Anyone else seeing Apple Watch work out registering way too high numbers?

So far, if I set a workout and then for some reason don't start right away, it doesn't log any calories. But that's only for a minute here and there. Your post has me curious. I've just set a walking workout while I sit here and do nothing, so we'll see what happens.

I know that the "Other" workout says when you first start it that it will give you the equivalent of a brisk walk whenever sensor data isn't available. I was just doing one last night and got a phone call in the middle of it, and by the time I got off the phone it told me I had burned about 150 calories, which of course I had not. Is it possible that the workout mode your friend was in was doing something similar, where it defaults to assuming a certain activity level?

I use the Other workout option, as well. Today's counts were higher than normal.

I am going to offer a contrarian view and suggest that, using the principle of Garbage In Garbage Out, the Apple Watch is working exactly as expected.

I am by no means an expert, but let me explain my reasoning…

The Watch has sensors to track duration, Heart rate, movement, altitude changes and GPS positioning. This information alone is nowhere near enough to determine type of activity, let alone calculate an accurate calorie burn for a workout.

Fortunately, the watch also has in-depth research pre-programmed about the expected Calorie burn of many different workout types accross many different levels of excertion. It may also know a little about you courtesy of the Health App. Entering this information correctly is, therefore, an important part of getting an accurate result.

If you deliberately feed the Watch misinformation or Garbage Input, such as telling the watch you are doing Yoga when you are not, can you expect the results out to be anything other than Garbage too?

Let’s go back to someone deliberately feeding the watch misinformation by feeding themselves cookies on the couch whilst recording a Yoga Workout.

Undoubtedly a worthwhile form of exercise, Yoga typically does not increase heart rate, does not entail fast active movement, does not involve elevation change nor GPS Location tracking. The on board sensors then probably can’t source enough information to make an accurate activity calculation, so what is it to do?

My guess is that it relies on pre-determined data about the health benefits of Yoga and applies that information for the recorded duration of your cookie eating binge. You’ve told it you were doing Yoga, there’s no sensor input to contradict your request so calculations are made based on the information supplied. Information, may I remind you, supplied by you.

Apple and the other manufacturers of Fitness wearables have undertaken a lot of research into varying forms of exercise. I surmise that the results of these studies are analysed and condensed down to algorithms that appear on our watches as the different types of workout. we can select. Each time we select a different workout type, we are overlaying a different algorithm over the sensor information collected by the watch.

Finally, I expect that you would get similarly incorrect results if you elected to feed the watch other forms of misinformation too. Strap your watch to a puppy dogs tail and let Her wag your way to 10000 steps a day, tell it your going for a swim and jump on a jet-ski instead , you’ll be earning those activity awards in no time.

So, avoid feeding your watch, and yourself, garbage input and you’ll get proper results. Otherwise, keep enjoying cookies on the couch and winning those Activity Awards fatty*…

HTH
@SeaNoEvil00

*fatty, said for comedic effect. Not actually referring to anyone on this forum….