How accurate are exercise machine displays?

naf2014
naf2014 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,
I've recently started using my stationary bike (took long enough!). I have gradually built up stamina to be able to use it for 55/60 minutes and am spending the majority of the time with it on highest resistance (8). Anyway, according to the bike I'm burning around 580 calories. That seems a lot, and I can't imagine I am, but does anyone know how much these estimates are usually out by?
Thank you

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    There is no such thing as usual - can vary from comically bad (low or high) to the most accurate estimate possible.

    I could hit those calories in that time easily, but I'm not you.

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Any idea of how far you're pedaling in that time?

    Like sjomial I can hit 600 cal in an hour of intense riding but without knowing how far / how fast it's all guesswork.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I am not sure but I think you can use a heart rate monitor to calculate calorie burn to see if it is even close to accurate.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I use a Nordic track ski machine. It tells me that a 45-minute work out burns roughly 445 calories, which is around 10-15% below what MFP tells me. It's a basic machine that doesn't let me adjust tension; hand levers, foot boards, and an LCD display, pretty much. I log the machine calories, but generally try not to eat back more than half. So far, it's working for me.
  • naf2014
    naf2014 Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you for the replies. When at highest resistance the display states I ride at a speed of 19.5 to fastest being 19.7km/h, and if I take it down to 6 then I'm riding st a speed of anything between 20.5 to 21.1km/h.
    I will look into getting a heart rate monitor :smile:
  • mrspett323
    mrspett323 Posts: 85 Member
    Not accurate at all in my opinion. I have a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor that syncs with my gym equipment by displaying my heart rate without me having to grab the hand sensors. I did Cardio for 45 mins and my Polar said I burned close to 500 cals and the machine said something like 646. It's always way off and these are new machines so I never go by their numbers.Its always like 150 cals off compared to my Polar.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    The elliptical at my gym is pretty darn accurate if I input my age and weight. And it's roughly about 20% less than what MFP gives me. Through trial and error I've learned that most of MFP calorie burns are about 20% higher than what I actually burn. Of course that will vary per person.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    mrspett323 wrote: »
    Not accurate at all in my opinion. I have a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor that syncs with my gym equipment by displaying my heart rate without me having to grab the hand sensors. I did Cardio for 45 mins and my Polar said I burned close to 500 cals and the machine said something like 646. It's always way off and these are new machines so I never go by their numbers.Its always like 150 cals off compared to my Polar.

    And a very basic HRM like that could be miles out too.
    When I was average fitness my FT7 would over-estimate by up to 20%.
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