Heartrate so inaccurate that my watch is basically useless for training

I got my Forerunner 265 about a year ago and I have loved almost everything about it.  I love the touch interface, the AMOLED screen, sleep analysis, training readiness, etc.  But I have been trying to use it to track my training and the heartrate is so inaccurate that it is basically useless.  Today was a good example, I just wanted to go for a 40 minute run on my lunch break.  I took the watch off, cleaned the sensor, strapped it snuggly on my wrist in the suggested spot and headed out on a run.  My goal was to get some good Zone 2 progress.  Instead one minute into my run, I glance down and I'm in zone 5.  I check my heart rate manually and I'm actually in zone 1.  I let the watch calm down and try again.  Same thing.  I do this for two miles.  I eventually discard the run because it's so crazy.  But now I've run 2 miles that won't be recorded.  Not the end of the world.  But my lunch break is almost over so I try again.  Basically the same deal.  I keep stopping to let my watch try to get in sync with reality, but by the time I'm done my watch now thinks I was doing an interval workout.  Having gone through this frustrating process a few times, my mileage, my load focus, my max heart rate, my training load, basically everything are now all out of whack.  Can't get good heart rate data running, biking, rowing, or stair climbing Disappointed

  • Good for you, but do not depend on the HR sensor of the watch for intense activities. Optical Wrist Sensors on watches cannot keep up with the Heart Pace, buy a polar h10. I am using a Polar H10, since more than a month now. Its accurate, durable, can do 2 simultaneous bluetooth connections, has ANT. and most importantly the battery backup is just incredible, its still at 100% battery after more than 50 hours of use.

  • Yeah, I don't put such faith on the OHR sensor any more, and I plan to get an H10 in the future. For now I think it will do though, as I can't imagine it being worse than the HR sensor of the Huawei band 8 that I am using now! I think that even with it's limitations, it will suit me the way it is at my current, absolute beginner, level!

  • Just absolute garbage of HR data. Because of this, I'm getting false better than expected performance conditions.

    In the older firmwares or watches, i should be seeing a rising HR which correlate with a rising pace.

    Note this is not an intervals training. This is quite a steady but rising pace. I expect the watch OHR to be more responsive than intervals training.

  • Agreed.  Where is Garmin on this?  

  • That graph is a classic OHR *** up for me. I get that a lot of the time. Start off a run, the watch gets sort of stuck on 122bpm - doesn't matter the pace, then after about 4 or 5 minutes it spikes 20bpm to where it probably should have been all along. Meanwhile, you're watch is like 'nice - condition rating +6' and maybe VO2Max is going up. 

    As much as I hate the suggestion, I have been going for a throwaway 1km or so of running so help the OHR warm up. Kind of viewing it as an old car that needs to sit in the driveway running before you start driving. 

    It really seems like a software problem. I'm not a software engineer - but the garmin people have THOUSANDS of runs i've done - so should probably be able to get some very basic rules for the OHR? Like if he runs at X pace, then his HR should probaby be Y? And then use that to adjust the OHR data? 

    I would be open to Garmin sending me a HR band (the one that came with my FR220 has just died) and the point of the FR265 is you shouldn't need one? 

  • The same with FR965. Much less HR even during exhausting activities. I spent a lot of money on watch with useless HR sensor. Very disapointed.

  • I've tested an Hrm pro plus against a Huawei band 8 yesterday. Granted, it was a slow rising and falling heart rate jogging, but the cheap Huawei was perfect, with just a bit of lag, which is expected. If I see worse accuracy from the forerunner 255,  it will be returned.

    1. Time for an update. I got my 255 music, and tested it against the Hrm pro plus. The accuracy was within 1-2bpm, with just a slight lag, was is expected of course. That is from the beginning of the exercise, no warm up needed. Keep in mind that my case is probably different/easy, as I am not doing any high intensity intervals, just 8min running/3 minutes walking. This is under the newest firmware update. All in all I am happy with the 255, and I hope your issues get solved quickly guys.
  • The silence and inaction of Garmin is totally unprofessional. We are talking about running watches which must give precises data...
    I was a Gamrin addict but since this mutism on this issue, I'm totally disappointed.