Another HRM Question

Pickles11

I ordered a HRM online and it has a chest strap- I've read this is the best way to calculate calories burned during workouts. However, the brand isn't the most popular brand, so I'm worried that it might not be as accurate as I hope.

Will the fact that it has a chest strap help make it more reliable than if I had gotten a cheap wrist watch?

How can I know if it is accurate or not? I see a lot of people talking about their HRM being accurate or not. Is it obvious? How will I know?

ladym04

I just got done googling them. I was wondering this myself. Thanks for asking. lol

linnapee

I have a HRM with a chest strap (I have the Polar FT4). I love it and I assume that it's correct. The HRM generally tells me I've burnt a little more than what the gym equipment does, but the HRM has more information about your stats than what you enter into the gym equipment before you use it.

I definitely think getting one with a chest strap is more reliable than just a cheap wrist watch one

linnapee

I have a HRM with a chest strap (I have the Polar FT4). I love it and I assume that it's correct. The HRM generally tells me I've burnt a little more than what the gym equipment does, but the HRM has more information about your stats than what you enter into the gym equipment before you use it.

I definitely think getting one with a chest strap is more reliable than just a cheap wrist watch one

linnapee

I have a HRM with a chest strap (I have the Polar FT4). I love it and I assume that it's correct. The HRM generally tells me I've burnt a little more than what the gym equipment does, but the HRM has more information about your stats than what you enter into the gym equipment before you use it.

I definitely think getting one with a chest strap is more reliable than just a cheap wrist watch one

linnapee

I have a HRM with a chest strap (I have the Polar FT4). I love it and I assume that it's correct. The HRM generally tells me I've burnt a little more than what the gym equipment does, but the HRM has more information about your stats than what you enter into the gym equipment before you use it.

I definitely think getting one with a chest strap is more reliable than just a cheap wrist watch one

fastbelly

The reliability of HRM's apart from the higher range is not that accurate either.

To get a accurate reading you need a lot of parameters most important of which are some that you can't configure on cheaper HRM's like VO2Max and HRrest and HRmax for instance.

Use your HRM, and weigh yourself at the same time each week, so that you see if what you're logging is working for you.

To lose a lb of fat you'll need a deficit of a bit over 3000 calories, so if you're exercising at about that deficit and lose about a lb it means that you're logging accurately enough. To lose weight consistently you don't need to know the exact number of calories you've burnt.

linnapee

Ahh, I'm so sorry for posting that reply a million times. I've never used the message boards before. And I don't know how to delete my own posts! Sorry guys!!

Pickles11

Do you think that even if it's not 100% correct, it'll be at least consistent within itself? For example, if it overestimates calories, it will do so on all workouts?

I ask because part of the reason I want to use it is so I can determine which of my workouts (I have a million DVDs) burn the most calories in the least amount of time. That way I wont be wasting time on workouts that don't burn as many calories.

linnapee

Oh yes, I definitely find that mine is consistent. And when I use the same gym equipment for a while on the same settings, I find that it doesn't tire me out as much anymore and the calories burnt shows. I won't burn as much anymore because I don't get as tired from doing them anymore (hope that made sense). I highly recommend getting HRM, it helps to keep me motivated

Pickles11

Thanks I can't wait to receive mine.