Who are these people?

[fitfreak]

Someone please explain to me how on the Fitbit 2014 challenge, someone can have 176,000 steps in the 2 days of August.  That's 88,000 a day.  That's 44 miles.  And people seem to have this level regularly.  What do you DO for a job.....I gotta know????? 

[sharynb]

I want to friend her.  She is absolutely inspirational!!

[xicheng]

There is one way to check if the user has manually entered activities. Check user's profile, under 'Activities' Tab, Logged Activities: the date shown here should be the latest date when the user manually entered activities. you could get more steps if you run a lot. for example I ran treadmill 3.94 miles (@7.5mph) today at Gym, fitbit recorded less than 6000 steps, if I manually entered the run and match the start time and duration, I could have received 2000+ more steps. that is not a small difference(at least 1 miles' walking) if you are in a tough competetion group. 

[Heybales]

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@xicheng wrote:

There is one way to check if the user has manually entered activities. Check user's profile, under 'Activities' Tab, Logged Activities: the date shown here should be the latest date when the user manually entered activities. you could get more steps if you run a lot. for example I ran treadmill 3.94 miles (@7.5mph) today at Gym, fitbit recorded less than 6000 steps, if I manually entered the run and match the start time and duration, I could have received 2000+ more steps. that is not a small difference(at least 1 miles' walking) if you are in a tough competetion group. 

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Yes, manually changing your stride length to shorter than reality, and then manually logging your walks and runs will give you more steps.

I guess at what point does a competition beat truthful stats?

What am I talking about! Of course people cheat as soon as they figure out a way in order to win contests.

I've seen the same thing, manually entered walks of reasonable miles, but wow on the steps. Mine actually goes the other direction, but I only care about getting the calories replaced with better accuracy. No need cheating myself.

[SunsetRunner]

A few weeks ago there was a response to a similar question from a Fitbit user who had participated in a 48 hour ultra, i.e., going for as many miles as you can in 48 hours.  She had over 110K steps each day (then spent the next week or so recruiperating).  The ultra was on a flat, oval track with port-o-potties plus an aid station and water/food.  There is a similar ultra scheduled at Fort Benning but is for 24 rather than 48 hours if you are interested - I'm not   .  There are many ultras of 50-100 miles or more.  I'd imagine that anyone training for or participating in these on a regular basis would have very high Fitbit numbers.  I would also guess that someone who rides a bike and wears their Fitbit on their ankle while riding could get very high numbers.  For example, a relative of my daughter-in-law is a major long-distance bike rider and competes in multiple races throughout the year. I don't believe he wears a Fitbit but if he did he'd blow the numbers off the chart.

[Heybales]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

 I would also guess that someone who rides a bike and wears their Fitbit on their ankle while riding could get very high numbers.  For example, a relative of my daughter-in-law is a major long-distance bike rider and competes in multiple races throughout the year. I don't believe he wears a Fitbit but if he did he'd blow the numbers off the chart.

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My last big ride was a 100 miler. I have a cadence sensor, so I know exactly how many 1 foot presses went down over the entire 318 min, avg 87.8/min, so total 27920.

Fitbit on my hip had me at 33923 for the day, and that's probably about right, because I wasn't walking much rest of the day. May even be high.

But that's only 1 foot press. Steps would normally count as 1 per foot impact. So half count.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi Heybales - sorry it took so long to get back to you on this but I was waiting on my son to send me his wife's BIL name.  His sport is randoneuring (riding 200K (124miles) or more at a single event through a measures course with check-in spots.  He has also won the Texas Time Triles at least twice - once after crashing and going to a hospital and returning to the track.  He completed the 503 miles of the TTT in 32 hours, 12 minutes.  As I said I expect he would have very high Fitbit numbers if he recorded those.

[Clairekemp]

Some people also manually post steps ,miles etc ...I've left a board because someone on it was doing that ...an overweight unhealthy person in late 50s cannot physically post 100,000 steps a day most days ...I'm fit and at my best can do 30,000 steps a day ,average is 26,000 and that includes running part of it

[Clairekemp]

50,00 yes but 100,000 plus every day ,no way but they are just cheating themselves and it's good entertainment to see how much they can jack up their totals the last day of the month ,just to win ,what ?

[Heybales]

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@Clairekemp wrote:
50,00 yes but 100,000 plus every day ,no way but they are just cheating themselves and it's good entertainment to see how much they can jack up their totals the last day of the month ,just to win ,what ?

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Win mediocre results for the time they put forth!

I've seen many skip a much better beneficial workout as far as changing the body, in order to get steps in to keep their place on the leaderboard, because they only had so much time.

At least it's not unhealthy, even if it's not as beneficial as it could be. But then again, shouldn't be surprising, people do stuff all the time that's not really beneficial in the long run, or even healthy, for the sake of something short-term.

[jjaylynkn]

I'm so glad to read this thread! I am currently training for a marathon and there is NO WAY I could consistently hit more than 30, 000 steps in a day. In fact, most days, I run 6-7 miles, elliptical for an hour and a half, weight train for an hour, maybe a little more cardio after, and take walks at night usually for an hour or so. The amount of cardio I do is insane. I also work in a huge hospital complex that I walk all over all day long....I have never hit over 36,000 steps in a day (and the day I did 36k, I ran 18 1/2 miles). I'm a young, very physically fit woman, and this is EXHAUSTING. 

The company I work for uses the fitbit for challenges and we disable the manually added steps...There are still people who consistently log 50, 60, 70, 000 steps a day! There's no way!

[Heybales]

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@jjaylynkn wrote:

I'm so glad to read this thread! I am currently training for a marathon and there is NO WAY I could consistently hit more than 30, 000 steps in a day. In fact, most days, I run 6-7 miles, elliptical for an hour and a half, weight train for an hour, maybe a little more cardio after, and take walks at night usually for an hour or so. The amount of cardio I do is insane. I also work in a huge hospital complex that I walk all over all day long....I have never hit over 36,000 steps in a day (and the day I did 36k, I ran 18 1/2 miles). I'm a young, very physically fit woman, and this is EXHAUSTING. 

The company I work for uses the fitbit for challenges and we disable the manually added steps...There are still people who consistently log 50, 60, 70, 000 steps a day! There's no way!  

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Take faster shorter steps.

Really, that is the first tip beyond just massive time for walking. You'd probably be surprised what short distances are actually obtained with all those short steps you see.

Now, you can also manually adjust your stride length to something shorter than reality.

Then you manually log your walking or running (only 2 activities that do this) time and distance and calories (optional).

Then Fitbit takes the entered distance divided by the stride length distance and changes the step count.

And yes, one person admitted to cheating like this. Like a troll, they just wanted to create issues.

Not saying they all do, someone easily could have thought they were getting more accurate with manual stride length and entered a shorter distance, and they use the GPS Fitbit workout feature which logs a workout by distance and calories, and Fitbit adjusts the steps automatically from what was seen to what is calculated.

[Jabrat]

10,000 steps if you run or jog shouldn't be a problem - it depends how many steps you want to do - it can be done - I have logged over 100,000 in one day - although it took some 11 to 12 hours keeping at it 

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@fitfreak wrote:

Someone please explain to me how on the Fitbit 2014 challenge, someone can have 176,000 steps in the 2 days of August.  That's 88,000 a day.  That's 44 miles.  And people seem to have this level regularly.  What do you DO for a job.....I gotta know????? 

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[tealily]

Popped in to share something funny:

1) I have no idea where these fitbit leaderboards are, but that's great because if people averaging 20 000+ steps a day my age exist (late 20s) I kind of don't really want to know 😄

2) All my life I've raged at my poor genetic proportions. Short legs when I'm already short? Seriously?

Wait... that's a higher cadence... (steps per minute)

So basically my fitbit makes me feel special ❤️ (although people say I look like the Road Runner when I walk - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wile_E._Coyote_and_The_Road_Runner)

PS: I know someone who may clock those numbers - she's an Ultra Marathon-er and genetically blessed. Those guys go for 48 hours straight or something... intense!!

[DoctorJC]

Ever hear of ultrmarathoners?  They run at least 100 miles at a time.  Crazy but true.

[colleen]

I myself average around 46k - 50k a day. I get agravated because I litterly spend 5-6 hours a day excerercising and it shows in my very active steps. I  work full time plus commuting. I gave up tv etc just to buy the time to do this. I now have at least 6 friends who beat me on a day to day basis. They avg upwards of 100k a day. I cant imagine how they do it.

Typical day for me.

60 minute walk right when I get up. ( dog walking) She likes to move fast

eat but walk on treadmill while I am eating my breakfast

Leave for gym. 2 hours at gym running / elliptical ( no bike because that does not give me steps

come home eat lunch and walk more on treadmill plus take Queeny for her 2nd walk 30 minutes

Go to work. 2nd shift production support so I have down time. Instead of going on the internet I walk around the building which each loop around is 1/10 th of a mile. I walk and walk for over two hours total thruout the night.

Come home and walk Queeny for her final walk up to 45 minutes.

Go to bed totallly exhausted.

Seriously though I myself prefer to move around then watch tv so I like doing this. I often question how some of my friends can get more then me and have time to keep posting notes in the challendges they have. I am taking a few minutes to type this only because I was agravated and wanted to see if it was possible these friends are cheating.

I guess I will never know but I hope everyone is being honest with themselves.

Thanks

[DoctorJC]

Colleen,
The purpose of exercise should be to maximize one's health and potential in only one of many parameters. What others do or lie about has nothing to do with your health. By your own description, you repeat the same routine daily which is exactly what all health and fitness professionals counsel against.
Why not concern yourself with establishing a reasonable set of goals for your exercise that vary from day to day? Not only will you feel better physically but you will have time to sort out amy other issues that have intruded into your life.

Sent from my iPhone

[TandemWalker]

Hi @colleen !

@DoctorJC  has the right idea. If you've been doing the same exercise regimen day-after-day, your system has gotten used to this regimen, and your metabolism is now sitting comfortably waiting for you to kickstart it back to active duty. You do that by avoiding doing the same workouts two days in a row. If you go to bed totally exhausted, it's either because you're doing too much of the same thing and not providing your body with enough nutrients to meet the demand. A healthy lifestyle is about eating healthy and doing fun activities (not punishment) to keep us fit. Unless the activities you pick are fun, you won't be looking forward to them; and sooner or later they will fall off by the way side. I don't do these any more for a number of reasons, but the activities that I enjoyed the most were the volley ball/badmington matches three times a week at my local fitness centre. That's a lot more enjoyable than walking, walking walking or doing elliptical/treadmill workouts (punishments in my book.)

TW

[Elansc]

there is someone in my activity group who averages 80,000 steps a day -- so far in March her/his step count is 2,270,655 steps -- that would be 3200+ per hour for 24 hours every day (5000/hour if the person sleeps the recommended 8 hours -- that is 83 steps a minute -- not even sure that an elite athlete would be able to keep that up for more than a minute let alone for hours and hours....).  February step count was 2,902,611 steps (103,664.67 steps/day -- yes, per/day not per/week).  This person is clearly cheating and for a few weeks it did annoy me (and I still wish someone in fitbit would kick them out) BUT now I just feel sorry for the person who thinks that this is fooling anyone.  I do hope that they are not fooling themselves. 

[DoctorJC]

Who cares. Using the fitbit should be fun. What difference does it make what anyone else claims? If they are competitive athletes, their actual ability will be measured by others. If you want argue and compete with an obvious phony, you have as much of a problem as they do. Use the fitbit to set realistic & healthy goals for yourself and then build towards the goal. If you don't know what a reasonable, healthy goal is, ask a professional. I am sure there are a number of folk in the fitbit community who would be willing to help.
Some outrageous claims of 80K+ each day are just that - outrageous unless they are training for ultramarathons. Most folk are not so inclined. Those of you who feel compelled to amass huge numbers for the sheer hugeness of it would do better to stop walking or running in order to do something contemplative like yoga a few times a week.
Physical stamina means nothing if you don't have a life.

Sent from my iPhone

[Raviv]

Sorry to necro a thread, but I just wanted to say two things:

First, it is possible to have a really large step count.  When I worked for a utility company, my job consisted of driving out to an area, parking my truck, and then walking from hoouse to house for 7 hours.  Some days I logged 20 miles before 2:00 in the afternoon, which still left me with almost half a day to go out and do something else, assuming I didn't have overtime (which means more miles/steps).  If you figure 20 miles for me is roughly 40,000 steps, then... yeah, I guess 80,000 could be done.  It's theoretically possible, but it's certainly not healthy to walk 40 miles or so a day.  Your time could be spent doing things that are going to be much more beneficial.

But second - why does it matter?  I get that people are competitive and they want those they're competing against to play by the rules.  I really do get that.  But in all honesty, the person you should be competing against should be yourself.

"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." - George Sheehan