Polar FT7

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shiec92
shiec92 Posts: 688 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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

Replies

  • brandigyrl81
    brandigyrl81 Posts: 128 Member
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    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
    AgentOrangeJuice Posts: 1,069 Member
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    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 :wink:
  • larosa217
    larosa217 Posts: 41 Member
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    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
    pasandoval Posts: 37 Member
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    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
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    edited January 2015
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    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.

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