Where are you wearing your 235?

Where are you wearing your 235?

I wear INSIDE of my left wrist when I run or during cycling. Very pleased with the results.

I wear it in normal position (Outside of my left wrist) when I´m not training.

My last watch was a Forerunner 620 and I use the HRM strap sometimes with my 235 to interval training but I am very happy to not be dependent on a HRM-strap ;)

I think the 235 give the best of the two worlds: Wrist-based Heart Rate and Chest-Strap based Hear Rate.

Good idea for a thread. My 235's HR has been flawless through 500ish miles - whether slow, fast, temps in the 20s through 60s, cold/windy rain, you name it. Here's where I wear it and, perhaps more importantly, here's what my skin looks like immediately after taking it off. I suspect a lot of people dealing with inaccuracies think that they're wearing it tight - and probably are compared to their day-to-day watch - but really aren't wearing it tight enough for the desired precision. I still have a faint watch imprint an hour post-run, even after I shower.

http://i.imgur.com/rSw49iD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DD0bAlt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jrSlBzD.jpg

I personally don't have any discomfort wearing it this tight. I'll take the imprint over the chest-strap chafing any day.

I wear mine a bit higher up than you when running, and a bit lower down for all day usage. My arm looks like yours when I take it off after running. I finished todays run (which was problem free!!!) about an hour and half ago and there is still a faint imprint of where I was wearing the watch. I've also worn in higher up, lower down, on the inside etc. with varying results. Some days it works fine and then the next day I'm wearing it in the exact same position and I get problems. Today was probably the warmest day here since I got the watch and definitely the most I've sweated on an easy run in weeks. The HR and cadence got close to each other once when going uphill, but as I crested the hill it dropped back down again. If all my steady runs were like this I'd be happy enough. I previously had problems on a run which went away when I loosened it a notch so I was thinking maybe you can wear it too tight, but maybe that was just a coincidence. It's definitely some sort of quantum physics or Schrodinger type situation - the watch goes screwy when I run while monitoring the HR and then today I ran by pace and didn't check the HR when running and it worked fine. (Now where did I leave my tinfoil hat?)

Edit: You do seem to have thicker wrists than me. Maybe it has something to do with that. For what its worth, if I found out that I was the problem, while being disappointed, I'd be happy that I'd found a solution and move on.

Good idea for a thread. My 235's HR has been flawless through 500ish miles - whether slow, fast, temps in the 20s through 60s, cold/windy rain, you name it. Here's where I wear it and, perhaps more importantly, here's what my skin looks like immediately after taking it off. I suspect a lot of people dealing with inaccuracies think that they're wearing it tight - and probably are compared to their day-to-day watch - but really aren't wearing it tight enough for the desired precision. I still have a faint watch imprint an hour post-run, even after I shower.

http://i.imgur.com/rSw49iD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DD0bAlt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jrSlBzD.jpg

I personally don't have any discomfort wearing it this tight. I'll take the imprint over the chest-strap chafing any day.

+1

I laughed when I saw the pictures in your post and was initially like "no way!" I've tried your technique out on two separate activities now (near-tourniquet level tightness on the inside of my wrist). Both times I achieved what I believe is finally accurate HR results! Like you, I'd take this technique over the inconvenience of wearing the chest-strap any day.

Thanks for sharing your technique!

Vein-theory

Good idea for a thread. My 235's HR has been flawless through 500ish miles - whether slow, fast, temps in the 20s through 60s, cold/windy rain, you name it. Here's where I wear it and, perhaps more importantly, here's what my skin looks like immediately after taking it off. I suspect a lot of people dealing with inaccuracies think that they're wearing it tight - and probably are compared to their day-to-day watch - but really aren't wearing it tight enough for the desired precision. I still have a faint watch imprint an hour post-run, even after I shower.

http://i.imgur.com/rSw49iD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DD0bAlt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jrSlBzD.jpg

I personally don't have any discomfort wearing it this tight. I'll take the imprint over the chest-strap chafing any day.

Does the HR sensor hit any veins spot on when you wear the 235? It's difficult to see on the picture. I believe that it is a crucial factor. I have had better results by doing that myself, which means putting it near the wrist like you or 5 centimeters more towards the elbow (which I think is weird). Just wonder what you think about my vein-theory :D

I followed the advice given by asdfasdfasdf1 and wore the watch tighter than usual. I got similar results, the marks on the wrist, a better HR reading and no cadence lock. :cool:

Does the HR sensor hit any veins spot on when you wear the 235? It's difficult to see on the picture. I believe that it is a crucial factor. I have had better results by doing that myself, which means putting it near the wrist like you or 5 centimeters more towards the elbow (which I think is weird). Just wonder what you think about my vein-theory :D

Hmm, that doesn't seem to be the case for me. I can't get a good picture, but my most prominent vein runs tangent to the top tip of the semicircle imprint and wouldn't be seen by the sensor. Interesting!

Bump...

Very pleased with results

It may not work for everyone, but I agree with asdfasdfasdf1's assessment of how to wear the oHRM for best results. Here is a screenshot of the oHRM overlay with pace and cadence from a 6x800m repeat workout this morning.



I wore the watch on the inside of the left wrist and tight enough to make indentations in my arm. This data seems to be as good as any data I ever received from the HRM-3 strap. Since asdfasdfasdf1's post, I haven't had a single cadence lock and all of my HR data has been very reasonable. I'm completely satisfied with the oHRM data from the 235 now.

Now maybe since it's Tuesday, Garmin will release a firmware update and fix the workout alerts (and multiple other bugs)...

the watch goes screwy when I run while monitoring the HR and then today I ran by pace and didn't check the HR when running and it worked fine. (Now where did I leave my tinfoil hat?)

When you are monitoring the HR, if you have to turn your arm in towards you to see the screen, that twisting motion can cause the HR sensor additional trouble because you're repeatedly contorting your arm/wrist muscles and skin. If you're only looking at the watch every once in a while, the occasional missed/added beat won't be an issue. But if you're running and twisting your arm on every swing, you're quite possibly making the cadence lock that much more likely to happen. And it seems like once the oHRM gets locked in to cadence, it takes a bit for the oHRM to find the actual HR again and drop back off unless you come to a complete halt to desynchronize your cadence & HR altogether.

I'm chiming in on this thread to say Thank You for starting it, TIMGROSE. I just got a 235 less than a week ago and it'd been showing terrible HR data compared to my 220 w/strap and even my HR Charge Fitbit. So this morning I slid it up to the same position you wear yours and voila! Much better! It's a little weird to have to wear it up so far from my wrist, but I don't feel like throwing it across the room anymore. :) Thanks!