Fitbit Charge 5
It’s easy to think Fitbit trackers are on the decline these days, given the brand has been subsumed into Google, but a fistful of Fitbits are getting a significant feature upgrade.
Most recent Fitbits, and a bunch of not-so-recent ones, will get the Cardio Load and Target Load stats, alongside the Google Pixel watches.
Here are the models due to receive the upgrade any day now, if they have not already:
Fitbit is able to hit such a wide range of models because, unfortunately, the stats will only appear in the app on your phone, not the wearables themselves.
Pixel Watches, of all three generations, will let you view these stats on-screen.
On the phone is where you’d want to view them anyway, most likely, as Cardio Load and Target Load are not numbers you need to see while exercising.
Cario Load represents the volume of your exercise over time. A higher number means you’re working harder, but a too-high figure suggests you may be overtraining. This is a short road to injury, and is not the most effective way to see long-term gains in your fitness.
“Fitbit’s cardio load is a personalized score to help you understand how hard your heart works during physical activity, empowering you to reach your fitness goals while prioritizing your cardio health,” read the Google website.
Target Load is, naturally enough, the target you set for your Cardio Load, to give a little more context to a stat that, while super-useful, is not the most friendly to fitness newcomers.
As these new features are part of the app rather than the trackers themselves, you’ll want to check if there’s an update available on your phone, rather than the wearable. It has already begun rolling out.
