Is my Garmin playing up?

[Sarararara]

I feel like a numpty asking but should heart rate go up when you're putting some welly into running uphill?

Given how red my face felt, I would have thought so, but the heart rate monitor on my Forerunner 235 stayed at 90, only rising to 112 a few minutes later (as I was going downhill).

Having got to grips with pace and cadence, the hr monitor is my new challenge but it seems to go against logic. My last few runs (3-5k at about 7mins per km) have come up as being just 1.2 in the Training Effect, again with minimal movement in the heart rate.

I'm wondering if Garmin is playing up mainly because it says I'm burning 100 calories or less per run, whereas MayMyRun which says much higher.

For reference, my resting heart rate is about 70. Any tips or words of wisdom would be much appreciated!

[pinkaardvark Graduate10]

They work on a bit of an average so there can be a delay. They also rely heavily on you wearing the strap tight so it is hard pressed against the skin. To work well they need to actually be a bit uncomfortable.

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

It should go up as you put more effort in Sararara....have you tightened the strap enough?

[Goforitmama Graduate10]

Would have thought that it should show exertion. If it has only happened once I think I would put it down to the fact that it wasn’t sitting right on my wrist / arm and would not worry too much.

It sounds like you have a great excuse to go out and try it again. 😀 slay those hills!

Or maybe you are really really trying hard on the flat too?

[Sarararara Graduate10]

Seeing as the low stats have only occurred since the new year, I think strap tightening may be in order. Hope that works as this numbers game is quite addictive!

[Stoozie Graduate10]

I'd try it tighter. It doesn't sound quite right to me TBH.

My 7 day resting HR is 54bpm and I struggle to run at 135 BPM, with the tendency much more towards 150-165.

Hope that's useful!

[Stoozie Graduate10]

ps if you need any connections/challenges badges on Garmin, I'm up for it

[MarkyD Graduate10]

I’ve been running on my Octane cross trainer this week. The heart rate it measures when I hold onto the handles agrees 100% with my Garmin FR235. To be honest I was surprised.

I agree with the comments to wear the strap a little more tightly. Also, the reading can be disturbed by changes in your skin temperature. My running friend had a great plot on Garmin Connect. We were running at parkrun and ran into freezing fog. His measured HR dropped by about 20bpm, coinciding with skin temperature dropping in the fog.

[Sarararara Graduate10]

Really? That doesn’t bode well for winter runs unless I keep it hidden under my sleeves at all times. So maybe the key is not to look at it until I get home, and no sneaky peeks, but that seems a bit weird.

[SkiMonday Graduate10]

It can help to wear the watch further up your arm than a normal watch position i.e. above your wrist.

[ktsok]

I have the FR235, wear it quite tight and above the wrist. The heart rate seems pretty responsive and zooms up when I put effort in. I struggle to keep it down! My RHR is 59 or lower, I’m running at about 6’30” over 5k, heart rate between 145 and 165... so I’m no expert, but it doesn’t sound right...

[Beccym Graduate10]

Have you got a tattoo where it is placed? That can interfere with heart rate monitors. They can also be about 10% out