Declining cardio fitness score although resting heart rate has decreased and running regularly

[Lolsinda]

Hi all, I find my Fitbit metrics a bit surprising recently. I run almost every day, I am definitely improving, getting faster and faster-really happy and motivated. My cardio fitness rate has also been steadily improving since I got my Charge 2 three months ago  -  it went from 40 up to 46 gradually. I almost completely stopped peaking during my runs, no matter how hard I was going. My heart rate was pretty chilled always. However, I was also observing parallel to that that my resting heart rate was increasing - slowly it went from 59 up to 71 even. I was always regularly running, increasing distance, getting faster, etc. Then within a few days my resting heart rate started dropping every day - fell down to 61 (currently). I was really happy, thought it was a sign of getting fitter. And here comes the strange part -my cardio fitness score dropped down to 44! I run better and with much greater ease and speed AND I started peaking again during my runs - from zero I am now having between 10 and 15 peak minutes during each run over the past week or so... (usually run for 40-50 minutes a day). Does anyone have an explanation for this..?? 😕 😕 Big thanks in advance! 

[AliRW]

Hi.

My cardio fitness used to be excellent when I was walking everywhere.

Recently I have started running outside & on the treadmill - my cardio fitness dropped to 'poor' over a matter of weeks.

This causes me distress & makes me think that I maybe I have some heart problem that I'm unaware of.

I have done a few tests online that say that they check cardio fitness eg run 1.5mile on treadmill & however long it takes you, gives indication. Ran it in 14.5mins & came out as 'good'.

Fitbit result remains unchanged even though I have increased my exercise.

As well as this, who else is sick of Fitbit not syncing & issues with the app? Think Fitbit should concentrate on improving app stability rather than introducing more models

[Rowellles]

I think Fitbit does a poor job with transparency? All Fitbit users would like to bash my understand the “manic behind the curtain,”. How does the resting heart rate get established? What are the metrics by which the cardio score gets changed? As an owner of a Fitbit product I should be able to know how the reported measurements are impacted by my changing behavior!!!

Sent from my iPhone

[Heybales]

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@AliRW wrote:

Hi.

My cardio fitness used to be excellent when I was walking everywhere.

Recently I have started running outside & on the treadmill - my cardio fitness dropped to 'poor' over a matter of weeks.

This causes me distress & makes me think that I maybe I have some heart problem that I'm unaware of.

I have done a few tests online that say that they check cardio fitness eg run 1.5mile on treadmill & however long it takes you, gives indication. Ran it in 14.5mins & came out as 'good'.

Fitbit result remains unchanged even though I have increased my exercise.

As well as this, who else is sick of Fitbit not syncing & issues with the app? Think Fitbit should concentrate on improving app stability rather than introducing more models

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Reading WAY too much into that score if it's causing you distress and you think it has any ability to detect a heart problem.

Please read, or reread if needed to understand, some of the excellent posts in the first page of this topic about the score, it's relationship to VO2max, and the relative importance of that score in the scheme of things.

And how it changes. Has your weight gone up?

Your score will go down.

Could be as simple as that.