As I write this, it’s the first day of February. “What’s so special about that?” you ask. Well, it’s not Black History Month, American Heart Month, National Cancer Prevention Month, National Self-Check Month, National Wedding Month, National Cherry Month, National Canned Food Month, or National Pet Dental Health Month.
No, my friends! This is the time of year when many of you have already given up on your New Year’s resolutions, often involving “getting fit.” What a circle, right?
For those of you still into it, first, you’re doing amazing! Just showing up is half the battle. Fitbit, together with SoulCycle, want to help people stay motivated all year round, so they’ve teamed up to offer a special deal for the end of January, which extends until the first week of February. You can win a free class and be in with a chance (or get a $50 discount on) one of the finest smartwatches on the market, the Pixel Watch 2, and one of the best fitness trackers, the Fitbit Charge 6.
(Photo credit: Tshaka Armstrong)
I was invited to put the Fitbit Charge 6 and the Pixel Watch 2 to the test and see how they coped with the sudden changes in heart rate during a high-energy spin class. That was the goal of this whole exercise in the first place, but what I found was much more important!
For me, workouts like this have always seemed silly in these internet and television ads. People jumping around on stationary bikes as if it’s an aerobic rodeo on a steel horse, rather than a “hardcore” cycling workout! But what I found is that it’s a little of both. Yes, you’re jumping, up and down, but heck, you’re breaking a sweat, and the group dynamic is making it more enjoyable. You are actually applying Einstein’s theory of relativity because those 52 minutes are passing at heart-racing speed!
(Photo credit: Tshaka Armstrong)
When you first walk into SoulCycle, you’re greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable front desk team. They lead you through the facility (it’s quite nice), show you the locker area, a well-equipped men’s restroom with showers, and finally, the studio. The Brentwood location isn’t huge. I have a membership at LA Fitness, and their spin rooms are larger. The intimate feel at SoulCycle was intentional, I assume. I think ultimately it fosters a more intimate group ride experience.
While we’re at it, let’s get to it! Just like when you go bowling, at SoulCycle, they have shoes for rent. They’re specific clip shoes for cycling that use the Look Delta standard, although their cleats are double-sided, so they’ll also fit your SPD shoes (Shimano Delta Cleats) if you already have a pair. The rental shoes use Velcro straps, not a buckle, so they’re easy to get into.
As soon as my feet were properly fastened, one of the helpful team members walked me through setting up the bike for me. This was my first time and all. He then showed me how to “clip in” to the Look Delta pedals, and with that, it was time. I hopped on the bike and waited for the instructor, who started the class. While I waited, I checked the interfaces of my Charge 6 and Pixel Watch 2 and started the spin exercises on both.
Photo taken after the class. It was too dark to get good photos during the class! Also, I was… busy. (Photo credit: Tshaka Armstrong)
During the spin exercises, I noticed that some folks in the class were “warming up” by slowly pedaling, so I followed suit. Also, I’m not in my 20s anymore, so it seemed like a good idea to warm up those knees and ankles!
After the warm-up, sought after by the trainer, she played music and took us through a warm-up stretch. Once we were warmed up, she increased the intensity and led the class through 50+ minutes of what was essentially a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout on stationary bikes. It was perfect for testing the fitness trackers’ performance since, as I’ve mentioned in previous video reviews I’ve produced, some fitness wearables can lag up to 30 seconds when your heart rate changes rapidly during high-intensity workouts. I followed up by showing you VO2 Max data from my treadmill running sessions in the gallery below so you can compare the heart data recorded by Charge 6 HR to the data recorded by FW2.
As you can see, the fitness trackers’ readings were closely aligned, except for one thing: in the first few minutes, the Charge 6 on my wrist wasn’t quite snug enough, so it wasn’t consistently measuring my heart rate. I wore both devices on my right arm to ensure the results were as accurate as possible, and the placement and fit were a little wonky. However, once I adjusted the Charge 6 as you can see in the graphs, the data between the two was well synchronized.
(Photo credit: Tshaka Armstrong)
The main takeaway from these graphs and real-time monitoring while riding is that these heart rate sensors in this generation of devices indeed live up to the claims made by Fitbit/Google that they are as accurate as they’ve put forward up to date.
They indeed followed the beats, checked my pulse every second, and I’m confident that machine learning algorithms improved accuracy. You don’t have to wait 30 seconds for them to record a sudden spike in heart rate. V2 both Apple Watch 9 and my Google products are in agreement with that.
Some data points worth noting in the graphs above are my heart rate zones. I spent just shy of 40 minutes in zone three (marathon) and that’s important to note. Why? Because that’s where something important occurs: you’re building your anaerobic capacity—or your heart’s endurance to simplify it. Couple this with some long runs in the aerobic zone, and you’ll raise something Fitbit calls your “cardio fitness score,” namely, your VO2 Max.
Current research shows that your VO2 Max may be a better indicator of your future health than many other disease indicators. I’ve written about this extensively elsewhere, but the short of it is this: Do long runs in the fat burn zone or “easy” zone and you’ll increase your body’s efficiency by taking in oxygen as you work and burning energy from fat stores rather than carbs. You’re literally changing your body’s level of mitochondria. Next, do HIIT workouts in the peak zone, and you’ll increase your overall working capacity or endurance.
My Pixel Watch 2 and Fitbit Charge 6 both similarly registered my heart rate zones during the workout, which is essential when considering VO2 Max.
Both of these will lead to higher VO2 Max numbers, which means you’re strengthening that heart muscle in the same way you’d build your chest by doing deadlifts, bench presses, for example, and doing heavier ones week after week you’re going to make that chest bigger and stronger. And if you’re really tracking these things, your real zones change over time as your heart gets stronger. The effort you used to put forth to reach Moteate and Vigorous is not going to be good enough anymore. It’s going to be too easy. What once was vigorous for you is going to become moderate, etc. However, more importantly, you’re actually retraining your body to burn fat more efficiently, as there’s a direct correlation between VO2 Max efficiency and fat burning efficiency.”
(Photo credit: Tshaka Armstrong)
For those of you who have recently been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or type 1 or type 2 diabetes— no, not that kind— who are managing some form of diabetes, this graph is a really good indicator for the various types of physical activity and how they affect our blood sugar levels. You can see this spike to 164 mg/dl? It was caused by the weights we used during the spin class. I know, you’re thinking, “It’s a spin class… weights?” Yes, every SoulCycle spin bike has a set of small, cute weights with soft-touch coatings. You know, ones you can buy from Target in pretty colors. You can choose between 3lb, 5lb, 8lb, or 10lb weights at the beginning of the class, and they slide into a small holder on the back of the bike’s saddle.
It’s actually pretty smart that they include a small upper body workout to balance out the leg-focused spin exercise. Your body will not feel healthy and fit if it is out of balance. SoulCycle does something that other outside cycling workouts can’t do, and it’s actually quite good. Also, all free weight exercises indeed spike your body’s glucose level more than the simple act of walking, and sometimes even more than the pressure of HIIT workouts like we did on the bikes that same night. In this particular case, it’s reasonable to assume that the spike was a combination of both, with all weights intensifying the spike.
The good news is that you can also see how my blood glucose levels rose and then fell post workout and that’s what you want to see in every spike. This is an indication that your body’s insulin sensitivity seems pretty good, all things considered. This read came from my Dexcom G7, which is paired to my Pixel 7 Pro. Also, I have FW2 paired to my Pixel Watch 2 for it, via the our Blose app.
(Photo credit: Tshaka Armstrong)
Anything else that looks great? To me, post this class. What a feeling! Especially considering the fact that the workout was at 6:30 p.m., and I was up from 2 a.m. At 6:30 p.m., my 16th hour of being awake, I was tired, but I can honestly say that after the class, I felt refreshed, like I’d caught my second wind.
And that made me want to do it again! In fact, I posted my results into a private group chat with friends I’m a part of on WhatsApp— a group accountability for folks working on their fitness— and there were others who requested to go with me the next time I head out. That spinning bug.
And in the end, simply put— both of these wearables demonstrated quite well in an environment of inner spin classes, with accurate heart rate monitoring that withstood my rapid heart rate changes. For this particular test, I can’t say that there’s a clear winner in terms of the very specific activity I engaged in that same evening. What I can say is that both these wearables are winners in their own right, and it really depends on what you need or want in a wearable fitness device. We assume that everyone wants everything a smartwatch has to offer, but that’s not the case. There are a lot of outside users just want the best fitness tracker without breaking the bank. Or even breaking it a bit.