“I thought my watch was just being accurate”: why a heart rate stuck around 180 on your runs is a signal you should never trust

'I thought my watch was just being accurate': why a heart rate stuck around 180 on your runs is a signal you should never ...

That suspiciously flat 180 BPM reading on your running watch isn’t your cardiovascular system—it’s likely cadence lock, where optical sensors mistake your footsteps for heartbeats. Peer-reviewed research confirms this common glitch distorts training zones and can sabotage months of structured workouts.