ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2017
Validity of sports watches when estimating energy expenditure during running.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Accuracy and Acceptability of Wrist-Wearable Activity-Tracking Devices: Systematic Review of the Literature.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Reliability and Validity of Commercially Available Wearable Devices for Measuring Steps, Energy Expenditure, and Heart Rate: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Pooled it
- Effect of Longitudinal Practice in Real and Virtual Environments on Motor Performance, Physical Activity and Enjoyment in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Prospective Randomized Crossover Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Validity of Galaxy Watch for Estimating Energy Expenditure During Intermittent Running: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Advancement in wrist worn physical activity trackers: technological developments and measurement accuracy: a systematic review.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
- Does Distance Matter? Metabolic and Muscular Challenges of a Non-Stop Ultramarathon with Sub-Analysis Depending on Running Distance.Nutrients · 2025Observational
- Comparative analysis of combined exercise programs in middle-aged obese males: impact on energy expenditure, body composition, and metabolic rate.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- IMU-Based Energy Expenditure Estimation for Various Walking Conditions Using a Hybrid CNN-LSTM Model.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Wearable activity trackers-advanced technology or advanced marketing?European journal of applied physiology · 2022Review
- Bi-Directionality between Physical Activity within School and Fundamental Movement Skills in School-Aged Students: A Cross-Lagged Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Estimation of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure Using a Smart Bracelet during Different Exercise Intensities: A Reliability and Validity Study.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Polar Vantage and Oura Physical Activity and Sleep Trackers: Validation and Comparison Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Connected model to optimize performance.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Article
- Validity of three smartwatches in estimating energy expenditure during outdoor walking and running.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
- Validity of the Stryd Power Meter in Measuring Running Parameters at Submaximal Speeds.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Review of Validity and Reliability of Garmin Activity Trackers.Journal for the measurement of physical behaviour · 2020Article
- Measuring Physical Activity Using Triaxial Wrist Worn Polar Activity Trackers: A Systematic Review.International journal of exercise science · 2020Review
- Validity of Wrist-Worn Activity Trackers for Estimating VOInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Validity of the Polar M430 Activity Monitor in Free-Living Conditions: Validation Study.JMIR formative research · 2019Article
- The effects of High- versus Moderate-Intensity Exercise on Fatigue in Sarcoidosis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of three different sport watches in estimating energy expenditure during aerobic and anaerobic running.
methodsTwenty trained subjects ran at different intensities while wearing three commercial sport watches (Suunto Ambit2, Garmin Forerunner920XT, and Polar V800). Indirect calorimetry was used as the criterion measure for assessing energy expenditure. Different formulas were applied to compute energy expenditure from the gas exchange values for aerobic and anaerobic running.
resultsThe accuracy of the energy expenditure estimations was intensity-dependent for all tested watches. During aerobic running (4-11 km/h), mean absolute percentage error values of -25.16% to +38.09% were observed, with the Polar V800 performing most accurately (stage 1: -12.20%, stage 2: -3.61%, and stage 3: -4.29%). The Garmin Forerunner920XT significantly underestimated energy expenditure during the slowest stage (stage 1: -25.16%), whereas, the Suunto Ambit2 significantly overestimated energy expenditure during the two slowest stages (stage 1: 38.09%, stage 2: 36.29%). During anaerobic running (14-17 km/h), all three watches significantly underestimated energy expenditure by -21.62% to -49.30%. Therefore, the error in estimating energy expenditure systematically increased as the anaerobic running speed increased.
conclusionsTo estimate energy expenditure during aerobic running, the Polar V800 is recommended. By contrast, the other two watches either significantly overestimated or underestimated energy expenditure during most running intensities. The energy expenditure estimations generated during anaerobic exercises revealed large measurement errors in all tested sport watches. Therefore, the algorithms for estimating energy expenditure during intense activities must be improved before they can be used to monitor energy expenditure during high-intensity physical activities.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.