How accurate do you think gym equipment is?

AmandaCherise
AmandaCherise Posts: 32 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been logging my calories burned solely based off of what the equipment at my gym tells me. How accurate do you really think those machines are? I input my weight, height, and age and ALWAYS keep my hands on the heart rate monitor to try and get the most accurate reading. What do you think? Should I reduce the amount of calories burned when I log them?

Replies

  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
    I don't think they are very accurate. I see a huge variation of what my HRM says and what the machine says. Machine readout is always about 100 calories higher then what my HRM says.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Well I trust the numbers on the dumbbells. Could be bull**** though.

    50 lbs + 5 reps = 250 calories burned, right?
  • amomathome
    amomathome Posts: 4
    I don't trust their calorie counts (or a HRM counts either)... just my opinion. I think they are a valuable tool to measure improvement... for ex... today the machine reads I burned 10 more calories than yesterday (on same machine/same amt of time). Sorry if you don't find this helpful.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I don't' use any cardio equipment or a heart rate monitor... so I wouldn't know.


    but the reality is.. it's not accurate at all. (well HRM is moar accurate for steady state cardio- but it's not particularly good for other things)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    I don't think any of them are exact. Best to just pick one source and use it. If your results don't match your numerical expectations, adjust something.

    I always use 300 calories as my number for one hour of moderate cardio. I used to obsess about getting the 'right' number - I used electronic body devices etc. Close enough.

    Too much trouble. I just picked a reasonable number. Your body will respond to approximates. Everything is an approximate, including your food calculations.
  • qn4bx9pzg8aifd
    qn4bx9pzg8aifd Posts: 258 Member
    Some posts from others who have previously wondered about and/or commented on this topic --


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/468963-are-treadmill-calorie-counters-correct


    In the following thread, the posts from Azdak are particularly informative --

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777024-treadmill-vs-hrm-calorie-readings


    And for a terrific and detailed explanation, check out the August 10, 2012 & May 30, 2013 posts on Azdak's blog --

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak

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