Elliptical workout not accurate for HR?

[TonyG101]

For whatever reason when i used the elliptical workout, it was so inconsistent. i kept a consistent pace, and i knew i was probably right around 140 BPM. and the machine itself said around that.

but my watch would sometimes read 59 or somewhere low between 50-70.

only when i paused my workout and stood stlll would it start reading 135-140

 

[leeingham]

On my elliptical its always been about 3-4 out every time. It was this that made me realise how good the AW was!

 

[TonyG101]

is it because my arms are always moving that it cant get an accurate read? or because i should wipe my wrist to keep everything dry every 5 minutes.

my wrist doesnt sweat that much i dont think

 

[ryanovelo]

is it because my arms are always moving that it cant get an accurate read? or because i should wipe my wrist to keep everything dry every 5 minutes.

my wrist doesnt sweat that much i dont think

Make sure you slide the watch up your arm until it is tight before starting your workout. Sweat does not alter the HR. If the contact is tight, it will read correctly.

 

[Julien]

is it because my arms are always moving that it cant get an accurate read? or because i should wipe my wrist to keep everything dry every 5 minutes.

my wrist doesnt sweat that much i dont think

No, it can be dead on accurate. I do Elliptical one or twice a week (I'm a runner but did it this morning) and always have my Garmin 620 too. When worn correctly the Watch can be basically 100% accurate in all cardio activities.

Tighten up and move up your wrist slightly and it will give an accurate reading.

 

[fishmd]

Does the elliptical work out give you distance estimate?

 

[Julien]

Does the elliptical work out give you distance estimate?

No, the only indoor Activities that gives Distance info is Indoor Run and probably (never used) Indoor Walk.

 

[frankdogg]

I tried the watch on the elliptical the other day and what my watch said and what the machine said were off by a lot.


I'll try moving it up my wrist like Julien suggested

 

[Newtons Apple]

Keep trying as my elliptical and watch show pretty well the same HR.

 

[parseckadet]

I wear mine higher up on the wrist when working out as well, and it has always been within just a couple beats from what the machine said. My wife's Fitbit Charge HR says to keep it two finger widths above your wrist bone. I've been doing the same with my Apple Watch and get great results.

 

[pnd4pnd]

I've noticed the HR is consistent but the number of calories burned is significantly different.

 

[ckurt25]

I've had my watch for 4 days now and today while running on the treadmill I thought my HR was spot on. I physically check my pulse and the watch has been very accurate. The distance was off a bit (according to the distance traveled on the treadmill) but not enough to where I'd think it's a problem. I understand that for some of the measurements it's going of past history of running with my phone and watch together to calibrate the watch but there isn't much history so it's not properly calibrated, yet.

 

[twisted-pixel]

I checked this out today. Machine and watch were almost spot on each time, but the calorie count is way off. I figured this was due to the fact that the machine knows how hard you are working (difficulty level etc) while the watch just assumes a 'standard' effort level

 

[grenhall]

I always get great readings when on Elliptical. Even though I sweat like crazy and keep pushing my Apple Watch up again after it sliding down my sweaty wrist. Nowadays I just don't care. The watch is free to move anywhere it wants on my wrist.

 

[foxkoneko]

I checked this out today. Machine and watch were almost spot on each time, but the calorie count is way off. I figured this was due to the fact that the machine knows how hard you are working (difficulty level etc) while the watch just assumes a 'standard' effort level

the reason is actually since the elliptical also counts the calories you burn from 'just living' during the workout. The apple watch is more accurate.

 

[TonyG101]

yea i got it now.. didnt do elliptical but i played basketball and i noticed my heart rate readings were all consistent since i put it up another notch to make it tight. definitely works very well. through 3 basketball games (3 "other" workouts) no outliers in the data recorded in Healthkit

 

[TonyG101]

I checked this out today. Machine and watch were almost spot on each time, but the calorie count is way off. I figured this was due to the fact that the machine knows how hard you are working (difficulty level etc) while the watch just assumes a 'standard' effort level

do you enter in your body info ? (hght and wght) since if you dont the machine just has a standard. where your watch has your actual body data

 

[Newtons Apple]

I've noticed the HR is consistent but the number of calories burned is significantly different.

Calories will be different, too many factors. My elliptical goes from 0 to 60 degrees in elevation. How fast and how much you weigh all make a difference in calories.