Stride on Versa

[BradM0]

Hi,

   I recently purchased a Versa and am curious about setting my stride settings.  I've Googled and found this

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Other-Versa-Smartwatches/How-to-adjust-my-stride-length-on-Versa/td-...

Here's my complaint.  I set my treadmill on an incline of 6 and speed of 3.8 MPH and my Versa consistently reports 2.9 miles walked in a one hour session.  I did find the stride setting in the Fitbit app (version 3.37) by going here

Profile

Versa

Activity & Wellness

Exercise (scroll to the bottom)

Stride Length

The Set Automatically slider is off and I am able to turn it on, but if I leave the page and return the slider is off again.  What's the best option for improving the accuracy of my distance?  Appreciate any guidance.

[JohnnyRow]

On treadmill, distance = number of steps times stride length, so distance error could come from either number of steps or stride length, or both.

Number of steps: Are you holding hand rails with fitbit wrist at all?  During any time your wrist is held steady like that rather than swinging freely as in walking, steps probably are not detected, reducing your distance.  I suspect that is most of your issue.

If not, stride length could be off.  Fitbit sets default stride length based on your physical characteristics, height, etc.  If anything, I would expect your actual stride length going uphill would be shorter that fitbit's default set.  But if not holding hand rail and you are confident you walked 3.8 miles (incline, though increasing heart rate and calorie burn, has no bearing on distance), then manually increase your stride length by 3.8 / 2.9; i.e. 31% increase, which is a bigger adjustment than I would expect to be needed, especially going uphill.

[BradM0]

Hi Johnny,

   Thanks for your reply.  When I'm on the treadmill I don't hold on to anything.  My arms are swinging freely.  Since the treadmill is set at 3.8 MPH and I walk for one hour and the distance display on the treadmill reads 3.8 miles walked I'm confident I'm walking 3.8 miles.  I was hoping the automatic setting would stay on and learn but I guess I'll experiment with the manual stride lengths. 

[JohnnyRow]

I don't know why auto setting went off; it stays on for me.

But that only works when you are using connected-GPS to get  distance measurement; then it can auto-adjust stride length to GPS-measured distance.

I meant to mention, if you manually adjust stride length for treadmill uphill, that might make it off when on the level.

[BradM0]

Where would you enable Location Services in version 3.37 of the app?  If I look under Location Services on my iPhone, the Fitbit app doesn't appear.  I found this thread

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/iOS-App/Fitbit-app-not-showing-in-quot-Location-Services-quot/td-p/3...

But I don't get that option on the phone or on the Versa.  I found the Treadmill exercise tile on the Versa, opened the gear icon in the upper right corner but there was nothing about location.

[JohnnyRow]

I didn't explain clearly.  You cannot use GPS for that on treadmill since your position does not change.  It would be just on an outside run connected to phone's GPS.  You do that by going to Run in Exercise App, then tapping gear icon for run settings and select GPS; then need to take phone on run with you.

[BradM0]

OK.  Gotcha.  Not sure it's worth all that though.  I did note that the Versa is detecting my workouts as Walks instead of Treadmill.  So I set a hot button to go into Treadmill exercise mode so I'll test and see if it makes any different guesses.  I appreciate the help.  Thanks.