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Breathing rate all wrong ?

I have observed this since I bought the watch 2 years ago, never bothered me but thought I would ask anyway see if there might be some ramifications that may matter to me more.

This is what my morning row looks like: 45 minutes at a stroke rate of precisely 21spm, and I fix my HR at 140 throughout (therefore my pace is variable). I breath once per stroke, inhaling on the recovery. Therefore, I know for a fact that my breathing rate is 21brpm, no more, no less, through the whole 45 minutes.

Yet Garmin is giving me weird numbers, at first starting at what seems to be double my breathing rate, before adjusting to what it should actually be.

I have 2 questions:

1) what's going on here ?

2) how does Garmin monitor the breathing rate ? (I believe my breathing rate is also monitored during sleep)

0 ovekvam over 1 year ago

I think it uses heart rate variability. Your heart rate is different breathing in and out. It makes sense that it could be picking up a harmonic frequency of the correct one, like double. It is quite amazing that it is possible to track these small variations in heart rate, so I am not surprised that it can read wrong at times.

0 4684381 over 1 year ago in reply to ovekvam

ovekvam said:
I think it uses heart rate variability.

You're right , see How Does My Garmin Device Measure Respiration Rate? - From Firstbeat Analytics: "Each breath you take is coded into your heart rate variability (HRV).

0 JRKingOfBeer over 1 year ago in reply to 4684381

Ok thanks guys. The link above says a chest strap must be used. I use one (Garmin HRM Dual) but it seems to need more than that to be correct lol.

What's interesting, is that only my rowing activities are affected, and the respiration rate corrects itself after between 10 and 20 minutes. My activities on the elliptical and the treadmill are not, the respiration rate looks what it should be roughly.

0 global_local over 1 year ago

JRKingOfBeer said:
1) what's going on here ?

Surely you know the answer - You're Holding It Wrong (C)

FR is concepted as a running watch and react more on a slow-twich muscle movements - legs. The arms has more fast-twich muscle and its activity can't be monitored well enough witch a cardio activity. Hence a precision of measurement goes down.