HRM says I burned over 1000 calories?

britt981
britt981 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I weigh 221 lbs, and according to my LifeTrak monitor, I burn over 1000 calories doing 45 minutes on the elliptical. I've been Googling this device like crazy to find reviews telling me it's not accurate, but all I've found is that the pedometer is sometimes off...nothing about the "calories burned" indicator. I check my heart rate several times during a workout, and it's usually between 170-180 (my resting heart rate has always been high...between 88-98). The intensity of my workout is pretty high (for me). A month ago, I couldn't even do 5 minutes on the elliptical without stopping. I'm up to 45-50 minutes with just a couple of 30 second breaks. But I'm seriously wondering about the calories burned. The HRM is usually right at double what the indicator on the elliptical tells me.

I did my research before purchasing...I know that the LifeTrak is considered a beginner's HRM...but I AM a beginner, so it fits. I truly did not want to deal with a chest strap, and I really like the device. I'm just wondering if it's even possible that this is accurate. Thanks!

Btw...pay no attention to my join date. I just started...again...on July 15th.

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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Unless it has a chest strap, it's probably inaccurate. Invest in a Polar instead.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    22 calories a minute is a HUGE burn. Most of us that aren't obese can't burn more than around 10 calories/minute at most. Obesity makes the numbers go a lot higher but I don't know about 22.

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999

    If you look at the chart in that article, running 8mph at 240lbs. gets close but that's really fast, like a sprint.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Cutting that number in half sounds about the max it could be.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    No way the device is accurate. For any HRM to come close to accuracy requires constant HR monitoring, not intermittent snapshots of your pulse. Second, activity selection matters and most low end HRMs don't have the formulas to come close on things beyond running. Third, most HRMs provide gross, not net from exercise, calorie burns.

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