Heartrate Accuracy on Garmin Watch

Running Shoes/Running Gear Other

1 year ago 06/30/2022 7:05am EDT

if I'm running on the elliptical at the gym and record my heartrate and at the same time check the HR on my watch, the watch isn't consistent. it will bounce around between 105-120 whereas the machine HR will stick at the same 120 which I assume is correct as I am not altering speed and my level of exertion is the same.

I find if I wear the watch on the underside of my wrist, kind of upside down, where the sensor is closer to the blood vessels, it is a little more accurate but still not 100%.

does anybody else have issues with the HR function? It's a brand new watch, Enduro model.

1 year ago 06/30/2022 7:24am EDT

re: thyrgfre

I have issues, HR is garbage, yesterday was an easy run, had me at 190, today was a tempo run, I went really hard, it said my max HR was 152.

1 year ago 06/30/2022 7:27am EDT

re: Steiner Math

Garmin don't seem to have a solution, their FAQs just say keep it clean and in close contact with the skin. seems strange the gym machines work properly but a watch doesn't.

1 year ago 06/30/2022 7:27am EDT

re: thyrgfre

thyrgfre wrote:
if I'm running on the elliptical at the gym and record my heartrate and at the same time check the HR on my watch, the watch isn't consistent. it will bounce around between 105-120 whereas the machine HR will stick at the same 120 which I assume is correct as I am not altering speed and my level of exertion is the same.
I find if I wear the watch on the underside of my wrist, kind of upside down, where the sensor is closer to the blood vessels, it is a little more accurate but still not 100%.
does anybody else have issues with the HR function? It's a brand new watch, Enduro model.

sometimes it works. sometimes it is REALLY bad. overall, i think it's worthwhile to have, but don't become overly reliant on it.

1 year ago 06/30/2022 7:52am EDT

re: thyrgfre

My experience going all the way back to the FR 235 and a few watches in between (now on a Fenix 6x), the sensor does best when you are at rest or moving very little. So of course, it is at it's absolute peak accuracy during sleep. The more vigorous the activity (particularly high impact, like running) the higher the variation in accuracy. The biggest problem is the dreaded cadence lock, where ambient light interferes with the sensor and causes it to lock onto your pace instead of HR. This is most noticeable when you are in the middle of an easy run with a 120-140 HR and it suddenly jumps to 170-180 with no explanation and stays there for several minutes or longer.

Easiest, and only real 100% solution, is to pair with a chest HR monitor. The Garmin one is nice is you don't mind overpaying (and "planned obsolescence"--expect 1-2 years before replacement), but any cheap HRM will do--just about anything can sync with the watch. That way you get the benefits of 24hr monitoring for HRV data, and still get high accuracy data during runs/workouts.

1 year ago 06/30/2022 9:14am EDT

re: thyrgfre

I have a garmin 645 and the HR readings seemed fairly accurate, but I wasn't sure, so I got a Garmin HR strap. The HR strap works very well and seems very accurate. When I take it off and go by only the watch HR, it doesn't seem that different. So, for me, and with this particular watch, both the wrist and strap HR readings are good.

I think it depends somewhat on the watch, the person and their anatomy. If your watch doesn't fit your wrist well, it's moving around while your running, or the optical scanner can't see through your wrist for some reason, then it's going to be worse.

Get a HR strap. They're not that expensive.

1 year ago 06/30/2022 9:31am EDT

re: thyrgfre

Mine (Garmin 245 I believe) is either pretty much on, or way off. I'll have really hard efforts where it says I'm at 115. Typically when I have it tight enough, it seems to be pretty good ~ it will jump around unrealistically occasionally like the OP describes. Unless I'm between 125-170, I don't trust it but 80% of my runs it's consistently in that range and feels reasonably accurate.

1 year ago 06/30/2022 9:38am EDT

re: thyrgfre

Mine is accurate, except when it isn’t.

If you want to do workouts strictly according to hr then a strap is a must. The strap is 100% consistent, the watch is closer to 85-90% consistent, which is only an issue if you are really focused on hitting a hr in training. In which case the watch not connecting right is a serious pia.

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