Gym machines Accuracy

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amymeenieminymo
amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I don't have a gym membership, but I am paying for the day on Wednesday so I can try out my new running shoes to make sure they fit right before I take them outside and get them dirty.

To get my moneys worth I plan to get in a good workout on the treadmill, eliptical and maybe bikes....I cannot afford an HRM right now, and I keep hearing how the machines are not so accurate because they don't know your personal info like an HRM does. But what about the ones that have the things in the handles that track your heart rate and you enter your age and weight etc. Can I trust those to be accurate in how many calories I burn?

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  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    I don't have a gym membership, but I am paying for the day on Wednesday so I can try out my new running shoes to make sure they fit right before I take them outside and get them dirty.

    To get my moneys worth I plan to get in a good workout on the treadmill, eliptical and maybe bikes....I cannot afford an HRM right now, and I keep hearing how the machines are not so accurate because they don't know your personal info like an HRM does. But what about the ones that have the things in the handles that track your heart rate and you enter your age and weight etc. Can I trust those to be accurate in how many calories I burn?
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    still not that accurate. HR is only part of the equation, the one in my gym gives me the following number for 35 minutes workout. 625 calories, my HRM gives me a count of 405. And the gym machine reads my heart rate offmy chest strap.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    still not that accurate. HR is only part of the equation, the one in my gym gives me the following number for 35 minutes workout. 625 calories, my HRM gives me a count of 405. And the gym machine reads my heart rate offmy chest strap.

    So would it be safe to subtract like, 200 or so from whatever the machine says? I just don't want to overeat this week, especially since I didn't eat so great yesterday. Although by Wednesday it may not make much of a difference since Thursday is my weigh in day. I'd really like to lose this week since even just a half pound loss would put me into the 170's and that would be a nice number to see.
  • machonregier
    machonregier Posts: 9
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    QUOTE:

    still not that accurate. HR is only part of the equation, the one in my gym gives me the following number for 35 minutes workout. 625 calories, my HRM gives me a count of 405. And the gym machine reads my heart rate offmy chest strap.
    What type of machine is that? I've heard that elipticals overestimate calorie burn by about 30%. My gyms treadmills seem fairly accurate if not a little low. But I guess I can't be sure since I don't have an HRM yet.

    Maybe you could borrow an HRM from someone for your day at the gym. Good luck with your new shoes!!

    Machon.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Options
    still not that accurate. HR is only part of the equation, the one in my gym gives me the following number for 35 minutes workout. 625 calories, my HRM gives me a count of 405. And the gym machine reads my heart rate offmy chest strap.

    So would it be safe to subtract like, 200 or so from whatever the machine says? I just don't want to overeat this week, especially since I didn't eat so great yesterday. Although by Wednesday it may not make much of a difference since Thursday is my weigh in day. I'd really like to lose this week since even just a half pound loss would put me into the 170's and that would be a nice number to see.

    I don't think itwould be safe to do that. Every machine is different, I have been on machines that over estimate, and some that under estimate. HRM's are far more accurate for multiple reasons. The biggest being they take more numbers into account to personalize it to you. Polar (the one I use) has had independant tests done on thier HRMs, those tests have concluded that they are accurate to within 98% if you include an accurate VO2 Max number, and within 90% if you don't. There are a couple of ways to get a V02 Max number, the best is to go to a testing lab (most colleges with life sciences departments have a VO2 Max machine and will do it for you either for free, for students, or for a small fee), or if there is no school around with one, your doctor should know where to go to be tested. One note, VO2 max changes as your health improves, so you should retest when you feel like you are in a lot better shape.

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