Polar FT4

AynzL
AynzL Posts: 40
in Fitness and Exercise
Recently I bought a new Polar FT4 heart rate monitor. In the past I have used my sisters to get calculate what some of my most used exercises burn. With this new HRM it tends to say I burn higher than what hers had said. She had the exact same one. Has anyone else noticed a difference? Should I just go by the number it says? Thanks!

Replies

  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Do you weigh more than your sister? You have to program your details in the HRM and then it will calculate your burn the best it can based on those. Littler people have to work harder to burn the same amount of calories in the same amount of time, since it takes less energy to move their bodies around.
  • AynzL
    AynzL Posts: 40
    Every time I have used hers we've reset the settings to my personal stats, so it should have been accurate. Maybe I will try it again and see if there's a difference. I just thought it seemed weird.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    If you were in different temperatures it will give you a different reading. When I run in winter for 5K it will say I burned 350 cal, but the same run in hot hot summer it will say 560. Yes me\y heart beat faster because it was trying to cool me body down due to extreme warm temperatures, though it didn't really burn more calories. They are not as accurate of some would think, but still more accurate than other things.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    It is weird! Perhaps they've upgraded their algorithm. There's no way to update the software on the watch, as far as I know, so I suppose it's possible that the calculations change from time to time in the devices sold?

    If you're updating age (used for default Max heart rate determination), height, weight, I would have thought the numbers would be similar.
  • AynzL
    AynzL Posts: 40
    Well we are twins. Same birthday, same height. I just weigh a bit less than her so that's all we really have to change. Now I'm curious to try hers again and compare. I do a lot of workout dvds. With my new one (HRM) I get almost the same reading each time I do the same one. With hers I had burned 320 calories in 35 minutes and with mine it said 390 calories in 35 minutes. That seems really high for a 35 minute workout.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,756 Member
    Recently I bought a new Polar FT4 heart rate monitor. In the past I have used my sisters to get calculate what some of my most used exercises burn. With this new HRM it tends to say I burn higher than what hers had said. She had the exact same one. Has anyone else noticed a difference? Should I just go by the number it says? Thanks!

    Have any stats for you changed? Are you more fit than when you used it? Did you get more motivated to push harder with the new monitor and was it the same season? Things change. They tend to have you using more energy (cals in the summer than winter or mine always has). I find I can do the same exercise and get a different reading depending on many factors, a run in the outdoors burns more than that same speed etc. on a treadmill.

    I would use what your monitor says, just remember they are not perfect. But they do give a more accurate amount than the items listed on MFP under exercise or other websites. I knew Zumba wasn't burning that many cals, so I always ate under the amount. Now I know how much it was off and glad I did that! I just replaced my old HRM, hubby has cooped it, with a FT4. So just started monitoring again this week.

    Enjoy the feedback.

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