The Accuracy Gap Nobody Mentions Until It Matters
At rest, a continuous glucose monitor typically runs under 15% mean absolute relative difference, or MARD, compared to lab measured plasma glucose, a reasonably tight margin. During exercise, that same accuracy metric commonly worsens, and one study of para cyclists found MARD climbed from 12% at rest to 34% during active exercise, with hand cyclists seeing an even larger gap near 41%. A separate leg-squat study using a FreeStyle Libre 3 sensor found the largest accuracy discrepancy showed up specifically in the post-exercise phase rather than during the lift itself, meaning the lag continues briefly after the workout ends.
Why the Freestyle Libre 3 Plus Sensor Placement Choice Matters More for Active Users
For anyone active,what is freestyle libre 3 plus sensor placement decisions carry more weight than they do for a sedentary user. Sports science guidance for athletes recommends keeping the freestyle libre 3 plus sensor at least one inch from any insulin injection or infusion site, and choosing a location less prone to direct pressure during a specific sport, since a cyclist's chest strap sits differently than a wrestler's mat contact points. Freestyle Libre 3 Plus setup guide a libre 3 plus sensor replacement due to a compression related fault during heavy training is generally treated as a routine freestyle libre 3 plus sensor replacement through the standard prescription channel.