Stationary bike/calories.

amer90
amer90 Posts: 15
edited September 29 in Introduce Yourself
How does the stationary bike it gives you, cuts out like 300 something calories, yet on the machine it says it only cuts out 35.5?
I don't put it at the easiest thing though, I make it so it is like going up hill. You would think it would cut more.
Which one is more accurate?

Replies

  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
    Hello,

    Is the machine using a heart rate monitor to calculate calories burned? The way I see it, an out of shape person might burn more calories at a low speed based on the amount of effort (measured in heart rate) vs a physically fit athlete, whose heart rate increase might barely register at the same speed. I might be wrong about this.

    Regardless, don't be discouraged. I recently bought a wearable heart rate monitor so that I can keep my heart rate in a certain range so that I know that I am working out to a high enough intensity. I tend to slack off as I'm watching TV while exercising.

    Good luck.
  • amer90
    amer90 Posts: 15
    It actually doesn't have a heart rate monitor, so I don't know much about that. :\
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
    First off, good. I think the heart rate monitors that are built into equipment are not really worth the extra $$$. Also, I don't think they're very accurate. The watches will keep track of calories burned and it's not specific to the activity or machine. Sometimes, I wear the watch just to see how many calories I burned on a hike, or playing with the kids.

    btw, I'm 33 years old and my target heart rate is 123 for the fat burning zone. During my workouts, I try to keep it around 130-133 on my stationary bike. My calorie counter on the watch registers about 310 calories burned for about 30 minutes of cycling. I hope that's helpful.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Actually, the HRM in my stationary bike gives the exact same reading as my HRM with a chest strap. I am very pleased that I don't need to wear the HRM while riding the bike (the strap is uncomfortable against that back seat of the bike) because I know I'm getting a proper reading.
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