What is really the best fitness tracker ?

irvinhunt3
irvinhunt3 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone, so this question is for all my fitness tracker users or advocates. I am trying to pick the right fitness tracker for 2017. I've had the Fitbit flex but it's not really useful anymore because there's no hr monitor .
I am a heavy weight lifter, who occasionally likes to go on runs but mainly for cardio I usually play sports, do plyo, or do HIIT cardio. With that being said what is the best fitness tracker for me? Right now I'm looking at the Fitbit Charge 2, Fitbit Surge and the Garmin vivosmart HR+. Those aren't the choices you guys can choose from but those are the top 3 that the internet suggests. Thanks in advance for the help!

Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    What specifically do you want from one? If it is to track calories from weights or sports or HIIT, I am afraid that most trackers (including with HRM) are going to be bad at it, since a HRM's benefit is for steady-state cardio and most don't do a great job at responding as quickly as you need for tracking HR with something like HIIT. If you want to see what intensity you are at with HIIT, at the least you'd need something with a chest strap.
  • irvinhunt3
    irvinhunt3 Posts: 3 Member
    Yea that is what I want it for. To keep track of the calories I burn during excersise. To prevent a huge calorie deficit daily I need to know how much I'm burning when I workout
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    For actual exercise, a chest strap is better than any wrist worn one. I've had two wrist ones, and a chest strap.

    I can't say enough bad things about the Garmin Vivosmart HR. Complete garbage, especially if you want to track an activity.

    On the flip side, I'm having much less issues with a Garmin VivoActive HR. Much much closer to the chest strap for calorie burns on a treadmill, has a whole range of activities (that don't end up double counting calories like the VSHR), has GPS and is waterproof (which may not matter to you) and I can even download a golf course to it. Plus it will talk to certain chest straps, just not the Polar I already have.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    irvinhunt3 wrote: »
    With that being said what is the best fitness tracker for me?

    Garmin Fenix 3 or Suunto Ambit 3. You didn't expect the best to be cheap, did you?

    "Fitness tracker" is kind of a misnomer, because what most people mean by that is a step counter, and fitness and walking aren't identical and interchangeable. Better ways to track your fitness will be functional and related to what kind of exercise you do. So if you're a cyclist it'll be how much power you can generate in a 20 or 60 minute period. If it's a runner, it'll be how fast you can cover a mile or a 5K or half marathon or whatever. If you're a lifter, it'll be what you can lift. None of those have anything to do with getting 10,000 steps per day.
  • LilacLion
    LilacLion Posts: 579 Member
    I really like my Vivosmart HR=, very accurate (I've checked all the facets), a decent interface and a good community. It's simple to put on and forget. waterproof.
  • stephanne13
    stephanne13 Posts: 212 Member
    LilacLion wrote: »
    I really like my Vivosmart HR=, very accurate (I've checked all the facets), a decent interface and a good community. It's simple to put on and forget. waterproof.

    I really want to like my VSHR, but I'm looking for another tracker that i's a bit more accurate. Apparently, I can really rack up some steps while standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables.
    Also, I don't trust the miles it gives. It is consistently more than a mile behind my Samsung S5 & the Map my Walk/Fitness apps. Obviously, the step counts are off too. I've checked my phone with the mileage on my vehicle, and it was spot on. Wish it
    (S Health) would link it to MFP.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    irvinhunt3 wrote: »
    I am a heavy weight lifter, who occasionally likes to go on runs but mainly for cardio I usually play sports, do plyo, or do HIIT cardio. With that being said what is the best fitness tracker for me?

    There is no best, the is only really the optimum for your purposes.

    For what you describe HR tracking is pointless, it doesn't provide meaningful data.

    With that in mind it doesn't really matter which one you buy. Of the three options personally I'd recommend the Garmin. Whilst FitBit has brand recognition the Garmin technology is superior.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    If you want to see what intensity you are at with HIIT, at the least you'd need something with a chest strap.

    If you can see your HR during the work periods of a HIIT session, you're not doing a HIIT session.

    The chest strap recommendation is an example of spurious accuracy. The difference between optical and electrical sending isn't enough to be meaningful to most people. Specifically it's only meaningful for people who might be looking at getting from a 15:00 5K to a 14:30 or similar.

    HR is meaningless in the context of the original post anyway.

    When your talking consumer grade head end, like most of the market, optical is good enough.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    The difference between an optical and a chest monitor depends very much on which optical monitor you're using because some are very good and others are crap.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited December 2016
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    The difference between an optical and a chest monitor depends very much on which optical monitor you're using because some are very good and others are crap.

    Similarly some electrical sensors are good, some are crap. Pair a good sensor with an entry level head end and the sensor quality is irrelevant. Many people will spend the money to buy a top of the range device, and not use it to full advantage, or will use it for something it's not designed for.

    We're back in the realms of good enough, which opticals generally are, for most people. I'm sure you can find some exception cases to pull out as examples, but in the context that would just be posturing again.

    In any case, given what the originator is describing, it's really not important what the sensor quality is, HR isn't a meaningful metric.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    My Fenix 3 HR gets confused and reports my cadence as my HR. No chest strap does that. That's not "good enough."

    Why am I bothering to explain this?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    My Fenix 3 HR gets confused and reports my cadence as my HR.

    I'd suggest that's not a problem with the optical sensor, but with the head end.

    PEBCAK
  • U2Bad1
    U2Bad1 Posts: 41 Member
    I have Garmin vivoactive HR and I love it. Agree with Meandering in that super high accuracy heart rate is generally not needed for 99 percent of the people who use a heart rate monitor. I use it to get a feel for my resting heart rate and to get a general idea of what my heart rate is doing during a workout. That's it.
  • mimiyoyo1
    mimiyoyo1 Posts: 5 Member
    U2Bad1 wrote: »
    I have Garmin vivoactive HR and I love it. Agree with Meandering in that super high accuracy heart rate is generally not needed for 99 percent of the people who use a heart rate monitor. I use it to get a feel for my resting heart rate and to get a general idea of what my heart rate is doing during a workout. That's it.

    Agreed. I love my Vivoactive HR.
  • gunnerslove77
    gunnerslove77 Posts: 299 Member
    I'm also looking.. But have found Samsung galaxy gear fit 2.. It has gps built in... Reads your heart rate every 10 seconds.. Counts calories.. Has built in MP3 so you can run without a phone. Is compatible with mfp through endomondo and pacer. Think it's going to be the watch for me!! Oh and it doubles up as a smart watch to reply to text messages and see email alerts..
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    stephanne13 wrote: »
    LilacLion wrote: »
    I really like my Vivosmart HR=, very accurate (I've checked all the facets), a decent interface and a good community. It's simple to put on and forget. waterproof.

    I really want to like my VSHR, but I'm looking for another tracker that i's a bit more accurate. Apparently, I can really rack up some steps while standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables.
    Also, I don't trust the miles it gives. It is consistently more than a mile behind my Samsung S5 & the Map my Walk/Fitness apps. Obviously, the step counts are off too. I've checked my phone with the mileage on my vehicle, and it was spot on. Wish it
    (S Health) would link it to MFP.

    Had similar experience with the VSHR. Now have a VivoActive HR and it is night and day. More money but has a GPS and a lot more functionality. Also doesn't double up calories if you track an activity. HR is much closer to my chest strap as is calories burned (about 20% high vs 40-50% high). Plus I can download golf courses to it. Really a lot more flexible unit than the VSHR for me.
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
    gunnerslove77 wrote: »
    I'm also looking.. But have found Samsung galaxy gear fit 2.. It has gps built in... Reads your heart rate every 10 seconds.. Counts calories.. Has built in MP3 so you can run without a phone. Is compatible with mfp through endomondo and pacer. Think it's going to be the watch for me!! Oh and it doubles up as a smart watch to reply to text messages and see email alerts..

    Yup, that's what I have and so far I really like it (my first one's battery was funky and I returned it immediately; this second one works flawlessly).

  • dulcitonia
    dulcitonia Posts: 278 Member
    I need one to track the data points. Not necessarily for efficiency of exercise but I am curious about HR at baseline and activities.
    I have been thinking of Garmin vivoactive Hr (because I kayak a lot and it's waterproof) and it sounds like folks like it. I've heard it has syncing problems. Anyone have problems with syncing to iPhone or vitality app?
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    dulcitonia wrote: »
    I need one to track the data points. Not necessarily for efficiency of exercise but I am curious about HR at baseline and activities.
    I have been thinking of Garmin vivoactive Hr (because I kayak a lot and it's waterproof) and it sounds like folks like it. I've heard it has syncing problems. Anyone have problems with syncing to iPhone or vitality app?

    Can't help you. I've got an Android.

    Sorry
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