HRM reading correctly?

mosley_james
mosley_james Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
Sorry to ask another HRM question!

I have the Timex target zone HRM. I did the elliptical for 52 minutes and kept my heart rate between 147 and 160 the entire time. It registered that I burned 687 calories for that 52 minutes.

Is this accurate? It's calibrated with my correct weight and age - that was all done correctly.

It just seems high? If its right than thats great Im going to keep on keepin' on but I just wanted to make sure it wasnt grossly high. The machine said I burned 508 calories but you know how machines are.


Thanks!

Replies

  • mosley_james
    mosley_james Posts: 3
    anyone??
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Timex HRM's are notorious for over estimating caloric burns. usually about 20-25% higher than Polar HRM's.
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
    Everyone is a bit different when it comes to calorie burn, so your question is a bit subjective. I get what you are after though.

    As a comparison when I run five miles (which takes me about an hour, so comparable to your elliptical work) I burn 700-800 calories usually. Your numbers aren't that unrealistic. Never trust the burn rates on exercise equipment.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    That's pretty high. Do you have any issues with your HR...like do you have a high resting HR or high blood pressure? If you do, it's going to further inflate your burn on top of inherent estimation error (ask me how I know). You really have to be going to town to burn more than 10 calories per minute. You also need to take into account your BMR calories...those calories that you would have burned otherwise just sitting there doing nothing for the time you were working out.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    You have 10 lbs to lose so I am going to assume you are pretty average. Yeah, that's a huge calorie burn for that exercise.
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
    I have chronic atrial fibrillation, so my heart monitor is usually messed up. It constantly says I'm at a 60 HR when I'm sweating like a pig and digging deep. Then when I stop exercising it goes up to 240 (I don't think either are right). I figure it must be right somewhere in the middle because I think the calorie burns are correct -- about 500 for 40-45 minutes of circuit or cardio (I'm a big girl).

    I bought a Sportline Cardio680, probably the cheapest one at the store.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Track everything, evaluate your results after a few weeks, recalibrate based on observed information.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    When in doubt (and as previously pointed out Timex tends to be on the "generous" side) go with the lower number (it's even probably based on gross calories expended which would make it high too)

    For weight loss purposes (especially if you're eating back your exercise calories) you're interested in net calories.....ie the additional calories expended as a result of the exercise.

    Here's one gross to net calculator. http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn-conversion-calculator.aspx
  • upacreek
    upacreek Posts: 5
    Hi, I've been a cardiac/trauma nurse for 20 years. The only way you can get an accurate pulse rate while in atrial fib is by taking an apical pulse for a full minute. ( listening to the heart with a stethoscope on the chest wall ). Any other way gives you a rough estimate. Hope this helps.????

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