Polar FT7

shiec92

Hey everyone,
I noticed when I was in the gym that my heart rate monitor is giving a reading higher than the equipment, sometimes almost double.
When I've used other gyms it's always given a lower reading than the machines but now I'm confused.
Is more likely my HRM is wrong or the machines are giving a too low a reading?

T.I.A

brandigyrl81

I have a Polar FT4. My advice would be to rely on your HRM since your reading is coming from the strap that's wrapped around your chest. I wouldn't rely on the machine for a reading, as the machine could be faulty. On that note, make sure your HRM is working properly (batteries are good, chest strap is good, etc.).

AgentOrangeJuice

Make sure to subtract the calories you would have been burning in the same amount of time doing nothing, which is surprisingly more than you think it is

larosa217

I agree with @brandigyrl81‌. The FT7 is more than likely the most accurate, but just double check your battery, as a low battery can make for erratic readings.

pasandoval

I have a FT7 and my uninformed opinion is that it's more accurate than the gym equipment which I think usually vastly overestimates calorie burn. In the end, I'd rather have an underestimate than an overestimate so that I continue to stay motivated and train harder.

blankiefinder

shiec92 wrote: »

Hey everyone,
I noticed when I was in the gym that my heart rate monitor is giving a reading higher than the equipment, sometimes almost double.
When I've used other gyms it's always given a lower reading than the machines but now I'm confused.
Is more likely my HRM is wrong or the machines are giving a too low a reading?

T.I.A

Is it giving you a higher heart rate reading, or a higher calorie burn??

If it's a higher calorie burn, it could be a variety of things. Are you doing different activities or machines? IE, elliptical followed by walking?

Mine (Polar FT7) gives me way too many calories as I switch activities. HRMs really only work well on steady state cardio. Plus if you take short breaks it will continue to add calories burned at a crazy rate. I can go sit down for 30 minutes to watch one of my kids race mid workout, and it will give me another 200-300 calories burned if I forget to pause it, which is NOT accurate.

Your best bet for calories is to go with the lowest value of these three: HRM, machine, and MFP.