Not burning any calories according to Polar FT4

chafinapt · May 2014

Hi guys

I do all sorts of exercise and am maintaining my weight now. But nothing I do seems to burn any calories.
The elliptical says 300, my HRM says 150. I know machines inflate, but twice as much???

Other people post their 60 minute Pop (its a barre class) workouts, and they are at 500. My HRM says 160.
I mean, wtf!?! Where is the huge discrepancy coming from, we are all doing the same workout.

When I do a 30 minute dance routine in my hot room, sweating my butt off and jumping around, the most I get is 200.

Shred 2 was about 154 cals.

I have a low resting heart rate (usually 60) and it can go to 54 when I'm laying down. I adjusted my max to be 90 - 140 (it rarely gets there and never higher than that). Could that be the problem? My heart seems to stay in the low 100's even if I'm being extremely active.

Thanks for listening!

Eric_DeCastro · May 2014

i'm only going to guess that your fitness level is very high.

3dogsrunning · May 2014

You may want to check out this topic. It gives instructions on how to test for accuracy
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

If you are above average in fitness level, you will get lower readings unless you are able to adjust your VO2 max settings to reflect your fitness level.

This article gives you advice on setup
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

Also keep in mind you can't compare your burns direclty with everyone. Weight plays a major role in how many calories you will burn and from your profile pic, you look small, so you will burn less.

chafinapt · May 2014

Thanks everyone!

DavPul · May 2014

skullshank · May 2014

coral_b · May 2014

If you use it for any strength type activity a HRM isn't a great representation, as you don't always burn a lot during but can get an after burn that is higher.
I have a Polar FT4 and I must admit my burns are much lower than machines, too. They get less as my fitness levels go up. Initially for Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred I used to burn 300 ish, now I'm lucky if I break past 200.

If you really think its off then double check your connectivity, as when my strap needed washing I kept getting a reading of '00' for my heart rate! Which means it wasn't picking up a lot of my activity. Now I make sure I wash it properly after each use... Worth a look!

Not burning any calories according to Polar FT4

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