How Fitbit’s Readiness Score Works (and Should You Pay Attention to It)
Fitbit’s Daily Readiness Score used to be exclusive to premium subscriptions, but with the newest version of the app, it’s extended to free users—and calculated a little differently than in the past. Let’s look at what this score means, where it comes from, and how to use it.
Which devices can give me a readiness assessment?
While there are other wearable brands that do something similar, in the Fitbit universe we’re talking about the following:
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Pixel Clocks 1, 2 and 3
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Feeling and meaning 2
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Version 2, 3 and 4
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Charge 5 and 6
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Inspire 2 and 3
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Lux
What does readiness score mean?
“Readiness” is meant to show how rested and energized you (theoretically) should feel. If you’ve been training hard and need to rest, you should expect a low readiness score. But if you have recovered well, you will see a higher score. Fitbit describes it this way: “The Daily Readiness Score uses Fitbit data to assess whether you’re ready to exercise or if you should prioritize recovery.”
Take this with a grain of salt. Your Fitbit or Pixel Watch can’t know all the factors that affect your recovery and energy levels , and working out when you’re tired or at “low” fitness isn’t necessarily a bad thing—as long as you don’t do it all the time.
How is the readiness rating calculated?
Fitbit says the new readiness score, calculated slightly differently than before, takes into account your sleep, resting heart rate (RHR), and heart rate variability (HRV).
Typically, your RHR is lower when you are well rested and recovering well. A high RHR can indicate stress from exercise, illness, or sometimes just a bad night’s sleep. You may also see a high heart rate after a night of drinking.
With HRV the opposite is true: a higher HRV means “better” and indicates that you are recovering well.
According to Fitbit’s explanation in the app, it uses your sleep time over the last two weeks to determine whether your sleep was good or not.
How can I see my readiness score?
To get started, you’ll need one of the compatible devices listed above, the latest version of the Fitbit app, and seven days of data. This means you will wear the watch before bed every night for a week.
Your readiness score will appear as one of the metrics on the Fitbit app home screen. You can also view your score on your watch or device. For example, it’s in the Fitbit Today app on your Pixel watch, and there’s a Ready complication you can add to your favorite watch face.
Is the readiness assessment accurate?
Unfortunately, it is impossible to say how true all of this really is. While some numbers, like heart rate, can be compared to other devices to determine if they’re being measured accurately, every time a device or app calculates a “score,” it’s just that… an estimate. If Fitbit thinks my fitness is 65, then that’s just his opinion, dude.
In my Pixel Watch 3 review, I compared Fitbit’s readiness score to Oura and Garmin devices. It produced lower numbers than those devices, and the trend didn’t show up particularly well on any of them. For example, on a day when my Fitbit-calculated readiness score was 65, I received a readiness score of 85 from Oura and a workout readiness score of 79 from Garmin. Who’s right? Nobody can tell.