How accurate is HRM when it comes to calorie burn.

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  • tmthorn0927
    tmthorn0927 Posts: 155 Member
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    How do you find out your resting rate?
  • tmthorn0927
    tmthorn0927 Posts: 155 Member
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    Also, a question do people leave the timer on during weights the whole time or do you stop and start the watch at each set. I leave it running even when I'm resting between each sets. Is this bad? Inaccurate when measuring calories burned in a work out?

    Thanks

    Anyone?

    If I am still working out (weights), I leave it on. I stop my in between cardio activities (treadmill, eliptical, etc.) so I can see what I burn on each machine.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    How do you find out your resting rate?
    Wear your HRM in bed and take it for three days and average it out. If you have to get up to go to the bathroom or put your HRM on, go back to bed and doze off or rest for a bit. It varies on a daily basis hence the average.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    How do you find out your resting rate?
    Wear your HRM in bed and take it for three days and average it out. If you have to get up to go to the bathroom or put your HRM on, go back to bed and doze off or rest for a bit. It varies on a daily basis hence the average.

    This will not work, this will overestimate your burn as your HRM assumes you are moving not sleeping when calculating calories burned. It may give you a rough idea, but more than likely will over estimate the burn during sleep.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    This will not work, this will overestimate your burn as your HRM assumes you are moving not sleeping when calculating calories burned. It may give you a rough idea, but more than likely will over estimate the burn during sleep.
    This is exactly the method used by Runner's World and my favourite HRM book "Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot". It's the basis of the formula for finding your real training zone more accurately.

    This from RW:
    1. Find your maximum heart rate (see above) eg 206
    2. Find your resting heart rate (laying still, soon after you wake up. Ideally take an average over a few days). eg 56
    3. Subtract the resting rate from the maximum. This figure is your working heart rate. eg 206-56=150
    4. Take whatever percentage of your working heart rate that you’re aiming for (eg 60% for an easy run eg 150x0.60=90), and add it to your resting heart rate eg 90+56=146. The final figure is your personal target heart rate.

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/heart-rate-training---the-basics/176.html
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    This will not work, this will overestimate your burn as your HRM assumes you are moving not sleeping when calculating calories burned. It may give you a rough idea, but more than likely will over estimate the burn during sleep.
    This is exactly the method used by Runner's World and my favourite HRM book "Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot". It's the basis of the formula for finding your real training zone more accurately.

    This from RW:
    1. Find your maximum heart rate (see above) eg 206
    2. Find your resting heart rate (laying still, soon after you wake up. Ideally take an average over a few days). eg 56
    3. Subtract the resting rate from the maximum. This figure is your working heart rate. eg 206-56=150
    4. Take whatever percentage of your working heart rate that you’re aiming for (eg 60% for an easy run eg 150x0.60=90), and add it to your resting heart rate eg 90+56=146. The final figure is your personal target heart rate.

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/heart-rate-training---the-basics/176.html

    Sorry I mis read your post, I though you were saying how to calculate calories burned at rest, my bad. :blushing:
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I think they work very well.
    I only track the cardio calories and leave the weight training calories as "wiggle room" in case I forget to count the splash of milk in my coffee or a slice of tomato on a salad. (My weight training is pretty minor; no more than a half hour and not training to exhaustion).
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
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    Polar FT7 here - and I consider it quite accurate.

    Just remember to update your stats if you lose - been caught on that once or twice. It can only work with what you give it - bad input = bad output LOL
    i aggree

    I have the ft7 too and originally programmed it wrong when it came to my target heat rate zones, so make sure you have everything in there correctly and it should be accurate....more so than the machinges at the gym that WAY over estimate your burn.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    I think some HRMs are probably slightly more accurate than others.

    i think it depends on how much indiviual info that you have to inout, which increases the level of accuracy.

    I wear a KiFit (UK BodyMedia Fit) and I got a cheap HRM - during cardio exercise the HRM was between 30-50 calories higher.

    But during circuit/strength training, the HRM recorded 150+ calories more.

    So, I would say HRMs are good for cardio - but not so good for strength training.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Hi, I am not sure if this topic has been done however I am keen on knowing how accurate HRM are? For some reason I feel as if it overestimates your calorie burn which is annoying but thats me making an assumation. Can anyone clarify how accurate it is.

    Thanking you in advance

    If you've consumed caffeine, allergy medications, asthma medications, smoked, or used any other stimulant, then it will over estimate. For example, I can get my heart rate up to 130 on the treadmill and burn more calories then if I am sitting on the couch and my heart rate is up to 130 because of my asthma medication, but a heart rate monitor will give me the same reading for calories regardless of whether I'm exercising or not just because the heart rate is up. The same is true of someone on beta blockers or other blood pressure or cardiac medicines that lower heart rate. Those people can be pushing it hard on the treadmill and never get their heart rate up so they appear to the treadmill as if they are sitting on the couch doing no extra calorie burning. So, if you are consuming anything that will effect your heart rate, I don't recommend using a HRM to determine calorie burns. If you are not using any medications or consuming caffeine or anything that will effect your heart rate, then they can be a great tool. No form of estimating calories is 100% accurate, though, so use it as a guide, but know that it isn't set in stone.
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
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    Who knows how accurate any of these devices are?
    Use them as guides as TTWT said but it also helps if you enter the correct information in them such as sex, height and current weight (and update that every time you change weight).
    Everyone is different and what you put in your body can affect how much weight and fat you loose or gain.
    Concentrate on a mixture of weight training and cardio, eat your excercise calories for sure and drink plenty of water (not soda although the occasional one is ok).
    Try to enjoy the workout and the rest will come.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    I think if you get your maximum HR and VO2max tested at a lab (the fitness test on Polar HRMs isn't going to be super accurate), and your HRM lets you custom-input your max HR and VO2max, the calorie count will be reasonably accurate for cardio.

    Like TrainingWithTony said, though, there are so many factors that could affect your heart rate. I agree they're very useful as guides, but should not be taken as god's word or anything.
  • DanceYogaRun
    DanceYogaRun Posts: 373 Member
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    bumping this thread.

    I've been trying to sort out my HRM for the past few days - a Polar ft60. I've checked and double checked all of my info.

    I'm 5'8, 174 lbs, female. My Vo2Max, as determined by my HRM, is 38 and polar initially had my MaxHR at 188, but I did an average of the top three MaxHR formulas and pushed it up to 190, letting it move my zones to match this. http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm

    Yesterday, I did an hour on the elliptical. OwnZone (from polar) was active and MaxHR was set to 188.
    HRM said 657, elliptical claimed 420.

    Today, I did another hour on the elliptical. Own Zone was not activated, but I bumped MaxHR to 190.
    HRM said 655, elliptical said 425. The gap is still over 200 calories!

    Even if I subtracted out my BMR from the HRM only, it would be 590 vs 425.

    Can anyone help me get this sorted? Do you think the HRM is accurate for me? My average HR was 147 today and 149 yesterday.

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