opinion my friends..Go Patriots!!!
  • FitCurves1818
    FitCurves1818 Posts: 90 Member
    This is pretty much why I just log cardio machine exercises separately and not rely on my fitbit to monitor anything except for actual walking/running. Sometimes I'm using the handrails, sometimes my hands are on my hips, sometimes I'm using weights and doing overhead presses etc while on a treadmill/stepper/elliptical. Too many variables in what my hands are doing/not doing for the fitbit to be accurate.
  • BklynFitGuy
    BklynFitGuy Posts: 712 Member
    I have a flex and use a treadmill. Not sure if it's 100% perfect but it's pretty close.
  • sigolafsson
    sigolafsson Posts: 1 Member
    edited October 2015
    I have a Charge hr and i use Cross trainer. Do I have to log manually all my workouts in mfp & Endomondo ? I have linked my fitbit to myfitnesspal and Endomondo but only my step count syncs. I use workout mode on my charge.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    mporter50sb wrote: »
    IMHO - and I do mean H... I tried the charge HR at the gym enough to conclude that if you wear it normally (as it should be worn, not putting it in your pocket;) it does not calculate the steps accurately. The rolling stairs & treadmill are where I get my most intense cardio workout, & reading a great e-book, "Thornbirds" again after 35 years;). After 30 mins on the rolling stairs @ at speed 6, the fitbit credited 8 floors, the rolling stairs showed 75+, after 30 on the treadmill @ 3.2 mph, fitbit showed 900 steps, pedometer showed 4000+. Of course outside walking the FB is great. I hope sometime soon Nike will resolve this "big problem" (for me anyway) maybe by adding a comfortable bluetooth ankle transmitter, or some such. Now, Nike would have a big fan.. just my humble opinion my friends..Go Patriots!!!

    Fitbits don't count stair machines as floors. They use an altimeter that notes your rise in altitude. You don't change altitude on a stair machine.

    Do you hold the treadmill bars while walking? That would explain the low steps there. Your arms have to swing in a normal walking motion for most of the wrist ones to be able to tell you're walking. That's why yours works fine outdoors, I bet.
  • SDakotaLady
    SDakotaLady Posts: 2 Member
    I have a Fitbit Charge HR. The mileage it registers is generally from 3/4 to 1 mile LESS than my treadmill says I walk. I do NOT hold on to the treadmill, ever, so I am swinging my arms, but still the treadmill says I walked much further than my Fitbit does.
  • Imlexi1969
    Imlexi1969 Posts: 1 Member
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    Ryoku wrote: »
    Does anyone have any experience using their fitbit charge on a treadmill? Is it going to count the steps or just the number of times I swing my arms? Do you find it accurate?

    I've done a lot of searching for an answer before posting but can only find out info for the flex.

    Any feedback would be appreciated!
    It should do fine. It uses the same technology as a Flex. If you hold the bars, it might not do fine. If you stand still and swing your arms, it might not do fine.

    I have a fitbit charge hr. Im a heavy girl so im not confident enough walking on the treadmill with holding on so i strapped it to my ankle using some string to calculate my steps

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