Garmin vs workout machines

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klt2011
klt2011 Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've notice a significant discrepancy between my Garmin calories burned vs..say an elliptical machine. Garmin, I believe uses my heart rate to determine but I think the elliptical used both rpm and resistance. I'm not sure which to use when logging my exercise.
Thoughts?

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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,853 Member
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    Both have potential accuracy issues. As a practical matter, I usually use the lower of alternative exercise calorie estimates, unless I have a strong reason to believe a different one is more accurate.

    Does the elliptical know your weight? If not, I'd be extra skeptical of it.

    Does your Garmin know your tested (not age estimated) max heart rate, or have you done its fitness/VO2max test (if it offers one). (I'm assuming it knows your current weight, etc.) If not, it may be less accurate than it could be.

    Was it a steady state workout, or higher/lower intensity intervals? HR is usually not as accurate a basis for estimating calories from interval exercise vs. steady state. (HR is always a proxy used to imperfectly estimate calories burned, not a measurement of them.)
  • klt2011
    klt2011 Posts: 9 Member
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    I typically go with the lower as well. Great questions. The elliptical does ask me to input my weight. My garment does know my max heart rate. I have not measured my vo2 max though but great thought and I'll do that!
    My workout today was steady.

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