Heart Rate Monitor Accuracy

hmo4
hmo4 Posts: 1,673 Member
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys, well today I took a hard look and noted the discrepancies of my Polar Heart Rate Monitor. Not good...anybody else question the calories burned when using theirs? I invested in an Actitrainer which you wear all day and it keeps track of steps, calories burned, etc. Total mismatch! The Actitrainer is made by medical researchers, and when using a heart rate chest strap, makes it even MORE accurate. Basically I lifted weights for my upper body, for an hour and half or so, but never really got my HR passed 63%. The HR monitor says I burned almost 700 cals:noway: , where as the other about 250. I have to tend to believe the latter as I didn't get my HR up high enough to burn such enormous amounts of cals. So...what the heck? Do you ever feel your HR monitor may be off? Both have my personal settings..Please shed some light. Kath:drinker:

Replies

  • Dlhigh
    Dlhigh Posts: 72 Member
    I feel that my Polar is very accurate, I usually am wishing that is says I burned more. But based on my exertion and the time invested I think its pretty spot on. It usually comes in lower the the cardio machines that calculate automatically for you when you enter your age and weight. You might want to go into the setting and make sure that it is programmed properly.
  • hmo4
    hmo4 Posts: 1,673 Member
    Really? I would have thought it would come in higher since wearing the actual HR strap. :huh:
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    I have little concern about my heart rate monitor being wrong but being too high. It is usually lower than any of the other estimates out there, at times disappointingly so. Having said that, unless a heart rate monitor allows you to enter information like your age, weight and the like, I am guessing the calculations would be off. I know as I have lost weight I have had to remember to reduce my weight on the HRM and as I do so, the number of calories it says I burn are reduced as well. I have little experience with other ones, but my SportLine seems to be accurate, but the only way to really measure calories burned super accurately probably requires something more than a HRM.
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    I've only had my Polar FT7 for a few days, but have noticed similar calorie counts from other members on the boards for a range of activities and heart rates.... I am still at the testing stage - so far, I really like it (the numbers are lower than the machines at the gym, at least I know I am not eating back calories I didn't really burn...) but the striking similarities got me wondering whether we shared similar stats (my hrm was programmed for me - age, weight, resting heart rate, etc.) or if it was something more than that....
  • hmo4
    hmo4 Posts: 1,673 Member
    My settings are okay, although I don't want to step on the scale-HATE that thing! Just going by what it said not long ago. It's starting to show draining battery, could that be it I wonder? Do you think my workout could have possibly burned that many cals. According to mags and their samples of calories burned/hour I find it very hard to believe. Hmmmm
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
    I have a Sportline 1060 Duo and it seems to be pretty accurate. I always wear the chest strap and the calories burned is always lower than the machines and lower than the MFP estimates, so I tend to think it is correct.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    Really? I would have thought it would come in higher since wearing the actual HR strap. :huh:

    The machine estimates are almost always too high.
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    hmm - the battery might be the issue - I was told when I get the battery symbol, to replace it instead of letting it go for a while...perhaps it's skewing the signals
  • Crowhorse
    Crowhorse Posts: 394 Member
    I have little concern about my heart rate monitor being wrong but being too high. It is usually lower than any of the other estimates out there, at times disappointingly so. Having said that, unless a heart rate monitor allows you to enter information like your age, weight and the like, I am guessing the calculations would be off. I know as I have lost weight I have had to remember to reduce my weight on the HRM and as I do so, the number of calories it says I burn are reduced as well. I have little experience with other ones, but my SportLine seems to be accurate, but the only way to really measure calories burned super accurately probably requires something more than a HRM.

    I have a Sportline, too, and I questioned the calorie burn because I was doing weights/abs and I was getting numbers like 875 for 75 minutes.

    It did have age, weight, sex, etc in it but that seemed a little high.
  • rosnnj
    rosnnj Posts: 25 Member
    I have a Polar with the strap and since I started using those calories burned rather MFP estimate I've been losing weight and inches. You have to make sure you don't have the strap on upside down and it is right side up and tight. But it's equipment and I think it can always be off so do like you do with your computer...reset it and then see what you get.
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
    Hi guys, well today I took a hard look and noted the discrepancies of my Polar Heart Rate Monitor. Not good...anybody else question the calories burned when using theirs? I invested in an Actitrainer which you wear all day and it keeps track of steps, calories burned, etc. Total mismatch! The Actitrainer is made by medical researchers, and when using a heart rate chest strap, makes it even MORE accurate. Basically I lifted weights for my upper body, for an hour and half or so, but never really got my HR passed 63%. The HR monitor says I burned almost 700 cals:noway: , where as the other about 250. I have to tend to believe the latter as I didn't get my HR up high enough to burn such enormous amounts of cals. So...what the heck? Do you ever feel your HR monitor may be off? Both have my personal settings..Please shed some light. Kath:drinker:

    700 calories for strength training does seem pretty high when no cardio is involved. Maybe your HRM isn't functioning correctly. Is it new? Did you get the insurance? I would take it back. I burn 700 in an hour but I'm doing high intensity cardio.
  • lesley12345
    lesley12345 Posts: 89 Member
    I have a Sportsline watch with chest strap and questioned the accuracy of mine, however my spin instructor has the Polar watch with chest strap and her calories burned are about the same as mine after we complete a class, it's usually only off by 20-30 calories from hers, we were glad to see that we have similar readings.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    I have little concern about my heart rate monitor being wrong but being too high. It is usually lower than any of the other estimates out there, at times disappointingly so. Having said that, unless a heart rate monitor allows you to enter information like your age, weight and the like, I am guessing the calculations would be off. I know as I have lost weight I have had to remember to reduce my weight on the HRM and as I do so, the number of calories it says I burn are reduced as well. I have little experience with other ones, but my SportLine seems to be accurate, but the only way to really measure calories burned super accurately probably requires something more than a HRM.

    I have a Sportline, too, and I questioned the calorie burn because I was doing weights/abs and I was getting numbers like 875 for 75 minutes.

    It did have age, weight, sex, etc in it but that seemed a little high.

    Make sure the chest strap is not being moved so it does not read correctly. If I have mine on and sit down it gets moved enough so it does not read correctly. Then the heart rate numbers go sky high. I am hoping to pick up some ECG gel for the sensor pads to see if that will help. Depending on how intensely you workout with weights, they can burn a lot of calories. I don't tend to do weight exercises longer that 30 minutes. The thing with weights is how hard you work will effect your number of calories burned in a profound way. It might be because when you weight train it shoots your heart rate way up when you are lifting and then in drops when you are resting.
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