Last Updated on January 19, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org
Another parameter which is interesting for us personally is resting heart rate. Garmin shows resting heart rate as a graph on the watch and in Garmin Connect. The resting heart rate on Garmin watches shows strong fluctuations. If Garmin watches are in activity tracking mode, the watch continues to monitor resting heart rate. We can also find information, how Garmin calculates resting heart rate from Garmin.
If we look at accuracy study papers, Garmin watches are not among the most accurate devices. If we look at the data of Rob ter Horst, which we don t trust, we can see that the Garmin Venu 2 is more accurate than most Garmin watches.
Garmin watches with their graphs make it easy to monitor resting heart rate. But there is no option to calculate resting heart rate ourselves with Garmin watches, or only on a complicated path.
We suppose the resting heart rate calculation on Garmin watches is optimized for running time and sales rates, but not for accuracy, and therefore only of limited use for our studies.
Garmin does not publish in detail how these algorithms works. If we let run a Garmin 24*7 for instance with a indoor walking protocol, the sensor also runs at maximal accuracy. Does this influence the accuracy of the resting heart rate?
Even if we reveive the answer from Garmin about this topic, Garmin watches are still not open watches, which would make them helpful for scientific studies. Garmin watches are not designed for scientific studies, and the use of these watches is limited for this purpose.
It is a pity, that we do not have watches designed for scientific studies. Te path to this goal is not too far.