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RHR Garbage, HR polling frequency still low?

Here are my RHR charts from Garmin Connect vs. my watch:

(imgur mirror)

Connect, Watch, Difference, Day
52, 62, 10, T
49, 67, 18, F
55, 67, 12, S
49, 66, 17, S
52, 57, 5, M
50, 61, 11, T
49, 63, 14, W

The data presented by the watch is garbage.

It's not just high, it's inconsistent. Different by 17 bpm one day, then off by 5 the next... this information isn't information. It's noise. It is worse than useless, because someone might think that it tells them something.

On the subject of garmin connect, the HR widget only shows today's HR information. Historical RHR information is much more valuable. To get that, you need to click on the configure HR widget, full page, and at the bottom you can select "Resting Heart Rate Trends Over Time."

I do like that the garmin connect widget doesn't just fuzz data to make it look like it's been polled more frequently as seems to be the case with the watch display. (The polling rates still aren't great. Just yesterday my heart rate wasn't checked between 6:31 and 8:24, almost 2 hours. On Tuesday, 2:59 to 7:03, over 4 hours without a data point. Last Wednesday, 12:00 to 6:41 had 0 samples.)

TBH, the polling rate isn't critical to me. I dislike that it's fuzzed to make it seem useful, but the RHR data is what's most important - and it's worse than useless.

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I do like my watch. I'm just pretty unhappy with the uselessness of the RHR graph. Why can't the watch just use the same RHR algorithm as garmin connect?

0 Max556 over 9 years ago

Yep that pretty much sums my situation as well. I feel that the Connect data seems the most accurate based on what I know about my RHR. The RHR data on the watch is total garbage ... it used to be better in previous FW versions ... Love the watch as well but RHR is a pretty important number. HOPE SOMEONE AT GARMIN IS LISTENING!

Max

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

I don't think GC data is accurate, it sets the RHR as the same value as your lowest HR through the day and correct me if I'm wrong but RHR > HR while sleeping.

0 NickMN over 9 years ago

Most places i see reference to resting HR it is your HR right when you wake up (running articles, blogs, magazines)... and/or sleeping (truely resting).

Interestingly - my HR while sleeping is the same or often HIGHER then my normal watching tv or sitting at desk HR. I have seen similar posts regarding the unneeded test of 'wearing HR strap to sleep to get good RHR reading'...

But yes how the RHR...min/max etc is implemented at the moment on the watch and GC and App... very messy. Often get severe lows and highs (errors for a 1 reading spike) that are then recorded as my daily hi/lo... so pretty much every day regardless of activity look the same on the long term HR high/low graph (app). High and Lows are totally wrong each and everyday......coupled with RHR is a crapshoot.... ooooh great data

0 Max556 over 9 years ago

I don't think GC data is accurate, it sets the RHR as the same value as your lowest HR through the day and correct me if I'm wrong but RHR > HR while sleeping.

You could be correct, I'm not sure of the pure definition of RHR ... but I'd sure like to know which is correct ... ? GC RHR matches what I see when I check first thing when I wake up (totally resting). The watch matches more what I see when I am relaxing on the couch, settling down from a good gym workout & run, getting up now and then for a kitchen/washroom run etc ... (semi resting).

Max

0 dhiltonp over 9 years ago

You could be correct, I'm not sure of the pure definition of RHR ... but I'd sure like to know which is correct ... ? GC RHR matches what I see when I check first thing when I wake up (totally resting). The watch matches more what I see when I am relaxing on the couch, settling down from a good gym workout & run, getting up now and then for a kitchen/washroom run etc ... (semi resting).

Max

There is some discussion about what "counts" as a RHR value, but for me that's a secondary concern.

The RHR value is an indicator of our system stress. Is my body legitimately tired, or am I just lazy?

The main advantage of calculating it while sleeping is that our activity is pretty consistent while sleeping (we have different stages of sleep, but those are consistent, too).

I don't need my RHR value to *usually* agree with a clinical RHR report. I need my RHR to reflect my system stress and always agree with itself. No getting a 10BPM spike one day or a 10BPM drop another day.

0 Max556 over 9 years ago

^ Couldn't have said it better

Max

0 FlipStone over 9 years ago

About the RHR differernce between the watch and GC, that is indeed insane... (It is the same with me, hadn't really noticed it so far but makes no sense at all).

About the polling, I actually believe polling is done more often (can be checked by investigating the raw data on the watch, have done this before but must see if I can still find the thread/posts) but is smoothed by GC when the values do not differ enough. For example a number of successive readings within 1beat of eachother will be shown as a single measurement in GC...

0 kalamarios over 9 years ago

I am also linking the same discussion that is currently going on with the 735XT:
https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?352804-Too-high-RHR-bug

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

I am also linking the same discussion that is currently going on with the 735XT:
https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?352804-Too-high-RHR-bug

Good find -but if that was true ie RHR was some computed average, it should NEVER be below the LOw. Yet for me right now, low is showing 71 and RHR 68. Just can't make sense of it 😛

0 Dr Phil over 9 years ago

RHR does fluctuate as part of our body's natural circadian rhythm. That's why the recommendation is usually to take it at the same time of the day. You then get a better handle on how it is tracking. For instance - http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/18/2/199

IMHO, there's little benefit in 24-hr tracking other than checking to make sure you are alive or perhaps just out of curiosity,