HRM Help

Hailz1986

I have recently bought a pulse sonic HRM with a chest strap and watch, and I am having a bit of a hell with it.

I usually rely on the gym equipment and MFP for calories burnt, and I know these can be not accurate, but I am totally confused by this HRM. It tells me that Tae Bo only burns 155 calories for 27 minutes, where as MFP says 348.
It also tells me that an hours incline walking (incline 13) at speed 4mph only burns 305 an hour, where as the treadmill tells me over 700!! Surely both MFP and the Treadmill can not be that far out?

Does anyone else have the same kind of HRM and have the same problems? I am a bit disheartened if all the workouts I have been doing have burnt only a fraction of what I thought! Please help guys!!

Kate_UK

I don't have that particular HRM but do you wet the sensors on the chest strap before you put it on? If they arn't wet it wont work properly.

Hailz1986

Yes, I always make sure to get them properly wet x

helenium

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

This might help.

Kate_UK

Yes, I always make sure to get them properly wet x

Ok, just wanted to check, you'd be surprised by how many people don't. I hope you find the solution.

yeabby

In my experience MFP and the machines are usually double what I really burn. They are set for a specific body and it's definitely not mine! They are usually fairly correct for my boyfriend (male, 5'10", 180 lbs.).

Hailz1986

I have read that link, and I am now more confused then ever!! I have a VO2 option on my HRM, but I have no idea what my VO2 is or how to work it out properly!!!! This is really making me confused and disheartened and I have no idea what to do! Surely an hours walking at speed up a large hill burns more than 305 calories?

dad106

Did it let you enter weight, height, age, gender and vo2max(if it allows for that!). If it did not, then it will not be accurate.

artist444

I got a Polar F4 back in May and I will admit I was shocked after my first few times using it. I attend a body pump class that usually last about 45 min. MFP said I was burning anywhere from 400-500 cal. per class. The instructor even agreed she thought it would be at least 400 cal. I was so excited to wear it to class after I first got it ,but soon I was disappointed I had barely burned 200 cal. in one class period!!! I felt cheated!!! I wasn't too happy ,but after talking to a few of my friends who have HRM I learned that it was pretty accurate. Its all about getting that heart rate up and keeping it up and as for my class we do alot of weight lifting that doesn't get the heart rate really high. I've found the machines at the gym to be hit and miss sometimes the machine and HRM will be within 20 or so cal. of each other. Other days it can be a 100 cal. difference. I have learned though that once you stop the activity (get off the treadmill) your body is still burning calories so I don't officially stop my HRM until after I've stretched and let my body slow down a bit. When I wait a few min. to turn it off I've found my cal. burned match the machine. The HRM takes in to account my height, weight, sex, age, etc. where the machines only does weight, and age. Even though its hard to swallow I believe the HRM is the most accurate.

Hailz1986

Did it let you enter weight, height, age, gender and vo2max(if it allows for that!). If it did not, then it will not be accurate.

It does allow all this, but I have no idea as to how to work out my VO2 max x

yeabby

Did it let you enter weight, height, age, gender and vo2max(if it allows for that!). If it did not, then it will not be accurate.

It does allow all this, but I have no idea as to how to work out my VO2 max x

Go to this site.
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/vo2max-calculator.aspx

As for the 305 calories for walking that does seem reasonable. Walking is great because it is a weight bearing exercise but it isn't one that burns very many calories.

Riebop

I got a Polar F4 back in May and I will admit I was shocked after my first few times using it. I attend a body pump class that usually last about 45 min. MFP said I was burning anywhere from 400-500 cal. per class. The instructor even agreed she thought it would be at least 400 cal. I was so excited to wear it to class after I first got it ,but soon I was disappointed I had barely burned 200 cal. in one class period!!! I felt cheated!!!

I went with my friend to her gym to check out a new class they were offering. The instructor said that you could burn up to 800 calories in the one hour class... Well, I already knew what 800 calories burned in an hour would feel like to me. I walked out of there thinking "there's no ****ing way I burned 800 calories."

I would trust my HRM monitor before MFP's estimate. MFP doesn't take your real intensity into consideration. Depending on my intensity, the calories I burn during a specific workout sometimes vary by 100 or so calories for the same duration.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

I have a BodyMedia FIT and I go absolutely by what it says. MFP sometimes does not know what it's talking about. Sometimes it'll be 2x higher than what the FIT says I burned.

Losing2Live69

I always go by my HRM. I have found the MFP database to be inaccurate on many exercises. Also, when you are on a machine at the gym, it does not have any of your personal information entered like a HRM does...I assume your HRM had you enter your age, weight, height, age, sex....go by the HRM.

27strange

Sounds like your HRM is fairly accurate based on the readings you described for those exercises. Curious what your heart rate range is for those various exercises?

It is disappointing to find out that you thought you were burning 700 calories because they machine said so when in reality you were burning 350. But now you have a better tool to use to help you in this journey. If you were eating back all 700 of those exercise calories you could have been defeating some of your weight loss potential by over eating.