Fit bit peak

[stevesven]

Had a brisk walk felt fine unbelievable high rate that is definitely incorrect.

[Kaz747]

I’ve had readings like that too. I know I’ve been in AF on a walk as I’ve felt it but if my heart really was going as fast as the Fitbit says I’d be breathless and unable to walk at the pace I do.

[stevesven in reply to Kaz747]

Fit Bit is a fun thing but totally unreliable for heart rate reliability. Have a Polar heart rate monitor which is pretty reliable

[Goalnsr in reply to stevesven]

Yes, Fitbit is useless for HR reliability. I use a polar pacer too 👍🏻

[john-boy-92 in reply to stevesven]

I agree with your recommendation for Polar HRMs particularly for people with AF, and that was confirmed by a specialist cardiac nurse. I currently have a Polar Vanguard V and H10 chest strap and they have no problem in measuring my heart rate at > 200 bpm if I'm not keeping an eye on my heart rate so that I can reduce effort.

[Hidden in reply to john-boy-92]

Hi

Is the accuracy in AF, dependent on the H10 or the watch? I am in permanent AF and use a concept rower at the gym and static bike at home. I just need a basic watch that is affordable but still accurate in AF when exercising. Your Vanguard V is higher spec than I need.

Can you recommend an AF reliable basic set up from Polar for those of us less athletic than yourself. Thanks.

[john-boy-92 in reply to Hidden]

That depends whether the Concept 2 has a PM3 or a PM5 monitor. For years I used a Polar RS400 HRM with a Polar coded chest strap and later a Polar T31 Wearlink chest strap on the gym Polar compatible equipment. The gym Concept 2 used a PM3 monitor that I set up to show heart rate, but in in every session the heart rate would disappear from the PM3 and reappear after a short break. I bought a Concept 2 with a PM3 for home use, and the same drop outs occurred with a Polar M200 and an H10 chest strap, and later with the Polar Vanguard V and H10 chest strap. After several emails with Concept 2 Support, we concluded that the PM3 was reading the AF as bad data, dropping out for 5 seconds and reinitialising; this wasn't helped by the very quick processing by the Vanguard V and H10. By the way, the H10 can simultaneously transmit Bluetooth Smart and Gymlink so it should be OK for the gym equipment (some gym equipment uses ANT+ that is not compatible). I took out the PM3 on my home Concept 2 and installed a PM5, and I've never had another drop out.

I must explain that Amazon sent me the Polar Vanguard V to test and review. The Vanguard V is an excellent HRM but I cannot use the Orthostatic Test as my arrhythmia disturbs the r-r interval so the test returns an error.

To summarise, a Polar HRM with a chest strap will probably suffice for a static bike; however, if the Concept 2 has a PM3 and you are using heart rate indication you are likely to get drop outs. The recording on the Polar HRM shouldn't be affected. If the PM only accepts a smart card it is not a PM5; the PM number will be on the facia. If the gym Concept 2 doesn't have a PM5 you can always look at your HRM.

[john-boy-92 in reply to john-boy-92]

I should also add that the Polar Vanguard V and H10 chest strap are said by Polar to be their most accurate. The H10 can record a session without an HRM and can be downloaded via Polar apps later. The Vanguard V uses wrist skin sensors, but the combination of my wrists flexing during rowing and AF requires a paired chest strap.

[Hidden in reply to john-boy-92]

Thank you. That is extremely helpful.

[john-boy-92 in reply to Hidden]

My pleasure! Please come back if there's anything that I can help with. I was a runner, Orienteer and cyclist for many years. Then I became a gym bunny with killer Spin classes and a variety of classes only interrupted for a year with pulmonary toxicity. My hard sessions in the gym ended with inverted yoga poses until I had a stroke. My excellent Consultant Neurologist told me that she had treated someone in London who had a stroke whilst doing yoga; she advised me to avoid inverted poses. I bought the Concept 2 as I was unsure if the the gym would recognise if I had another stoke, as there were none of the usual indicators for a stroke. At home the phone or my wife are at hand and, I can put the Concept 2 in the sunshine on the garden patio. I bought the Model D second hand with about 400 km on it from new for £500. I'm now > 800 km and aimimg to get my one million metres tee shirt this year.

The sun is shining so I'm off to put in a 5km session as I'm building back from a prostate biopsy when I had to stop taking Pradaxa anticoagulant.

[john-boy-92 in reply to Hidden]

During this row this afternoon I remembered a couple of things. Chatting to Concept 2 Support we think that the PM5 has a small buffer for heart rate so it tends to smooth the heart rate indicated on the PM5. My heart rate changes continuously during a Concept 2 session, but the "smoothed" indication on the PM5 will be a bit behind the figure on my HRM. On those rare times that my heart rate is steady, the HRM and PM5 show the same figure.

In my gym days I always used a damper setting of 10. Then I read advice from Concept 2 that for an aerobic workout I should be using between 3 and 5. I now use a damper setting of 4. At 22 strokes / minute I really lean into the drive for 3km and my heart rate fluctuates quite a bit. If I increase the stroke rate to 26 the flywheel and fan only slow slightly so the stroke action is smoother with less variation in my heart rate. For a 10 or 12km row I warm up for 1km then row at 24 to 25 strokes.

[Hidden in reply to john-boy-92]

Thanks. I will check the specification of the rower at the gym and experiment with your settings. 25 strokes/min at damper setting 4 sounds at variance with my on water experience of high load with low rate, and vice versa.

[john-boy-92 in reply to Hidden]

The load (watts) at a stroke rate of 22 with a damper setting of 4 will depend on how much the drive accelerates the flywheel and fan. Check the watts at different damper settings and effort. There is a video on the Concept 2 web site that demonstrates that. Like a lot of people, I thought that I needed to use a damper setting of 10. I can have a harder session for my muscles over 3km than 10 to 12 km.

[john-boy-92 in reply to john-boy-92]

Look for "Debunking the damper myth......" on the Concept 2 web site.

[HiloHairy]

The latest Fitbit models can be fairly accurate when you are active but only if you wear them several inches above your wrist

[john-boy-92 in reply to HiloHairy]

Another add on. I bought the Polar M200 and H10 on eBay UK from a seller who occasionally sells kit that has been bench marked by a magazine. Both were effectively new but I paid about 50% of the retail price.