Tracking / logging strength training???

[bethie0022]

Hello all! I am sure the answer to my question is buried in the community board somewhere, but I cannot seem to find the exact answer to my question. So forgive me if this is a repeat.

I do strength training 3 days a week and alot of it is kettlebells. I also perform HIT workouts at home on the other days. I am finding that the calorie burn is off, well, that is my guess. It seems really low. This is being tracked by using the button on the side of my charge to stop and start my workouts. Should I be manually logging exercise that is not based on steps? Weights / strength training may not be dependent upon how many steps are being taken. I don't expect my fitbit to be right on the money, although it would be nice, but it just seems really off, and I am wondering if one way of tracking is more accurate than another. Your feedback would be super helpful!

[peppergal]

Welcome @bethie0022

Your instinct is correct.  Non-step based activity is best recorded via a manual record.  Your Charge has no other way of knowing that you movements are burning more calories due to the weights.

[scubaguy]

Just started using the Charge HR. Noticed nothing was recorded for my weight training workout this morning. I logged into the fitbit site and added it but it only recorded an 83 calorie burn for 30 minutes of exercise. This seems very low for that type of exercise. When I have used other programs, I could put in the type of exercise and rep count with the weights used and I was seeing closer to 250 calories burned. Wonder if there is a way to be more granular or if we just need to know that we burned more cals on weight training days.

[peppergal]

Welcome @scubaguy

You've got the HR with heartrate tracking unlike us, so you may have additional options to get the data you want.

I'd suggest if you want more granular caloric data via the fitbit site, you'll want to create multiple custom activities that relate to different exercises and weight levels.  Once you create them the first time and populate them with your estimated caloric data, you can use them in the future to record your workouts. 

I'd also recommend popping down to the feature request board and seeing if you can find a feature request that matches your desire for a more granular way of reporting your activity without resorting to custom activities.  If you don't find one, feel free to create one.  If enough people ask for something we might just get it.

[scubaguy]

Thanks for the info. I did not realize I could creat custom activities on the website. Guess I will come up with some generic workouts with ball park calorie burns. 

[Luparo]

Got my Charge HR last Sunday as a present from niece & nephew who know I like to work out.Was very surprised that most of my strength training(free weights & bodyweight lifts) was not getting logged as active minutes.Including squats & deadlifts that take my heartrate above 100 from resting of 60. Guessing sets have to last ten minutes. Cutting grass w/self proppelled mower did get logged? 

[SantiR]

@Luparo Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Probably it didn't get logged because weights is not a step based activity. The best thing to do for this activities for you to get accurate data will be to manually log the activity (follow @GisselleM's steps on that post). Also, active minutes are logged every time your METs are met (check this post for more details). 

Try that out and let me know how it goes! 

[Mary-O]

Can I ask where you wear your Fitbit? I have constant bruising on my arm from cleaning kettlebells. I can’t find a place where it will read my heart rate and not give me bruises-or get broken.

thanks

[SunsetRunner]

My charge4 works great between my wrist bone and hand; not the place recommended but it tracks HR great from than. Thats my placement daily and for Kettlebells. Otherwise above wrist bone for runs and below for cycling