weight training.

[boomer616]

Hi there...first post.  I work out in the gym and wonder how I should record weight training, stationary biking and treadmill, as far as calories go.  I am a senior and when I treadmill I hold on to the rails, so I don't think it records foot steps.

[gerrymcd]

Best - most accurate method - is to wear a heart rate monitor.  It will record your efforts very accurately in terms of how much energy you used (ie calories burned)

[slysam]

Which type of Fitbit do you have? Without a heart rate monitor: If you lift weight weights, log it as "weight lifting"--I believe there are two options "moderate effort" and "vigorous effort". I think the vigorous effort is more for olympic lifts or if you are doing compound movements that really get your heart rate up (i.e. weighted squats with free weights). If lots of isolated moves, some machines, your heart rate isn't elevated much than moderate effort is probably safest to log. Forcycling--log it as cycling with the distance your machine gives you (if on a gym machine). If you need to log the treadmill, log it as walking or running (whichever you do) with the distance the machine says you covered. If you log your cardio activities by distance than the results should reflect the intensity you put into it. I'd probably only log treadmill if I found that the treadmill wasn't counting steps--that may depend on the type you have and where you wear though I think holding the rails might dampen the impact for any type of fitbit. Distance activities are easier to log as there is a semi-objective data to input--other more subjective activities are a little trickier so I guess make your best guess. It can be better to be a little conservative in your calorie burn estimates though.

[pablolie]

i have to agree my fitbit flex is of limited value without the ability to truly have custom activities (*including* calories burned*) that i can keep using day to say instead of recreating them from scratch.

the fact weight lifting is so limited is a bummer.

the fact cardio machines in the gym aren't included is another oversight.

i hope upgrades to the website when it comes to logging activities are planned...

as far as i can tell fitbit doesn't sell a heart rate monitor that in any way integrates with the devices or this website, so i am not sure how that makes things easier.