Question about New HRM

Jennplus2

I was so happy to get my new Polar F6 today, I put it on right away! Looks easy to use and I think I did everything right in setting it up, however, once I got to the gym (I go to Curves on my lunch break) and did my 30 mins of circuit training it said I only burned 260! :sad:
I have a key tag that I plug into all the stations and then into the club computer and that said that I burned 613. Normal for me is 400-615 on that thing.

My question is...
Have I been eating to many exercise cals due to plugging in the higher Curves number into MFP the whole last year?
Or...
Is my brand new fitness toy bunk?

I am so sad. It was a lot of money for me and I was hoping for a better burn I guess. Any thoughts? Or tips?

I thought I was guessing on the low end of things because I have been told the HRM number is the best number to use

MissKim

I hate to be the one to say this, but I would go with the HRM. Those machines only guesstimate based on your height, weight,etc.. The HRM is based on your actual heart rate. As long as you had it on correctly I would trust that. Plus, it's always better to be under than over!

Also I too do a circuit training of like ten machines and I've never burned more than 300 calories doing that. I do 3 sets of 12-15 reps on all the machines in about 45 min.

Jennplus2

:explode: I should have gotten one long ago! I have been adding cheese to everything to try to get more cals everyday and now I find out I have been going over by 300-350 cals a day. :ohwell:

rmills

I am going to back MissKim on this one. The Polar HRM is one of the leading brands according to what I read. I have used mine since 2008 and trust it so much more than the machines. I have found one eliptical that stays pretty close but most of them "lie". When recording calories burned, I try to base it on what the HRM says. Works good for me being a male because I naturally have more muscle mass to move around. Drives my wife crazy that I burn so much more for the same exercise!

lisanxd

I would trust your HRM, but... I just got my Polar F6 last month. I noticed that sometimes it would go to 00 heart reading in the middle of my workout. Make sure that you moisten the sensors... even this didn't fix it for me. I ended up resorting to sticking the HRM strap under my sports bra (making it really really tight)... I read someone's suggestion for that, because sometimes they could lose contact with your skin if it isn't super tight. I haven't had any problems with it since I have been doing this. Maybe in the middle of your workout it isn't reading... hope so, so that you are burning more calories!

Laceylala

When I do circuit training that is about what I burn. If I keep my heart rate in the medium range that is. If I put it at low and really concentrate on muscle movement it is lower.

To give you an idea: for a 45 minute work out, 5 min treadmill, 10 mins quick circuit trainin and 30 mins on the elliptical I burn anywhere from 350-450 depending on the day. It varies. Not sure why.

Azdak

There is no way to determine whether or not your HRM is set up correctly from a distance like this. Maximum accuracy with an HRM requires that you input your ACTUAL max heart rate and ACTUAL VO2 max, and these are not numbers that most people know.

In this case, however, your number of 260 is a lot closer to the average burn for a Curves workout than 613. Someone your size cannot burn 613 calories in a Curves workout.

Jennplus2

In this case, however, your number of 260 is a lot closer to the average burn for a Curves workout than 613. Someone your size cannot burn 613 calories in a Curves workout.

Thank you. I think deep down I knew that or why would I have been so stoked to get the HRM in the first place? I am just so sad that I thought I had been doing so great. I guess now that I know I can lower my food cals again and start fresh. With more exercise.
It is a cool little gadget. The next test is tonight on the elliptical. I do 30 mins and it says something like 40 cals. If that is really lower I might just flush the thing! J/K

Anyway thank you all for the help.

Laceylala

I will do 30 minutes on the elliptical tonight too..and when I'm done I will log it for you on this link so you can see what I burned.

I weigh 216, 32 yrs, 5;5".


You should burn at least 300.
Good luuck!

MissKim

I'm 200 pounds, 5ft 3in, 25, and I burn 300+ calories in 30 min on the elliptical

pettmybunny

Your HRM sounds about right, I had group personal training (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?) today, and we did circuit training for a little over half an hour, and mine said I burned about 200.

Laceylala

True to my word....I actually did 61 minutes on the elliptical tonight (I know not how, lol) and my Polar F6 says I burned 585 cals.

Jennplus2

Ok show off! J/K :bigsmile:
I did 30 mins and it said 376. So the little guy is my friend again. :laugh:

mdseevers

I have found that the HRM number is higher than the gym readings I've been getting, so I've started adding the lower of the two readings to be on the "safe" side.

I see that you have lost 28 pounds, that is GREAT! Keep up the great work!

Mark