More on HRM whilst swimming...

Former Member over 7 years ago

I'm just wondering if anyone at Garmin can be encouraged to further experiment with swimming HRM from the wrist device.

Whilst I understand that Garmin may not want to be 'inaccurate' by default and there may be reliability issues. I wonder if there is a middle ground that can be struck.

Between 30-50% of my weekly activity is pool swimming. None of these activities are currently counted in my training load/status etc.
To that end what would be considered the more inaccurate, and increased margin of error on HRM data or _null_ data. My personal view is that _null_ is more inaccurate than an increased margin of error; So how bad is the data?

Garmin:
I would love to be able to:
* Opt. in to this data with consent via Connect
* Run trial software
* Provide more feedback on secondary devices that are not chest straps
* Could HRM during 'rest periods' fill some holes? i.e. enable the sensor when I hit rest button?

...and so on

I'm in a strange position here, as the main reason I care about this data is that you, your software and your ecosystem drive me that way. You've made me care, so hopefully you'll care enough to help me complete it :)

Thanks,
c

0 ToleLauf over 7 years ago

This is a nice little trick, and it just might work for Open Water Swims, however much like using a Mio Link next to the Garmin watch, it will simply display the data during the activity but not save it for Pool Swims, this is due to the essentially different way Pool Swims are recorded, unlike any other activity including Running, Cardio and Open Water Swims which all include the state at every second, Pool Swim only keeps time of every change of direction or swim lap, so it really doesn't have "space" for the HR data. The integration with the HRM-Swim chest strap is a very special one, happens afterwards and it can't be replicated by anything else, however, just like the with Mio Link, this trick might work for Open Water Swims where the HR data saved no matter where it comes from. Thanks for the trick.

With regards to "training load, realistic calories", it won't work for Pool Swims, if the HR data doesn't get saved, it doesn't count. You really only have two options for HR data during a Pool Swim, you either do what you've been doing using the Cardio activity instead, or buy (and wear) that HRM-Swim chest strap, neither of which are ideal at all.

Thanks for the clarification! Indeed, it works for open water swimming, giving values for training effect, adding to training load etc.

However, it also results in very jagged and very untrue (i.e. going back and forth) tracks on the map. I assume, that is caused by the fact, that many more data points are saved compared to open water swimming w/o hr (were the track is often a series of straight lines).