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Denis54

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 24, 2011
101
0
When you exercise is it possible to have the watch show your heart rate constantly?
 
When you exercise is it possible to have the watch show your heart rate constantly?

Yes, use the workout App.

monitor-heart-rate-apple-watch-fitness.png
 
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Screen won't stay on if that is what you mean, you will have to raise your wrist... which is tricky depending on what you are doing.

And the accuracy of the HR monitor drops off dramatically when it is shaking around on your wrist.
 
Screen won't stay on if that is what you mean, you will have to raise your wrist... which is tricky depending on what you are doing.

And the accuracy of the HR monitor drops off dramatically when it is shaking around on your wrist.

But the heart rate is shown constantly - that is what he was asking and it doesn't stop when your wrist is down and is very accurate if you have the watch firmly in place. I wear it one notch tighter for workouts and I am surprised at how accurate the heart rate monitor is... I used it for golf today with the sport band and even with all the swings it never moved for 2 plus hours. Every time I raise my wrist the heart rate shows my current heart rate.

I am very impressed with the heart rate monitor and accuracy.
 
I am confused. Post no 3 says screen does not stay on while post no 4 says that heart rate is shown constantly which I understand means that the screen is on. Could you clarify?

When I run I want to be able to see my heart rate instantly when I raise my arm.
 
I am confused. Post no 3 says screen does not stay on while post no 4 says that heart rate is shown constantly which I understand means that the screen is on. Could you clarify?

When I run I want to be able to see my heart rate instantly when I raise my arm.

The workout app monitors your heart rate consistently throughout your workout regardless if the screen is on or not. raising your wrist just lets you peek at it.
 
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Yup. Heart rate recorded constantly. Screen only on briefly when it detects your wrist is raised.

Comparing with a chest strap, Watch Heart rate is only consistently accurate for me when asleep. When exercising, and especially when cold, it usually reports 1/2 or 3/4 of the actual rate, no matter the tightness of the strap. Some like Bluemoon63 above are lucky, and it just works. But lower your expectations.
 
I am confused. Post no 3 says screen does not stay on while post no 4 says that heart rate is shown constantly which I understand means that the screen is on. Could you clarify?

When I run I want to be able to see my heart rate instantly when I raise my arm.

When you are in a watch workout mode and raise your wrist it will show your HR. The screen does not stay on all the time but when I raise my wrist to look the screen never fails to turn on. The screen never stays on constantly. It is not required.
 
Screen won't stay on if that is what you mean, you will have to raise your wrist... which is tricky depending on what you are doing.

And the accuracy of the HR monitor drops off dramatically when it is shaking around on your wrist.
Press on screen and select Lock it'll keep the fitness app open and on that screen. might be only in Watch OS2 beta not 100% sure
 
I am very impressed with the heart rate monitor and accuracy.
Big +1 to this. The HR feature during a workout is excellent. I have been double-wristing my AW with my Garmin 910XT for the past few weeks and >100 miles of running. I have HR on my main Garmin screen, and I frequently run to a target HR, so I look at it often. I have been double-glancing to see how the two compare, and the AW is perfect. When I raise my AW wrist to look at HR, it is always there for me, already lit up. I can actually read it faster than the Garmin, because the font on the Garmin is smaller.

So, going beyond the OP's question to intent... the AW HR feature during a workout is outstanding, on par with a chest strap unit in every way.

Some folks have had problems, but it seems like most of the runners who have posted are not having problems. I do not change the tightness of my strap for a run-- I wear it the same as regular daily wear. For me, I cannot complain, and I cannot wait for the day that I can get rid of my chest strap.
 
Yup. Heart rate recorded constantly. Screen only on briefly when it detects your wrist is raised.

Comparing with a chest strap, Watch Heart rate is only consistently accurate for me when asleep. When exercising, and especially when cold, it usually reports 1/2 or 3/4 of the actual rate, no matter the tightness of the strap. Some like Bluemoon63 above are lucky, and it just works. But lower your expectations.

You are right, I may be lucky and maybe when it is cold, it will have a problem until I warm up? Bending the wrists backward has had a problem but in most cases my wrists aren't bent enough except for a few weight lifting positions like dips and narrow bench presses.
 
Chest straps are also inaccurate until you warm up and start sweating. So, the fact that an optical HR needs the exerciser to get warmed up is no different from a chest strap. I think that stationary machines that read HR from the handles also suck until your hands get pretty sweaty.

In my experience, HR reliability in the first 5 minutes of a workout is a throwaway, no matter what the device.
 
Another kindred Garmin 910XT runner! I've been using the 910XT with a Mio Link wrist strap, and I'm finding that the Apple Watch is every bit as accurate as my Mio Link wrist strap (same type of green lights for HR monitoring). Both are far more accurate than my old Garmin chest strap, which would fluctuate wildly much of the time.

Sidebar (or PM me)... which is your favorite running app with the Apple Watch? I am still experimenting between RunKeeper and Endomondo (also using Workout simultaneously for HR). Oh to have a configurable screen like my 910xt to show just what I'm wanting. Maybe for watchOS 2.0. :)

I think I'm keeping 910xt for racing and 50K+ distances, but I'm liking just having the AW for regular training runs, and not having to wear big 'ol 910xt + Mio Link on the same wrist.
 
Chest straps are also inaccurate until you warm up and start sweating. So, the fact that an optical HR needs the exerciser to get warmed up is no different from a chest strap. I think that stationary machines that read HR from the handles also suck until your hands get pretty sweaty.

In my experience, HR reliability in the first 5 minutes of a workout is a throwaway, no matter what the device.

I don't know. My strap seems to do just fine before I'm fully warmed up. In the instructions, it tells you to moisten (with saliva or water) the band before putting it on, which I've always done.
 
exxxviii

I wet the sensor on my Polar HR monitor when I it on, this causes it to give very reliable data from the get go.

For the most part the data from the Polar and the :apple: watch coincide, but there are flyers (as I call them) that I think are caused by the watch sliding around. I've been using the Milanese Loop, but may go back to the WSB that originally came with the watch while working out. The Milanese Loop is just so comfortable.
 
You are right, I may be lucky and maybe when it is cold, it will have a problem until I warm up? Bending the wrists backward has had a problem but in most cases my wrists aren't bent enough except for a few weight lifting positions like dips and narrow bench presses.
If you have a problem when bending your wrist, you may have the watch too close to your hand: it should be on the elbow side of the wrist bone, not the hand side
 
I wet the sensor on my Polar HR monitor when I it on, this causes it to give very reliable data from the get go.
Ditto, I lick my sensors on my chest strap HRM before every run. It still sucks for about 3/4 mile before it stabilizes-- mine reads erraticlly about 30 - 40 BPM high. I have just come to live with it. The licking is kind of nasty, and it may not appear to help. Maybe I should quit. :)
 
I have an old Polar strap that I have used for the last 15 years or so. I run tap water on the strap and splash tap water on my chest. I have always got reliable heart rate readings.
 
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