Heart Monitor Accuracy
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chuckb24c
Posts: 30 Member
I am looking for a device (Fitbit,Garmon, watch) that detects heart rate and is accurate. Don’t mind spending as long as the heart part is dependable. All the other bells and whistles are nice too but heart is priority. Any suggestions or experiences (good or bad) Thanks!
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Replies
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If you are looking for just a heart rate monitor have you considered an oximeter? Some models will keep a log of your heart rate and O levels.1
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I am looking for a device (Fitbit,Garmon, watch) that detects heart rate and is accurate. Don’t mind spending as long as the heart part is dependable. All the other bells and whistles are nice too but heart is priority. Any suggestions or experiences (good or bad) Thanks!
none are going to be 100% accurate they are all going to estimate the numbers to a degree. now a chest strap one will be a bit more accurate than say a wrist strap/watch. They can be off by a bit. I have a chest strap (polar) and a fitbit and for heart rate they can be off by 5-10 BPM(compared to doing it manually) but there are times its right on with taking it manually and if you have a heart issue,such as a heart rhythm disorder,etc then its definitely going to be off at times. what are you wanting/needing one for?
just know that which ever one you get it can vary at times so also learn how to take it manually if you dont already and then you will know by how much it is off. I know with my fitbit charge 2 there are times it reads no heart rate and I joke with hubby that Im a zombie because there is no heart rate.I would look up the ones you are interested in and compare them against one another and look at the reviews on different sites and see which ones have better reviews.2 -
I've got the Garmin chest strap HR, and it's been pretty accurate (compared to manual as well as the BP machine at work that also gives HR readings). It did seem to take a week to ten days to find my "zones" and give me what appeared to be more believable calorie burns compared to what I was being given without wearing it. It pairs well with the Vivoactive 3, that I really like- very user friendly for someone that doesn't particularly like being dependent on technology.
Now, someone had a thread that I saw last night that linked:
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/621802/pn/010-02064-00#specs.
I don't have one myself, but this does look like a viable option for when/if I want to replace what I've got now.2 -
Jadesfire93 wrote: »I've got the Garmin chest strap HR, and it's been pretty accurate (compared to manual as well as the BP machine at work that also gives HR readings). It did seem to take a week to ten days to find my "zones" and give me what appeared to be more believable calorie burns compared to what I was being given without wearing it. It pairs well with the Vivoactive 3, that I really like- very user friendly for someone that doesn't particularly like being dependent on technology.
Now, someone had a thread that I saw last night that linked:
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/621802/pn/010-02064-00#specs.
I don't have one myself, but this does look like a viable option for when/if I want to replace what I've got now.
heart rate really has no bearing on calories,a fitter person will burn more calories than one less fit,its the intensity of the exercise. a person can have a high heart rate at rest but doesnt mean they are burning a lot of calories because of it.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27232714
a monitor that measures Vo2 max would be more accurate for calories burned. or figure out how many METS you are using
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5374271/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4428382/5 -
Thank you all for your feedback!1
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Why you want or need an accurate heart rate monitor?
All day tracking or exercise specific?
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I am looking for a device (Fitbit,Garmon, watch) that detects heart rate and is accurate. Don’t mind spending as long as the heart part is dependable. All the other bells and whistles are nice too but heart is priority. Any suggestions or experiences (good or bad) Thanks!
What sort of user are you talking about, and what's your reason for looking for a heart rate monitor?0 -
I go to Orangtheory and I have a heartrate monitor that I wear. Some days it appears to be accurate while other days it reading very low. I am older so I am cautious not to over do things like I did when I was younger. If my rate gets to 85% of max I usually back off a bit. I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either. I am not that worried about how many steps I take or what my calorie burn is...I control calories with nutrition. Thanks to all!1
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I go to Orangtheory and I have a heartrate monitor that I wear. Some days it appears to be accurate while other days it reading very low. I am older so I am cautious not to over do things like I did when I was younger. If my rate gets to 85% of max I usually back off a bit. I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either. I am not that worried about how many steps I take or what my calorie burn is...I control calories with nutrition. Thanks to all!
I have found Garmin devices to be pretty accurate for power walking, running, and intervals.
Why are you concerned about not going over 85% of your MHR?
When I do intervals, I try to hit my MHR on the run interval. It's a good way to improve your anaerobic fitness and raise your VO2max as well as lactate threshold.
I'm 61 years old.3 -
I go to Orangtheory and I have a heartrate monitor that I wear. Some days it appears to be accurate while other days it reading very low. I am older so I am cautious not to over do things like I did when I was younger. If my rate gets to 85% of max I usually back off a bit. I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either. I am not that worried about how many steps I take or what my calorie burn is...I control calories with nutrition. Thanks to all!
heart rate zones mean nothing unless you are training for something. if you are not having issues with dizzyness,nausea,chest pain and other symptoms from heart rate being higher then you should be fine. if you dont have a heart issue then its really irrelevant and so are the zones. I know for me I never get about a certain heart rate no matter how hard I work,so I dont worry too much and I have a heart valve issue but had all kinds of testing recently and everything is fine so. but only do what you feel comfortable doing3 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I go to Orangtheory and I have a heartrate monitor that I wear. Some days it appears to be accurate while other days it reading very low. I am older so I am cautious not to over do things like I did when I was younger. If my rate gets to 85% of max I usually back off a bit. I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either. I am not that worried about how many steps I take or what my calorie burn is...I control calories with nutrition. Thanks to all!
heart rate zones mean nothing unless you are training for something. if you are not having issues with dizzyness,nausea,chest pain and other symptoms from heart rate being higher then you should be fine. if you dont have a heart issue then its really irrelevant and so are the zones. I know for me I never get about a certain heart rate no matter how hard I work,so I dont worry too much and I have a heart valve issue but had all kinds of testing recently and everything is fine so. but only do what you feel comfortable doing
Heart rate zones are important several reasons, from improving base aerobic fitness levels, to improving VO2max and lactate threshold.
Many runners and ultra runners use modified zones and target them for training.
How can you say it means nothing?5 -
Heart rate zones are useful tools in some specific cases, but aren't terribly useful to most people, and unfortunately create a lot of confusion.
Unless my doctor tells me not to go above a certain heart rate, I won't try to avoid it. Bodies have a lot of built in ways of protecting themselves, exercise that's too intense to maintain is painful. I've had tunnel vision doing intervals, that was a clear sign to back off. I was recording my HR at the time and it was a useful exercise, but I've hit that same number again and been ok.6 -
I have a Fitbit charge 2. I find its pretty accurate. If its off I notice it when my heart rate is higher. I think this is more that it loses contact with my skin during my workouts.0
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Unless you have had your max HR tested then your 85% could just be 85% of the wrong number.
"I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either."
IMHO these are not valid concerns.
TBH your body will tell you loud and clear if you are over-doing things. Using perceived exertion is free!!
If you really want (as opposed to need) to know your HR then like @OldAssDude I've found a Garmin chest strap to be pretty reliable, conversely I've found various Polar chest straps/devices to be pretty unreliable.4 -
Personally I have the Withings Steel HR Sport and the data are pretty accurate. The app is fantastic and you can connect it to MFP. It even looks like a normal watch which is why I choose that one.0
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I have a Garmin Vivoactive 3. I was in the cardiologists office and we compared it to the chest strap he was using.
4 readings. My Garmin was within ONE bpm. Every time.4 -
Unless you have had your max HR tested then your 85% could just be 85% of the wrong number.
"I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either."
IMHO these are not valid concerns.
TBH your body will tell you loud and clear if you are over-doing things. Using perceived exertion is free!!
If you really want (as opposed to need) to know your HR then like @OldAssDude I've found a Garmin chest strap to be pretty reliable, conversely I've found various Polar chest straps/devices to be pretty unreliable.
I was talking about the Garmin's with the built in optical heart rate monitors. I have compared them to chest strap monitors many many times and have found them to be within a few BPM for most cardio type workouts if worn properly.
Also, perceived exertion is not bad, but people perceive things differently, and as your body adjusts to the workout the perception changes. For example when I first start running, I perceive more exertion. After my body adjusts to running, I perceive less. I would not realize that if I didn't know what my heart rate was and what zone I was in. I'm not saying perceived exertion won't work, just that it is a variable that changes. Knowing your heart rate at a glance gives a much better picture of how we perceive exertion.
If a person wants to improve their cardio fitness, the basic rule of thumb is to keep your heart in the cardio zone for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes non-stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week, to get a minimum training effect. If you want a better training effect you should increase the time, and/or intensity (higher zone), and/or number of sessions per week.
I will also add that in order to do effective heart rate training, you need to know your true max heart rate (or as close as you can get to it), because that will determine what your zones are.7 -
OldAssDude wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I go to Orangtheory and I have a heartrate monitor that I wear. Some days it appears to be accurate while other days it reading very low. I am older so I am cautious not to over do things like I did when I was younger. If my rate gets to 85% of max I usually back off a bit. I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either. I am not that worried about how many steps I take or what my calorie burn is...I control calories with nutrition. Thanks to all!
heart rate zones mean nothing unless you are training for something. if you are not having issues with dizzyness,nausea,chest pain and other symptoms from heart rate being higher then you should be fine. if you dont have a heart issue then its really irrelevant and so are the zones. I know for me I never get about a certain heart rate no matter how hard I work,so I dont worry too much and I have a heart valve issue but had all kinds of testing recently and everything is fine so. but only do what you feel comfortable doing
Heart rate zones are important several reasons, from improving base aerobic fitness levels, to improving VO2max and lactate threshold.
Many runners and ultra runners use modified zones and target them for training.
How can you say it means nothing?
I specifically said that unless you ARE training for something. if you arent training it means nothing. I dont even bother most of the time to look at my heart rate. I know without looking at it how hard I am working just by how I feel. not to mention that many variables can throw off your max HR as well. things such as stress,your level of fitness (or lack of), heat,cold,etc. many people think going over your max HR is dangerous,for some it may be for others not so much.
I had an issue a few months ago where my heart rate spiked to the 170s just walking at a slow pace. my fitbit and manually checking my pulse showed it was this high. I was not going all out, I was walking maybe 2.5-3 mph not very fast ,very little exertion had palpitations from time to time also.
I had that happen for a week or so then it went back to normal(still had the palpitations off and on). saw a cardiologist,had all kinds of testing and everything is normal. have not had an issue with heart rate and the palpitation have been gone for weeks now. I have changed nothing at all.so that just proves that a heart rate zone means squat when exercising. I can do a true hiit routine and not get over 150 most of the time when I do it, and thats going all out. that number really means nothing to me though especially after the above happened.2 -
I go to Orangtheory and I have a heartrate monitor that I wear. Some days it appears to be accurate while other days it reading very low. I am older so I am cautious not to over do things like I did when I was younger. If my rate gets to 85% of max I usually back off a bit. I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either. I am not that worried about how many steps I take or what my calorie burn is...I control calories with nutrition. Thanks to all!
Heart Rate Monitoring at OTF is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. From what you say, you've got nothing to worry about.
@sijomial has articulated things pretty well.2 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »OldAssDude wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I go to Orangtheory and I have a heartrate monitor that I wear. Some days it appears to be accurate while other days it reading very low. I am older so I am cautious not to over do things like I did when I was younger. If my rate gets to 85% of max I usually back off a bit. I don't want to be in a zone and not know that I am there...I hope this makes sense. I do not have heart issues that I am aware of. Don't want to create any either. I am not that worried about how many steps I take or what my calorie burn is...I control calories with nutrition. Thanks to all!
heart rate zones mean nothing unless you are training for something. if you are not having issues with dizzyness,nausea,chest pain and other symptoms from heart rate being higher then you should be fine. if you dont have a heart issue then its really irrelevant and so are the zones. I know for me I never get about a certain heart rate no matter how hard I work,so I dont worry too much and I have a heart valve issue but had all kinds of testing recently and everything is fine so. but only do what you feel comfortable doing
Heart rate zones are important several reasons, from improving base aerobic fitness levels, to improving VO2max and lactate threshold.
Many runners and ultra runners use modified zones and target them for training.
How can you say it means nothing?
I specifically said that unless you ARE training for something. if you arent training it means nothing. I dont even bother most of the time to look at my heart rate. I know without looking at it how hard I am working just by how I feel. not to mention that many variables can throw off your max HR as well. things such as stress,your level of fitness (or lack of), heat,cold,etc. many people think going over your max HR is dangerous,for some it may be for others not so much.
I had an issue a few months ago where my heart rate spiked to the 170s just walking at a slow pace. my fitbit and manually checking my pulse showed it was this high. I was not going all out, I was walking maybe 2.5-3 mph not very fast ,very little exertion had palpitations from time to time also.
I had that happen for a week or so then it went back to normal(still had the palpitations off and on). saw a cardiologist,had all kinds of testing and everything is normal. have not had an issue with heart rate and the palpitation have been gone for weeks now. I have changed nothing at all.so that just proves that a heart rate zone means squat when exercising. I can do a true hiit routine and not get over 150 most of the time when I do it, and thats going all out. that number really means nothing to me though especially after the above happened.
A long time ago, humans relied on walking for days, and running for long amounts of time, for food. Also running to avoid being food. We evolved a sense of perceived exertion to help us stay alive. When your heart rate is high, you can feel it in several ways, you perceived a racing in your chest, you're gulping air down, your legs burn (or arms or whatever depending what you're doing). We have this because it works.
The hardest workout I do lately is a 20 minute power test. I don't look at my heart rate when I do it, like you. I do watch my power output though, instantaneous plus 3 second and lap averages.2
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