Polar FT4: Accurate?!

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  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    It really depends. If it was just walking at 3.5mph on a flat surface and normal temperature, then yes this seems to be a lot. But if you were walking in high temperature, high humidity, if you were climbing steps or your walk bath had a incline then yes it could be possible. All these factors make our heart beating faster meaning we burn more calories.

    On a side note I have an FT4 for more than a year and I couldn't be more happy with it, it is an invaluable tool. :)
    That's actually false. Heart beat really has nothing to do with calorie burn. The way HRMs work to estimate calories is by using your change in heart rate to estimate effort. Heart rate and VO2 Max correlate (sort of) during steady state cardio, so it can give a reasonably close estimate. Anything else that isn't steady state cardio, and your heart rate has absolutely zero correlation with calorie burn. The hills might have increased calorie burn slightly, but temperature and humidity have no real effect.
  • clew77
    clew77 Posts: 34
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    I'm beginning to think mines a load of rubbish, either that or the class instructors are lying.
    I go to a kettle bell class twice a week and at the end the instructor always says .. you would have burned between 800-1200 cals depending on what weight you used.
    I always use a 8kg for an hours long class .. work my butt off and burn 400 .. if that !!

    Frustrating.
  • marsellient
    marsellient Posts: 591 Member
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    According to this: http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx - I burned 1,378..

    Thanks for this link. I checked it out and found the net pretty consistent with my Polar FT4. Always nice to have another tool. I find it motivating. ????
  • cjs3001
    cjs3001 Posts: 273 Member
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    My FT4 is pretty accurate for most things but it does go a little crazy for walking. But if tigersworld said it was about a change in heart rate then maybe waiting to cross roads and things like that cause a bit of fluctuation which bumps it up. I'm not sure, you don't seem to be too put out by it, just take it with a pinch of salt and maybe don't eat all of them back.
    And well done on such a good walk too :smile:
  • Parmcat
    Parmcat Posts: 268 Member
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    I have the FT4 and have found it the opposite to MFP. I worked out yesterday for 90 in doing weights and treadmill HITT, and burned almost 500 cal, and MFL said I burned 1600.

    I feel mine is dialed in pretty good.

    I am 43, 6'0 and 318lbs
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I'm beginning to think mines a load of rubbish, either that or the class instructors are lying.
    I go to a kettle bell class twice a week and at the end the instructor always says .. you would have burned between 800-1200 cals depending on what weight you used.
    I always use a 8kg for an hours long class .. work my butt off and burn 400 .. if that !!

    Frustrating.
    HRMs CANNOT calculate calorie burns for strength training. They can only give estimates for steady state cardio, strength training is an anaerobic activity that uses different energy systems to burn calories, an HRM is not equipped to register or calculate that kind of activity. It can read your heart rate. Your heart rate has no effect on calorie burn while doing anaerobic activity.

    Also, the instructors are probably full of it. Calorie burn is highly individualized based on lean mass of the person in question, impossible to give a blanket number like that.
  • clew77
    clew77 Posts: 34
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    I'm beginning to think mines a load of rubbish, either that or the class instructors are lying.
    I go to a kettle bell class twice a week and at the end the instructor always says .. you would have burned between 800-1200 cals depending on what weight you used.
    I always use a 8kg for an hours long class .. work my butt off and burn 400 .. if that !!

    Frustrating.
    HRMs CANNOT calculate calorie burns for strength training. They can only give estimates for steady state cardio, strength training is an anaerobic activity that uses different energy systems to burn calories, an HRM is not equipped to register or calculate that kind of activity. It can read your heart rate. Your heart rate has no effect on calorie burn while doing anaerobic activity.

    Also, the instructors are probably full of it. Calorie burn is highly individualized based on lean mass of the person in question, impossible to give a blanket number like that.

    Ahh that's made me feel better then, was a bit disheartening after every class!!
  • kinmad4it
    kinmad4it Posts: 185 Member
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    I thought your heart rate had to be up to a certain level for a HRM to have any sort of effectiveness. At least for me, walking never gets my heart rate up enough, no matter how fast I walk.
    I tried I out the week I got my FT4 and my heart rate never got above 105, which is nowhere near high enough to give any sort of accurate calorie reading.

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