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penajmz

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 11, 2008
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New York City
Do you guys use "Other" in the workout app for lifting weights at the gym since the other workouts are all cardio?

How accurate is that? How does the watch calculate calories? By heart rate or movement?

This is my workout for today. I did a quick legs workout in this instance.. Some squats and a few machines. What do you guys think?
 

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My best advice is to be in the gym longer then 34 minutes..
Like, what can somebody really accomplish in 34 minutes at the gym?! A warm up alone should be 5-10 minutes.
 
My best advice is to be in the gym longer then 34 minutes..
Like, what can somebody really accomplish in 34 minutes at the gym?! A warm up alone should be 5-10 minutes.

I was at the gym longer but I don't let the activity just run, I ended that one and started two other cardio ones.

Wow, you guys are not helpful.
 
My best advice is to be in the gym longer then 34 minutes..
Like, what can somebody really accomplish in 34 minutes at the gym?! A warm up alone should be 5-10 minutes.

If you're doing the right workout, you don't need more than 30 minutes.
 
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to answer OP, I don't think anyone really knows at this point. The apple watch seems 100% geared towards tracking aerobic exercise, and I've heard heart rate monitoring doesn't mean much when trying to calculate calories burned while resistance training.

personally, I also do an "other" workout on my lifting days only to fill up my exercise and move goals. I just don't put any stock into the calorie numbers it generates.
 
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I'm wondering about this too

ps what gloves do you guys recommend #

I wear a pair called man hands. You can't actually buy them you have to earn them.

& @ this guy ^
What "right workout" only takes 30 minutes? Please enlighten me because I don't think I've ever seen any pro body builder or even amature physique competitor say that their "30 minute right work out" got them where they are today.

@ OP, sorry didn't mean to flame your thread. I haven't got my watch yet but I'm sure I'll be wondering the same thing once I get mine because fitness apps &the iPod are the only 2 reasons I'm even buying one.
 
I think I'm going to start doing this. I've only started a workout when actually on the treadmill, though it looks like it's picking up your increased heart rate (and factoring that into calories burned).
 
It's great with cardio but no one has perfected the monitor for weighlifting. You won't get the credit you deserve but, if you do it right, you will get the muscles to use as you please. If you lift, you are going to have to live with that for now.

I wore my watch for lifting yesterday, and it was no worse than my Polar Bluetooth chest strap.
 
to answer OP, I don't think anyone really knows at this point. The apple watch seems 100% geared towards tracking aerobic exercise, and I've heard heart rate monitoring doesn't mean much when trying to calculate calories burned while resistance training.

personally, I also do an "other" workout on my lifting days only to fill up my exercise and move goals. I just don't put any stock into the calorie numbers it generates.

Thanks for your answer.

And yes, cardio exercises are tracked pretty accurately but weight lifting.. ehhh.
I'll keep using Other when I do because at least it will be tracking something.
 
Do you guys use "Other" in the workout app for lifting weights at the gym since the other workouts are all cardio?

How accurate is that? How does the watch calculate calories? By heart rate or movement?

Unfortunately, I don't believe optical heart rate sensors work well for weight lifting activities. I had a Bluetooth optical heart rate monitor a few months ago that worked fine for running and biking, but would give me readings between 50-70bpm as soon as I picked up a weight (my chest strap heart rate monitor would show around 150-160bpm for the same exercises).

When I tried out the Apple Watch at the gym, I observed similar low readings during a weight lifting routine.

That said, heart rate monitors are not really designed to handle weight bearing exercises anyways. Here is some more information on the subject.
 
I saw a post somewhere that the HR for weightlifting was off as it often is for that type of activity. If you really want to track your HR while lifting, get one of those chest straps and pair it with the watch to track your activity. Just be sure it is Bluetooth 4.0.
 
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Do you guys use "Other" in the workout app for lifting weights at the gym since the other workouts are all cardio?

How accurate is that? How does the watch calculate calories? By heart rate or movement?

This is my workout for today. I did a quick legs workout in this instance.. Some squats and a few machines. What do you guys think?

Wow - weird responses to your questions. Your results seem perfect to me for the time. I was wondering what to use as well and Other seems right so you helped me. It was a quick workout. I would expect 30 minutes.

You helped me with the choice. Other seems right and the total calories and HR seem right. Of course, I assume all the measurements for your body and other info is set.
 
Do you guys use "Other" in the workout app for lifting weights at the gym since the other workouts are all cardio?

How accurate is that? How does the watch calculate calories? By heart rate or movement?

This is my workout for today. I did a quick legs workout in this instance.. Some squats and a few machines. What do you guys think?

I want to comment on this again. Typical weight training workouts have a very wide range of heartbeats. Starting in the 70-80 range and spike under heavy loads and longer reps and then back down during rest periods depending on your current health.

Seeing 103 as the average heart rate seems very accurate to me.

Are others having these results? Can you chart the heart rate for the entire workout or with other is it less checking?

Don't get my watch until today.
 
I weight train 5x a week and I just set it to Other/Open and let her run. Have been doing this since launch day. Average about 45 to 50 minutes and 275 total kcal, with average HR in the 80-90 range.

HR can be all over the map since when you have weight on your hand and writs your arteries constrict. This throws the optical sensor off and often get reading in the 40/50 range. For instance this morning was doing single cable bi curls and when I finished with my left it said 48BPM. However when I finished my right it was 115BPM.

While measuring metrics in lifting can be tricky it is just nice to have a base measurement and get credit for Exercise and Move calories.
 
I use mine for both running and weights. When doing my strength training routines, I set the workout app to Other. The first time I selected that, the watch let me know that if no other sensors provided data (i.e. HR), it would at least be tracked as the equivalent of a brisk walk. HR sensor works fine for me when lifting, and I see it rise up and down with intensity.

My strength training is a personal hybrid of HIIT and BFL. It takes me all of 12-15 minutes and I get the results I want... not a body-builder, but lean and defined. I alternate between upper and lower body groups each session, and alternate between strength training and cardio daily with Sundays off. Everyone has to find what works for their body.

I am very impressed with the HR sensor on the Apple Watch vs. my Moto 360. The AW is able to continually track HR even when I run, while the M360 just gives up with an error message. It is nice the AW can pair with a chest strap, but I'm happy with it as it is.

Now if they can add Oxygen Saturation via a software update, that will be very cool.

One last note: I was playing around with VimoFit on my Moto 360. It can track lift reps and sets via the gyro/accelerometer. Their web site said they were working on a version for Apple Watch. That would be neat. Right now I use GymBook on my iPhone to track my lifting sessions. No AW interface yet.
 
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