Orangetheory workout not recorded accurately

[Katied0814]

I have been an avid exerciser for years but new to Fitbit. I have a Fitbit Alta and it accurately measures steps and miles and the heart rate report on the hikes fits what I feel —cardio uphill and fat burning on the flats unless I push pace a lot. I have an elliptical and it usually measures that accurately with mostly cardio and a little time in peak zone. But the hardest thing I do by far is orangetheory and I typically have 25-35 minutes in the orange and red (84-95%max HR) zones and 20-25 minutes in the green zone (72-83%maxhr) -usually burning 550-600s cals. The whole workout falls on the Fitbit “cardio and peak” zones, but Fitbit reports  my heart rate at 90-120, with most of the time registering as around 100. It says I burned 120cals which is like a gentle stroll. I’ve tried doing the start workout option and lowering the minimum time for recognizing a workout to 10min, but the issue is that in that class it underestimates my heart rate. It seems the monitor is only accurate at moderate heart rates and can’t measure the really intense workout. I wear a chest band for the orangetheory class which is always more accurate than a wrist count. Any solutions Fitbit?

Moderator edit: Updated title for clarity

[FerdinandFitbit]

Hi there @Katied0814. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums! 🙂

I'm sorry to hear that your workouts are not being reported accurately. I think that in order for your activity to be recognized correctly most of the time, it's important that your tracker has a steady access to your heart rate. I can suggest a few tips to make sure you'll get the best heart rate readings out of your tracker.

As with all heart-rate tracking technology, whether a chest strap or a wrist-based sensor, accuracy is affected by personal physiology, location of wear, and type of movement.

When you’re not exercising, wear your device a finger’s width below your wrist bone. Fitbit’s PurePulse heart-rate tracking system is designed to be most accurate when the device is worn on the top of your wrist.

For improved heart-rate accuracy keep these tips in mind:

1. Experiment with wearing the device higher on your wrist during exercise for an improved fit and more accurate heart-rate reading. Many exercises such as bike riding or weight lifting cause you to bend your wrist frequently, which could interfere with the heart-rate signal if the watch is lower on your wrist. 
   
2. Make sure the device is in contact with your skin.
3. Do not wear your device too tight; a tight band restricts blood flow, potentially affecting the heart-rate signal. That being said, the device should also be slightly tighter (snug but not constricting) during exercise than during all-day wear.
4. With high-intensity interval training, P90X, boxing, or other activities where your wrist is moving vigorously and non-rhythmically, the movement may prevent the sensor from finding an accurate heart rate. Similarly, with exercises such as weight lifting or rowing, your wrist muscles may flex in such a way that the band tightens and loosens during exercise. Try relaxing your wrist and staying still briefly (about 10 seconds), after which you should see an accurate heart-rate reading. Note that your device will still provide accurate calorie burn readings during these types of exercise by analyzing your heart rate trends over the course of the workout.

You can find more information on how heart rate measuring works, here. If you need more help, let me know!

[Katied0814]

Thanks -some of these suggestions may help as there is biking and rowing . The statement that the calorie count will be accurate is untrue—it’s not seeing my intense workout so it can’t  log the calories. I added them manually from the orange theory app count. I do think there is a heart rate issue too though. It can’t seem to sense my heart rate when I get over 140– ironically it reports no workout when I’m in the ultra peak zone 

[Karen4dogs]

I am having this same issue. This is especially true when I am spinning. The fit bit sometimes reads 80 or below when I am registering 130 on the bike. I will try wearing it higher. 

[FerdinandFitbit]

Thanks for getting back @Katied0814 and welcome to the Forums @Karen4dogs! 🙂

Thank you also for your feedback on this. I totally understand your position. Many users have found that wearing their trackers on the inside of their wrists results in better heart rate tracking resulting in a better burned calories estimation. You could give that a try and see if there's any improvement.

If you need more help, let me know!

[GabiSi]

I too find their assertions untrue. I've experimented with location and I've had two Alta HR fit bits in less than 18 months because the screen cracked on month 14 on the first one.

The struggle to go above 130 BPM and they are really inaccurate staying in zones from 133 to 160 BPM. I've experienced this on the treadmill and elliptical and the sensors on the machines interfere with the Fitbit so the Fitbit doesn't record your movement when you touch the sensors. So the dumb thing is that even tho the machines let you enter all your stats, fitbit for elliptical won't let you enter distance or calories burned and it won't let you enter average heart rate correction for anything. I'm starting to wonder why I have this product. 

[GabiSi]

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@Karen4dogs wrote:

I am having this same issue. This is especially true when I am spinning. The fit bit sometimes reads 80 or below when I am registering 130 on the bike. I will try wearing it higher. 

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So did you find a solution? I'm wondering if there is anyway I can get better readings when heart rate is above 120 bpm. Thank you!

[jedijennie]

Did y'all actually COUNT your pulse??? I've recently joined Orange Theory and their Burn monitor - it is consistently AT LEAST 40 BPM OVER my FitBit reading. Doing a 15 second pulse count x 4 = FitBit is CORRECT, the Orange Theory monitor is WRONG. I tried explaining to 2 coaches and 2 front desk staff there, they all respond "ours is the most accurate algorithm in the business." I'm like, "it's more accurate than me, a nurse, counting my pulse???" and they just repeat the same thing over and over. It sucks, because I joined OTF for the data, but I ignore it and 'splat points' and all.  

[Katied0814]

I have taken my pulse and it is usually right up there with the OTF monitor, which makes sense because I’ve been working out for decades and when it says I’m at 90%, I am sweating and breathing hard. 40bpm over your actual pulse? That seems off. I will say that there have been times when the OTF monitor goes a bit crazy-either recording no pulse or recording everything high. Maybe 40bpm high. But then it’s kind of obvious it’s off because it will have me at 120% of my max HR. I found that happens with an old battery. But if you read my original post….the fitbit is accurate while hiking. Uphill if I”m really pushing the pace, it has me in the cardio zone (130-140) and on a moderate walk, it has me at 100-110bpm. When I do OTF, it has me at 70-100 bpm and I’m working way harder than on a hike. So, it’s like it can’t monitor the workout well when you aren’t taking steps and when your heart rate is really high.

[SMCO]

Even if you are able to get the Fitbit to read your HR accurately, there is apparently a bug with Alta HR in which the app still will not correctly calculate your calorie burn. I contacted support about this issue today after realizing all my spin classes calculated the exact same calorie burn regardless of HR. I was told it was a "known issue" with no estimate for when it will be resolved (has been an issue for all 4 months I've owned it) and they do not consider this to fall under their warranty coverage. 

[Katied0814]

I responded to this suggestion in the thread but not to you. Yes, I've taken my heart rate. I don't know about everyone else. But also I have been working out a long time (longer than you've been alive probably : )) and, in addition to the OTF monitor matching my purse, it also matches my actual perceived intensity level. Like breathing hard and sweating and exhausted legs as I reach the end of a "all-out" session. A brisk walk with the dogs ends up showing as a more intense workout on the fit bit.