HRM Reading seems wrong. Help?

kleavitt1992

the heavier you are and being male the more calories you'll burn running for about 30mins at a moderate pace i burn about 340 and i only weigh 140lbs so id say yours is accurate

amber_hanners

yep i agree its accurate i have a polar ft4 and im about 200 pounds and can burn around 400 in 30 mins on a treadmill doing about what you did

torregro

Let's not reinvent the wheel here, folks.
If you want to see if your heart rate monitor is accurate, stop yourself a couple of times while you're walking on the treadmill and check your pulse manually. Then compare that reading to the heart rate that you are showing on your heart rate monitor. They should be the same. You can take your pulse using your carotid artery (in the neck), or using a radial pulse (in your wrist).
Just check it for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 or check it for 15 seconds and multiply by 4......whichever seems easier for you.
If the reading you get manually is drastically different from what the heart rate monitor is showing, the HRM is defective.

webdiva1

forgive me if i missed it ... but what did your heart rate get up to during your workout? and about how long would you say it stayed there?

AZTrailRunner

i have a sportline SX. it has a strap and everything, and I even moistened the strap a bit to make sure that the electrodes would work and all that.

I've been recently reading about this issue with Sportlines.

Please remind us what your Average and Max HR numbers were. Just because you are XXX lbs and are walking at X.X pace doesn't mean you will burn XXX calories. Your prolonged and peak intensities are major factors in this equation.

TheTeeWhy

My heartrate, when I was paying attention to the max was around 134 when I was checking. About 84-90 it sits at when I test it while resting.

On the HRM now it says 217 as max and 170 as the average, and I know for a fact I didnt get that high...

webdiva1

Boy, if *I* was running/walking for 30 minutes, my heart rate would be off the charts.

torregro has some good advice re: double-checking your HRM's accuracy. Think I'll be checking mine here before long, too.

AZTrailRunner

My heartrate, when I was paying attention to the max was around 134 when I was checking. About 84-90 it sits at when I test it while resting.

On the HRM now it says 217 as max and 170 as the average, and I know for a fact I didnt get that high...

If those are the numbers it registered as average & max, then that's why your calories burned are so high. The other people who had issues with Sportline reported the same problem. Hope it's a fluke and it gets itself back on track.

TheTeeWhy

Like right now, I reset the thing since the last message, and it's sitting at...221.2 as the max, and 213 as the average.

Could it be because it's sitting beside my computer monitor that THOSE are that high?

Cause after the exercise I resetted the calories burnt so it wouldnt keep going and going and stuff. So the number DURING exercise probably would have been more accurate as the max.

MoonIite

If you're using sportline you have to make sure the strap is on tight. I used Sportline before transitioning to Polar. I encountered the same problem as you, but after tightening the strap the problem went away. How long have you had it for? Try taking out the battery and putting it back in. Maybe that'll resolve the issue.

TheTeeWhy

Ive reset it a gain and it went to 200 again as the max V_v wtf is wrong with this damn thing?

TheTeeWhy

Cottonay, I have had this for like a day. Should I try resetting the whole watch and reprogramming my stuff into it?

MoonIite

Okay, first thing try moistening the strap under running water. Then tighten the strap all the way and put it on like you normally would. I had the same thing happen to me before when it would tell me that my heart rate was 221, but I resolved the issue by doing the following.

TheTeeWhy

Yeah, I did that when I was doing the run, and I ended up with the 523 calories thing, Im sittin here with it on(i know it isnt meant to be accurate for sitting still, calories wise but just to see if it'd still go up to 200, and it hasnt, it's max so far is 88, average is 83

TheTeeWhy

Aaaaaaand its up to207 as the max again... and its on my chest too... this is ridiculous. Any suggestions? Should I take the batteries out and put em back in? or Reset the watch or what?

mariasheehan

it sounds accurate to me too, I have the Polar FT4 and I'm a lot lighter than you but believe me I rack up some serious calories burned when I'm moving about. Don't over think it too much, you'll get more of a feel for it the more you use it. I used my HRM whilst out walking a few times and also used an app on my phone called smartrunner which is also pretty accurate, both devices were pretty much on a par when I finished, so I think my HRM is pretty accurate too.

dad106

I just return the HRM totally and get a different one. Sportlines are not that reliable anyway for calorie burn as they don't use VO2max and that is one the key components for accurate(estimation) of calories burnt.

Read this article about HRMs.. it will help!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

TheTeeWhy

I would return it, but as someone who basically bought this because I wanted something AFFORDABLE to track the calories burnt and whatnot, it's basically this or nothing because I'm not a millionaire, I want to do bodyweight exercises too but I can't track the calories burnt from that at all without one of these =/

I dont know folks... I'm sittin here with it on, and it's saying max 202... im not doing a god damn thing. I know they arent meant to measure heartrate when you're just sittin around but this is maddening beyond belief.

I'd maybe feel a bit better about it if people were in united opinion about it, but I get some saying it's pretty accurate in comparison to theirs, >_<

amber_hanners

well the burn seems pretty accurate compared to mine but ive never had my max go over 200 either so im kinda stumped? and i decided to put mine on and see whati it said jut sitting here and it stays in the 80s and 90s? sorry i cant be of more help but im just not sure

dad106

I would return it, but as someone who basically bought this because I wanted something AFFORDABLE to track the calories burnt and whatnot, it's basically this or nothing because I'm not a millionaire, I want to do bodyweight exercises too but I can't track the calories burnt from that at all without one of these =/

I dont know folks... I'm sittin here with it on, and it's saying max 202... im not doing a god damn thing. I know they arent meant to measure heartrate when you're just sittin around but this is maddening beyond belief.

I'd maybe feel a bit better about it if people were in united opinion about it, but I get some saying it's pretty accurate in comparison to theirs, >_<

All I'm saying is you get what you pay for with an HRM.. and for the record I bought my Polar FT7 for 79 dollars off of drugstore.com. They can be very affordable if you shop around, price compare and do your research. Thats what I had to do considering I'm substitute teachers aid, and am not a millionaire either.

Plus you could always try exchanging this one for a different one(of the same make and model) and see if it makes any difference... it may just be faulty.