How is Cardio load calculated?

[patilu]

In response to a prompt, I indicated I wanted to improve my cardio load. The first few cardio load scores in the '40s based on treadmill workouts seemed reasonable. Then yesterday I got a score of 1 for a 30 minute  intermittent interval spinning workout where my average heart rate was 132 which is well into the vigorous range for me and more challenging than my typical spinning workout. According to Fitbit, My cardio fitness score is 39 to 43 which is considered excellent for my age. I don't understand the why discrepancy between the treadmill scores and the spinning score.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[patilu]

Thank you for the clarification.

[Alohatim23]

That is awesome to hear about the update. Thank you!

[amackayj]

Thanks for the tip! I probably don't look after my watch as well as I should.

[NancyJames]

Look at this absolute nonsense. Yesterday it says I'm overtraining. I go way over it's recommendation and today it says I'm maintaining

 

 

 

[jbatchellor]

I know! I get a message everyday that I'm undertraining yet I'm working out
more than ever...but on my peloton bike.

[clytierimberg]

Disagree. I am a rower and this time of year am on the erg and in the pool. My cardio load is all over the place seemingly randomly, unrelated to my perceived exertion or zone minutes. Further frustrating is that it keeps telling me I'm under training when I'm typically over 100 zone mins/day. I really cannot exercise more than I already do!

[jbatchellor]

Same here. We work out more than 90% of the population and get slammed by
our fitbit everyday. Undertraining, shame on you.🤣

[RiekoC]

Hello @amackayj , @jbatchellor , @ElmaFud , @patilu , @Farmy , @NancyJames 

It may take a little time for the Cardio Load & Target Loads to "settle" in.

If you're still seeing problems with your cardio load/target load after a few days, especially with bike rides & spinning, please post on this thread (<-- click link) and tag DavidFitbit, the Moderator, in your responses. He can forward your info to the engineering team and let them know what issues have not been resolved by the update.

FYI - Swimming continues to be an issue since it doesn't track heart rate, which is needed for the Cardio Load algorithm.

[clytierimberg]

😂 thank you
Sent from my iPad

[amackayj]

Have you tried changing your goal from Improving to maintaining? You might be approaching your "maximum fitness", if there is such a thing, in which case it will be harder to get the scores you are expecting?

I'm fairly fit and I find the only way I can get the suggested scores is to maintain an average HR of 150BPM for three or more hours, which isn't easy to do here in the UK winter, so I've decided to change my goal to maintaining and see what happens

One thing we should all be aware of is that any algorithm needs data, and plenty of it, so rather than get wound up about not achieving the recommended scores, I'm going to do as much as I can and see what happens

[clytierimberg]

Yes the first thing I did was switch to maintaining. I agree with you that the more data it receives, the more useful it should be. I’m not changing anything in my fitness endeavors, and we’ll just see how it goes. The Pacific NW is very similar to a lot of the UK this time of year but the river is still very un rowable.

Sent from my iPad

[jbatchellor]

Good thoughts. If I had my heart rate at 150 for three hours I'd be
heading to the ER. I started with maintaining...You're right, the more
data the better so patience is a virtue with this one.

[amackayj]

Since changing my goal I'm not getting any goal set, is this normal @DavidFitbit ?

[Marzenas]

Having similar issues. Got a 25 cardio load just doing a brisk half hr walk but only a score of 1 for half an hr on the stair master with heart rate around 158/160. Makes no sense as I wasn’t even out of breath during the walk but worked a lot harder on the stairs yet cardio load of 1!

[CLDay]

I'm finding Cardio Load really annoying! Having just returned from playing 6 days of golf with great cardio load scores, my app then told me to rest which I did for a couple of days. It then told me my activity levels had been too low, even though my target for 2 days had been 0-40. On the next day it gave me a target of 120 to 170 numbers I'd never get even on a full day of exercise! 

I'm finding it really off-putting. 

[juffer]

This is just plain nonsense.  My experiences, along with blog posts of many others, show clearly that there is zero relationship between Cardio Load recommedation and Readiness.

[Missifit]

My cardio target goes back and forth between telling me I am at risk of over training and that I need rest in the same day.  It gave me goals in the 100s then brought them down to less than 50. I'm all over the map each day on what the cardio load winds up being for the same exercise.  It didn't help that the week after it rolled out, I went on a ski trip, and downhill skiing, though active, isn't a huge fitness endeavor for me.  So now my data is skewed.

All of that, I can kind of ignore.  I'm more annoyed at the things in my app that have gone haywire since the most recent update.  Strava no longer syncs.  When I log any outdoor exercise, the map actually works, but logs zero mileage.  I can't edit the workouts to add the miles - they simply revert back after I save them.  I've un-installed and reinstalled the app to no avail.

I don't know if fitbit folks are reading this thread, but I sure hope they are and work on these issues and get a new update out there soon.  I've been a fitbit user for a very long time and very many devices.  I don't want to retire from fitbit, but I'm certainly weary of the mess it's been since the google merge.

[DavidFE]

 

[DavidFE]

I’m struggling to see why I get 12 cardio load points for a leisurely dog walk and 2 for an intense 30min spin?  Help

[NancyJames]

The answer seems fairly straightforward. You presumably hold the handles off the static bike when you spin, meaning you don't move your arms. When you walk your dog, you swing your arm in a normal fashion. 

I got like 6 points for scrubbing my toilet. Minimal heart rate increase for that but vigorous arm movements.

Just serves to prove, it's all a load of nonsense and moving the sensor about matters more than actual heart rate