What is the best way to track a spin class?

[Melbell72]

Hi there, I have been using the spinning activity mode when doing my spin classes and the heart rate seems pretty accurate however the calories burned seems quite low.  It is a high intensity 50 minute class with weights added in on tracks also.  Does anyone know a way around this?  I have checked to make sure my weight is accurate, worn it three fingers above wrist bone, etc. 

Thanks!

[Julia_G]

If you feel the heart rate your Fitbit is recording is accurate, and you are confident that you have correctly entered your profile settings (gender, age, height, weight) then I think your calorie burn will be as accurate as it can be.  Many people over estimate the calories they burn from exercise.  An accurate heartrate will give you a very good estimation of effort.  Much better than anyone's guess of what you " ought" to have burned.

[AngelaMa]

Hello @Melbell72 and @Julia_G It's great to have you here. 🙂  You can use several methods to track your exercise with your Blaze, I would recommend to test which of the following is the best for you:

SMARTTRACK 

MULTISPORT 

MANUALLY UPDATING THE EXERCISE

Let me know how it goes! 🙂 

[KBiz]

I know this is an old post, but I am having the same issue and wondered if anyone resolved it.  I do an hour spin class and feel like I am dying to find out I am only burning 300 calories.  I can do 30 minutes on the elliptical for the same calorie burn.  This just doesn't seem right to me.

[dorketh]

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@KBiz wrote:

I know this is an old post, but I am having the same issue and wondered if anyone resolved it.  I do an hour spin class and feel like I am dying to find out I am only burning 300 calories.  I can do 30 minutes on the elliptical for the same calorie burn.  This just doesn't seem right to me.

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Tighten the band a bit - the calorie burn will be based on the heart rate, and that reading can be inaccurate if the optical monitor isn't getting a good connection.

And whilst this is not particularly helpful, I've yet to get a properly accurate reading whilst on cycling sessions (regardless of tightness)

I've started doing some fairly intense watt bike sessions - 15 minutes (10k) - 272 calories in 15 minutes according to the bike, 232 according to my polar chest strap and 182 according to the fitbit - the latter is flat out wrong, but it didn't reliably track the heart rate, it was a gentle escalation from 100-175bpm, the blaze showed a peak of 185 at the wrong point in the session.

[KBiz]

Dorketh- so you would agree that the Fitbit is inaccurate? I would think your chest strap would be most accurate. It's really frustrating.

[mcrmama]

I switched my band to one that fits me better and compared to a chest strap and they were pretty darn close. I also did the update at around the same time so not sure if that is relevant but made a big difference for me.

[SunsetRunner]

I find the eliptical exercise setup to match pretty closely to what I get off the eliptical machine so maybe try that?  

[dorketh]

Accuracy depends on usage of your arms - if you're making major use of the forearms, no optical tracker will be particularly accurate.

I tend to use the blaze if I'm running, where it is as accurate as a chest strap.

But on the watt bike, when rowing or on the ski erg it tends to be a bit hit and miss. So on those exercises I also wear my polar watch and chest strap.

[Rich_Laue]

@KBiz are you manually starting and using the Spinning mode function that's found on the Blaze, and not depending on the auto detect tracking feature? 

[KBiz]

As a matter of fact, I just found the Spining category tonight! But in the past, I was manually starting and stopping it using with the Workout or Bike categories.

[Roye]

Tell me more about the spinning category.  Where'd you find it at?  Is that working better for you?

[Rich_Laue]

@Roye see the other thread on how to track a spin class.
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Blaze/How-to-track-a-spin-class-after-update-on-Fitbit-blaze/td-p/15...

[jsherman]

I wear my Fitbit a bit higher on my arm during spin and I compare it to my Polar, h7heart rate strap which I use with the app as I like the colored heart rate zones to motivate me. It is pretty **ahem** accurate overall, usually w/in 15 calories of the strap.

[Miwwies]

I'm in the same boat. I work very hard and yet, I never exceed 400 calories for an hour of spin class. I think we tend to over-estimate how many calories we burn. I'm small (5'1'' / 105lbs) and 33. I think this is a pretty accurate estimate. My guy friend (28, 170lbs) burns close to 800 calories during the same class.

I spoke to my spin instructor who also wears a fitbit surge. She's the same height as me but has more muscle mass. She never goes over 500 calories.

[jsherman]

Have tried many ways and the 3 fingrs above the wrist snd tight is best. However, I find fitbit to be inaccurate for spin in terms of the burn. I have a blaze and switched over from a polar w/HR monitor. Tested the two devices vs each other as had doubts re the accuracy of a wrist based monitor. Was very pleased w/Fitbit Blaze in general as I found the blaze to be fairly accurate for everything BUT spin -- where it's uually 50 calories off. I don't find that to be a big deal.

As I like polar's app on my cell  (I keep it on my handlebars) which lets me see my burn as I ride,  I I wear my HRM for spin as well as my Blaze so this is not a one time thing. I see it all the time and yes, I trust a chest HR monitor more than a wrist one. However, we're just talking maybe 50 calories and I find fitbit to be accurate overall. Me using the chest HRM during spin is a motivation thing (the pretty colors on the app motivate me to the next level and I like seeing in on my phone in fromt of me vs on my wrist as i ride). It is not an accuracy thing as the difference is not a big deal.

[AlejandraFitbit]

Great to see you here @jsherman. If you are having problems with your heart rate reading, I recommend checking this post, where you will be able to see some things that might be affecting your heart rate reading and some tips to improve this feature. 

I hope this helps, see you around. 

[gymnut21]

What is the best Fitbit device that will monitor spin classes for steps and calorie burn. The Charge HR is terrible for this and totally ineffective. I dont believe there is a spin app on this device. Do you have a device that does this more effectively that i can get?

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@AlejandraFitbit wrote:

Great to see you here @jsherman. If you are having problems with your heart rate reading, I recommend checking this post, where you will be able to see some things that might be affecting your heart rate reading and some tips to improve this feature. 

I hope this helps, see you around. 

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[Rich_Laue]

@gymnut21 I would use the trackers multisport mode called spinning for the best calorie count. As for steps you might have to walk, since while spinning no steps are being taken. 

Http://help.fitbit.com/?q=multisport 

[Stevo51]

If you have a pocket.. put the tracker in your shorts..  after an hour spin I would register about 8 plus thousand steps.. I have a flex and a flex 2....