How accurate are HRM on cardio machines?

healthyandthin
healthyandthin Posts: 104 Member
edited September 25 in Fitness and Exercise
The True Fitness elliptical machine at my gym has Polar installed in it. I'm not sure how it measure my HR but, when I put my hands on the metal handles, the HR number comes up. Anyway, I know the number is probably a hit or miss. Has anyone bought a Polar HRM and compared to the accuracy of that shown on cardio machines?

I can't really afford a Polar HRM at the moment but I want a general idea of how much burned calories to log.

Replies

  • jbug100
    jbug100 Posts: 406 Member
    They are accurate, but you just have t keep your hands there for continuous readout. I just use it as a spot check. Their numbers correlate with my polar hrm.
  • jenthestrawberry
    jenthestrawberry Posts: 93 Member
    At the gym, the heart rate monitor on both the Star Trak Treadmill and Precor Elliptical are fairly accurate as compared to my Omron HRM with strap. At Curves, the heart rate monitor on the stair-stepper is off by as much as 20 points low.

    Hope this helps.
  • paulagabay
    paulagabay Posts: 96
    at the gym the heart rate monitor is pretty accurate but the calories are over by as much as 200.
  • armywife1986
    armywife1986 Posts: 31
    Not sure how accurate that one is, but Polar is a good company. Today I worked out on my Schwinn elliptical for 75 minutes. Even when I entered my height and weight in the beginning, it said I burned 400 calories. My Polar FT40 read 536 calories, so I don't trust the HRM on machines at all. It's really worth the investment of the Polar watch. The FT4 can be found on Amazon for only $80-90, and it can tell you how many calories you've burned.
  • active56
    active56 Posts: 1
    At our gym we volunteers were told BY THE TECHNICIANS who service the machines, that anything electronic....cellphones, headphones, IPods, the machine next to you, the TVs - can affect the readings of HRM on the treadmills, bikes and ellipicals (or any other 'reading' - calories burned, et al), so not to use these for accurate readings. They are only meant for 'general' reference. If you need to know for your heart rate with total CERTAINTY, only a heart monitor, from your doctor, is the accurate method to use.
  • milehighcritic
    milehighcritic Posts: 199
    I have Timex HRM. I check it periodically against the treadmill or elliptical HRM while working out. It always spot on.

    Total calories burned however there a discrepancy. I always use the watch to determine calories burned during cardio.
  • healthyandthin
    healthyandthin Posts: 104 Member
    So the HRM reading on machines are fairly accurate. But the calorie reading isn't... Typically speaking, is the calorie reading lower or higher than the reading on an actual HRM?
  • megganwinland
    megganwinland Posts: 37
    The calorie counters on the machines at my gym seem a bit crazy. But if I put in my time and the machine in MFP the number of calories easily doubles from what the machine said. So it is hard for me to tell which one is more correct or if they are both off their rockers.
  • armywife1986
    armywife1986 Posts: 31
    So the HRM reading on machines are fairly accurate. But the calorie reading isn't... Typically speaking, is the calorie reading lower or higher than the reading on an actual HRM?

    I honestly think it depends on the machine. Mine at home is always UNDERestimating, but the ones at the gym always seem to OVERestimate.

    Someone mentioned the frequency/interference problem with electronics, but Polar specifically engineered theirs to not have interference problems.
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