Cardio Fitness Score

[Orphée]

Hi everyone,

I’m having something really weird since the start of the quarantine. I usually do 4x per week 45 minutes cardio, since the quarantine I do 6x per week 1 hour cardio + 15 minutes musculation. My heart rate when resting has been dropping quite significantly and quite fast (from 55 to now 44). But my cardio fitness score instead of getting better is getting worse every day (from very good to good an it keeps dropping, I lost 10 points). Do you have any idea why? How is it possible that my increased cardio workout is having such a bad impact on my cardio fitness score 

[emili]

I am not sure how it is happening, but you can do a real time test of your cardio fitness by tracking a run in real time. Try that and see what your score is... 

[Gusthy]

Have you notified your Fitbit, that you are doing a workout, when you did?

If not, ít may simply realize the increase of your heart rate without any movements. 

[Heybales]

Is that Fitbit's defined RestingHR, or you are measuring it first thing in morning (or looking at graph later) and seeing it drop?

If that drop in RHR is your measurement - what is the Fitbit value for RHR (it could be going up)?

[Orphée]

So the resting heart rate (RHR) is going down since 4 weeks (it used to be
52 and now it’s down to around 45), I’m checking with the graph. So it’s
definitely going down (which from what I know is a good thing).

But then my Cardio Fitness Score is getting worse and worse since 4 weeks
(from Excellent 50 to Good 42). I’m also checking with the graph.
--
Orphée Chateau

[Orphée]

Hi Gusthy,

Yes I always notify fitbit while I’m doing a workout.. I activate the function on my watch, so it can’t be that =/

[Heybales]

Several other HR makers have stress scores that encompass more than just the workout specific info. RHR is one of them.

I wasn't aware of Fitbit doing similar, but perhaps they are since they have access to the extra data.

I have not seen them claim to do these things - but I could be missing something.

The could be taking into account your HR during the workouts that have some defined intensity level.

And your HR has been going up in the workouts despite the intensity being the same.

Meaning, if you were running 6 mph and your avgHR was 140 say, and it kept going up to 150 same pace - that's a problem - fitness is going wrong direction. Recovery is poor.

But it has to be a workout that has pace, speed, intensity of some sort - that remained the same. Otherwise higher HR just means you worked harder - unknown if that was good or bad.

They could also be looking at HR Recovery for the 1-2 min after a workout, and cardio improvements should see HR decrease faster for equal time starting at certain level, if it's not dropping faster or as much, recovery is poor and fitness going wrong direction.

But RHR is usually very strong indicator with those too, because usually it increases if getting poor recovery along with those other markers.

Now, one of the other things the serious sites include is diet.

Are you correctly eating more since you are doing more?

Other sites even have calorie estimates and confirm deficit isn't being increased when you are increasing exercise - which is totally backwards and can effect your fitness level.

Those are potentials. And then you got good ole bug happening for some reason.

But it should be effecting others too if that is the case, unless it's very specific bug and few are hitting it.