Forums >Gears and Wears>Wrist Based HR
All systems Go!
The cnet "test" (n=1) is over 2 years old. I imagine manufactures (like Garmin) have greatly improved the optical HR monitoring capability. Maybe I'm just lucking that my fenix tracks just as well with or without the HRM-Run chest strap. The only time I notice problems with the optical pick-up is if I get excessive water under the watch (spill water on it from my water flask). I have more issues with GPS pickup in city streets with tall buildings or densely wooded areas than I do with the optical HR pickup.
Return To Racing
Bought a chest transmitter for my Run Cardio and it was just as bad as the wrist HRM. Spiked as soon as I started running. Maybe it needs to get used to me and I should walk a little before running.
Is it a cheap brand?
If it is, I'd exchange it for an upgrade.
However, if it's a good brand, such as a Polar or a Garmin, then I return it as a faulty unit for a new replacement.
Also, another consideration is if you bought just the chest strap and you're using it with a device of a different brand (or model type), maybe there's some compatibility issue.
I noticed HR spikes at the outset of my runs with my Garmin HRM-Run chest strap for about the first 3-4 weeks of daily easy MAF runs during base building phase last spring, then it settled down and was reliable right out of the shoot. I usually walk about .25 - .5 mile before I start running and the HR reading was about where I would expect (~80). When I started to run easy the HR reading would spike to nearly my LT (~170) for about a minute or two and then it would come down to where I expected it to be at the easy pace I was running (~130). I made sure I had a little moisture on the electrode pads of the strap and it was positioned correctly and the strap was tight enough. Nothing seemed to work until one day I noticed it stopped spiking. Maybe it was a firmware upgrade to my Garmin fenix watch. I'm not sure but it works just fine for me now. I still wear the strap several times a week to get the advanced Run Dynamics that the HRM-Run picks up with its electronic accelerometers, such as Ground Contact Time, Ground Contact Time Balance (between my right a left foot) and Vertical Ratio. When I'm not wearing the chest strap, I feel I'm getting pretty much the same HR reading based on my pace from my optical HR pick-up on the back side of my fenix HR. Garmin seems to have a pretty good implementation of the optical wrist based HR monitor.
Your mileage my vary as this is just a single data point on the effectiveness of wrist based HR monitors.
I don't know, I don't believe anything the wrist HR monitor is telling me. I've got the Garmin 225. It's all over the place. Maybe doesn't work as well on a bony wrist or maybe it's too loose or tight or something.
I'll give it some time to adjust.. It is a TomTom transmitter and strap from Amazon.
I have a Scosche Rhythm+ transmitter and a Garmin Forerunner 310xt. The Scosche communicates flawlessly with the Garmin. The Scosche does not work on my wrist or on my forearm. It only works on exactly one place on my upper arm, but there it works very well. The readings seem to be identical (or at least close enough for my purposes) with my old Garmin chest strap. Sometimes it reads high for a minute or so when I'm starting out and my heart rate starts to rise, but after that it reads correctly.
SMART Approach
I have Garmin wrist HR watch (235) and I felt it took a couple weeks to adjust to me. For best accuracy, it needs to be fairly tight on the wrist or it will not be as consistent. For those who have no luck, try putting it on lower part of wrist rather that on top. I find it is consistent now from run to run as long as there is no looseness on wrist. It sure beats the Garmin chest strap where I actually had more inconsistencies, spikes etc.
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I have the Garmin 235. It works well but you have to wear it tighter than I like but you get used to it.
I'll try again with the making it tighter and moving it up the wrist. Last time I tried tighter it just made my HR higher. Maybe I just have a really high HR.
Joann - as a fellow bony/skinny-wristed woman, i just want to say I have never had any luck with the wrist-based optical HR. Have tried different devices with the same experience every time: accurate readings only happen if I'm not actually moving :/ and it doesn't matter how tight I fasten it. I really think it has something to do with the shape and size of the wrist. what works for me is the scosche optical hr strap that I wear just below my elbow on the inside part of the arm. I use it with a garmin 230.
Why not wear the watch further up the arm if you're very slim?
If you're like most people, your forearm tapers towards the wrist. When you try to wear it higher on the arm it just slips down to the wrist. The strap on my garmin 230 when tight goes all the way around touching the watch - I have a lot of excess strap. If I don't want it to slip the watch would need to go just below the elbow, but the strap isn't long enough to make that loop.
Ray
I have very small wrists and do fine with the 235. On a very dry (low humidity) morning it might take a few minutes to settle on the right HR, but after that it is fine. I wear it fairly tight.
Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth
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I've had satisfactory results w/ my TomTom Cardio Runner -- fewer crazy spikes than my former Garmin chest strap. As a female runner, it's also one less thing to chafe, which is a HUGE bonus.
I don't need operating room accuracy for my running HR. I just wanna know if I'm in the zones I expect for the specific workout, and the TT does a fantastic job of that, even on my bony wrists.
Runs like a dj mixing songs while wearing festive outfits.5k PR 5/31/21 24:21
10k PR 5/23 54:43
HM PR 1/2024 1:59:10