Heart rate monitoring on Apple Watch

[john991]

I seem to have a problem with my series 2 Watch. In that running on treadmill the Watch reads my heart rate properly. However, any rowing or weight (floor exercises) my Watch will stop reading my heart rate. I have to dry under the Watch and it will start working for a period of time then stop again.

How do you guys / gals wear your Watch while exercising? Up your arm or near your wrist, on the inside or outside of your arm?

Thanks

 

[Newtons Apple]

I seem to have a problem with my series 2 Watch. In that running on treadmill the Watch reads my heart rate properly. However, any rowing or weight (floor exercises) my Watch will stop reading my heart rate. I have to dry under the Watch and it will start working for a period of time then stop again.

How do you guys / gals wear your Watch while exercising? Up your arm or near your wrist, on the inside or outside of your arm?

Thanks

Weights are well known to not work with the HR monitor on the Apple Watch, no matter where or how you wear it. If you got to know, then a chest mounter HR strap is the way to go.

 

[john991]

Weights are well known to not work with the HR monitor on the Apple Watch, no matter where or how you wear it. If you got to know, then a chest mounter HR strap is the way to go.

I can understand weight lifting, but rowing should have reliable heart rate reading with Apple Watch.

 

[zhenya]

I can understand weight lifting, but rowing should have reliable heart rate reading with Apple Watch.

Perhaps. In general wrist based monitors don't do well with activities where the forearm is flexed.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I can understand weight lifting, but rowing should have reliable heart rate reading with Apple Watch.

Rowing will do better than weight lifting but like the other poster said anything that keeps the muscles and tendons flexed will interfere in the HR sensor's ability to read the capillary flow.

For great accuracy a chest strap is still the way to go!

 

[bjet767]

The problem is these HR monitors use a green light to visually count the pulse and if there is substantial movement of the watch away from the skin surface it will be able to accurately "see" your pulse.

Get a HR Strap. I like Wahoo's "ticker."

 

[LostLogik]

I seem to have a problem with my series 2 Watch. In that running on treadmill the Watch reads my heart rate properly. However, any rowing or weight (floor exercises) my Watch will stop reading my heart rate. I have to dry under the Watch and it will start working for a period of time then stop again.

How do you guys / gals wear your Watch while exercising? Up your arm or near your wrist, on the inside or outside of your arm?

Thanks

Trying to get reliable HR while rowing with wrist based monitors is doomed to failure. I've tried (both Fitbit and Apple) and reverted back to BT chestbelt when rowing, though keep the AW on to register the activity.

As mentioned above, there is too much flex of the wrists and sweat, which muck up the optical sensors. That said it does work, to a degree, if the rowing is steady and not at anaerobic levels or doing high intensity intervals. I found if just rowing circa 120-140 bpm the AW would track. However, start pushing higher, and definitely anything over 160 (my max is 196bpm, so can hit 180s without blinking) it'll fall behind and lose it.

 

[john991]

Trying to get reliable HR while rowing with wrist based monitors is doomed to failure. I've tried (both Fitbit and Apple) and reverted back to BT chestbelt when rowing, though keep the AW on to register the activity.

As mentioned above, there is too much flex of the wrists and sweat, which muck up the optical sensors. That said it does work, to a degree, if the rowing is steady and not at anaerobic levels or doing high intensity intervals. I found if just rowing circa 120-140 bpm the AW would track. However, start pushing higher, and definitely anything over 160 (my max is 196bpm, so can hit 180s without blinking) it'll fall behind and lose it.

Thanks everyone. I was hoping otherwise.

Can I pair my BT chest strap to my watch and have the exercise activity show up in the activity rings?

 

[Julien]

Thanks everyone. I was hoping otherwise.

Can I pair my BT chest strap to my watch and have the exercise activity show up in the activity rings?

When you pair a BT HR strap the Watch cuts off it's optical HR monitor and just uses the strap to read your HR instead.

 

[jakerichva]

Another possible solution is to make sure the watch stays a little up on the arm, above the wrist bones. I use a sweat band to help keep the watch up my arm and it worked ok for me. I also have a chest strap and do find it more accurate, but if you keep the watch up the arm, it should do better. I do free weights, treadmill, elliptical, rowing and some machine work in my workouts and the wrist bands do fine to keep the AW in contact with the skin.

 

[eastamherstbias]

I have owned both versions and they both suck regarding heart rate. I have shaved my wrist hair. Wore it loose, Wore it tight. Nothing fixes it. Still says I am running a 7:30 mile at 90bpm.