Polar V800 HR Monitor Accuracy

DistortedVisionUK
DistortedVisionUK Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've recently upgraded from the FT80 to V800. I noticed that the calorific burn is far higher for my gym workouts. I am doing 2 hours cardiovascular (1 hour elliptical and 1 hour on exercise bike) and 30 mins resistance training. My FT80 was stating that I was burning ~1000cals. My V800 is stating I'm burning 1962cals.

I did the fitness test to personalise the calorific expenditure on both the FT80 and V800. Which is likely to be more accurate?

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Perhaps I need to redo the fitness test when I'm more relaxed.



Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Don't use HRMs for non-cardio workout (resistance training) as your HR doesn't relate to caloric expenditure.

    There's only a very individually varied relationship between HR and calories during cardio exercise, HR is used as a very rough proxy for oxygen uptake. It might be reasonable but can also be miles off, especially if you are unfit or far from the mythical average.

    If your exercise bike measures power in watts then multiple your average watts for an hour by 3.6 and you will have a good idea of your true net calorie burn potential which you can compare against your HRM.

    No idea about your fitness level, exercise intensity etc so impossible to guess which estimate might be closer. You could be an elite athlete or someone just starting on the road to fitness.
    500 cals/hour isn't that unusual or at all special, 1000 cals/hour is possible for someone remarkably fit and powerful.
  • DistortedVisionUK
    DistortedVisionUK Posts: 35 Member
    I am a 148kg morbidly obese 40 year old male. I am therefore on the road to fitness.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    DistortedVisionUK wrote: »
    I am a 148kg morbidly obese 40 year old male. I am therefore on the road to fitness.

    That's probably going to make calorie estimates based on HR very dubious. As a training aid and heart health indicator (resting HR and speed of recovery for example) they are still useful tools.

    If you can then try to use calorie estimates based on work done in physics sense. Examples would be:
    • Power meter on a bike
    • Walking calorie formula of bodyweight in pounds X miles walked X 0.3
    • Concept2 rower has a web page to adjust the machine's calorie estimate for your bodyweight.

    Good luck, you certainly are putting in an extraordinary amount of effort.

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