HRM -v- Spin Bike Monitor

RGPargy
RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
OK I am little confused. I always wear my HRM when i'm working out and tonight was no exception. However the spin bikes we use have these monitors wired up to them and you can programme them with your information (age, weight etc) and also they sync up with your chest strap transmitter on your HRM. So i programmed the monitor tonight and at the end of the work out, it said i'd burned 564 cals after a 45 minute class. My HRM (FT4) however said i'd only burned 371 cals. Which one would be more accurate?? I am getting frustrated at my seemingly low calorie burns, especially after all the effort i put in. Could it be that as i'm getting fitter, i'm burning less cals or is my FT4 going doo-lally?!!

Any info would be fab, thank you! :)

Replies

  • RGPargy
    RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
    Anyone?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    In this case, I don't know about the accuracy of your HRM, but the spin bike is probably a little high. I doubt that the bike is using your HR for calorie estimates--it is using watts generated during your ride. The measurements for spin bikes are a little off, since there is no wind resistance involved. I found that, when compared to a more accurate watt meter, the readings I got from our spin bikes (Keiser M3) were a good 15%-20% higher.
  • mjbell642
    mjbell642 Posts: 229 Member
    Don't have hrm or the one on our bikes. Would be nice to know. MFP gives me about 350-400. I guess I would rather take that and under estimate.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    What HRM? I use a Polar FT7 and have found the machines WAY overestimate for the elliptical, are about the same for the treadmill, but are a little under for biking.
  • LERadicalDreamer
    LERadicalDreamer Posts: 61 Member
    I have found the HRM to be much more accurate.
  • azzkikin
    azzkikin Posts: 458 Member
    The bike would be more accurate. It is reading your HR and also the power you put into the pedals (how hard you are pedaling). I use a similar device on my road bike. The spin bike can pick up on efforts your HR can’t, like when you speed up or slow down fast or when you are pedaling up hill (more resistance). Your HR only sees how hard you are beating, I use the HR to monitor what zones you are in (Z1 – Endurance, Z2 – Moderate, Z3 – Tempo, Z4 – Threshold, Z5 – Anaerobic)

    Hope this helps.
  • RGPargy
    RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
    The bike would be more accurate. It is reading your HR and also the power you put into the pedals (how hard you are pedaling). I use a similar device on my road bike. The spin bike can pick up on efforts your HR can’t, like when you speed up or slow down fast or when you are pedaling up hill (more resistance). Your HR only sees how hard you are beating, I use the HR to monitor what zones you are in (Z1 – Endurance, Z2 – Moderate, Z3 – Tempo, Z4 – Threshold, Z5 – Anaerobic)

    Hope this helps.

    That's really very helpful, thank you! It does make sense and I was sure I was putting in more effort than my hrm was letting on..... Lol. Thanks again!
  • RGPargy
    RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
    In this case, I don't know about the accuracy of your HRM, but the spin bike is probably a little high. I doubt that the bike is using your HR for calorie estimates--it is using watts generated during your ride.

    If the spin bike is programmed with my hrm transmitter the I would say it IS getting my calorie readings from my heart rate. That is why I was so confused as to my hrm reading and the bike reading. :)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    In this case, I don't know about the accuracy of your HRM, but the spin bike is probably a little high. I doubt that the bike is using your HR for calorie estimates--it is using watts generated during your ride.

    If the spin bike is programmed with my hrm transmitter the I would say it IS getting my calorie readings from my heart rate. That is why I was so confused as to my hrm reading and the bike reading. :)

    Machines that display heart rate have separate receivers that pick up the chest strap transmission and display the heart rate number. That's all they do. The calorie numbers are generated from the work output. If you can measure work output, you don't need heart rate at all to estimate calories.

    But these bikes are not ergometers--meaning they are not precisely calibrated and they are not designed to precisely measure work output, so the calorie estimates will be more general, and they will be an overestimate for the reasons I described earlier.
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    I would go with your HRM, the machines are always off and are not measuring accurately your heart rate.
  • RGPargy
    RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
    When you programme the bikes to pick up your chest strap, you must first input your age, weight and RHR. Would this make the spin bike more accurate or less accurate?

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