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Heart rate very high since 5.50

Over the last few weeks, I have got extremely high heart rates during runs, as this caused my VO2Max to drop dramatically I bought a Polar OH1+ optical HR strap a couple of days ago. Sure enough my reported HR dropped by about 30 to 40 BPM and my VO2Max has climbed 2 points in two days.

It is a real shame that I have to circumvent the 245 built in HRM like this. I never had any issues with the optical HR on my 645.

UPDATE 5th Dec 2020.

Although some people don't seem to think it relevant, my plummeting reported VO2Max is what alerted me to this issue as I don't generally obsess over precise HR values and the VO2Max is derived from the HR data. Since 24th Nov when I started using a Polar OH1+ HRM instead of the one built into the 245, my VO2Max has increased from 51 (the lowest I have ever seen) to 57.

In a normal course of events this would never happen.

  • A technical question: if you run with a HRM-RUN strap, does the FR245 copies the HR values from the strap, or will it do some calculations with the data from the strap and adjust the HR values?

  • Per default the FR will to automatically use the strap for measuring HR when it is connected and stop measuring on the wrist. When you start an activity it should show you in the display that it's using an external sensor.

  • Ok, that part I knew. But the Forerunner does not recalculate the raw data it receives from the strap?

    (Why do I ask? I always run with a strap. Since a few weeks my HR is significantly higher than before. On average 5 to 10 bpm. My VO2 max has dropped with 3 points. And I can't really find a reason why...)

  • Two runs, both with about the same effort/pace yesterday and today. (Wearing ist tight, high enough, hairless arm, ...). 


    #1: FR 245‘s OHR. On avarage 10 beats to high. Spiking up to 204 while going crazy at the end of the run.  



    #2: Polar HR7: Everthing good, no spikes, not going crazy at the end of the run.

    Sensor hub 6.03. Garmin’s OHR is pretty useless, not to say broken, at the moment. Is there any solution, are you working on it, Garmin?

  • same here.

    Can we get a fix? thank you...

  • Repeating post I put on the 6.20 thread.

    No, 6.20 doesn’t fix the 5.50 high HR issue. Still spiking high and dropping low. I have worn an OH1+ armband at the same time and recorded on both. The armband shows lower max HR and higher lows. I know which readings I trust. I’ll continue with just using the OH1+ for HR until the next software update. Annoying that I have to do this because Garmin cannot sort out the mess they created with 5.50

  • When you run with OH1+ connected to FR245, do you connect via Ant+ or Bluetooth? I have heard via Ant+ the training effect is lower (not correct) vs bluetooth?

  • The watch connected to the OH1 is showing the same HR levels as when I record with the OH1 separately and upload to the Polar app (not to the watch). So the ant or Bluetooth connection to the watch is not affecting the readings.

  • Do you still experience these heartrate issues? I have to use the OH1 now even at my long runs as my FR245 detects heartrates which are ridiculous high… even with new update to 6.85

  • O.P. here, yes, have tried every update (currently 6.85 beta) and if I try without the OH1+ I get stupidly high values.