Polar FT 7 HRM...something wrong?

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fireman300
fireman300 Posts: 38 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I know alot of times there is a difference between the calories burned that the Lifefitness treadmill says vs HRM, but I just purchased Polar FT 7 hrm, today was my first day using it. The treadmill calorie counter (that I have always used) said I burned 1280 calories (and thats is lower than MFP's estimate) .but my HRM said only 596...LESS THAN HALF? Have I really been over calculating my calories THAT MUCH for the last 3 months?

Has anyone had a similar experiance? Did I just waste my money? I m kinda bummed about this right now.

I entered my weight and everything correctly into both the HRM and the treadmill. The strap for the chest is maxed out for my chest size, might that affect it? The heart right was right on when I checked it manually though?

Thanks everyone

Replies

  • llm12
    llm12 Posts: 49
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    The heart rate monitor is MUCH more accurate than your treadmill. My elliptical calculates that I burn twice as many calories as my hrm does (I own a polar as well). The hrm goes by your heart rate, and I am guessing that your treadmill does not. Go by the hrm. You definitely didn't waste your money.
  • kit_katty
    kit_katty Posts: 994 Member
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    From everything I've heard and experienced, when in doubt, your HRM is correct, workout machines can waaay overestimate how much you're burning.
  • Allyson1985
    Allyson1985 Posts: 148
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    That's exactly what happened to me. The HRM is more accurate because it considers your age, height, and weight ... most treadmills and similar products only go off weight, and the heart rate sensors are in awkward places.

    You didn't waste your money at all.
  • skierxjes
    skierxjes Posts: 938 Member
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    I'd go with the HRM calculation. It keeps a continuous HR fro you, the treadmill does not. Plus, I don't know if you put your age and weight into the treadmill to track, as well
  • photo_kyla
    photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
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    The same thing happened with my and my gym workout. (Ours is based on a key tag and takes height, weight, age, # of reps, range of motion, etc into account.) When I first got my HRM, it said I was burning half of what their system said. It turns out that their system was WAY off. The gym didn't know and is now in the process of replacing all the sensors on their machines...
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    My elliptical also triples the calories my HRM gives me. The machines are not reliable.
  • tageekly
    tageekly Posts: 3,755 Member
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    I bought the same HRM and found the same thing - my variance wasn't as great as yours but the elliptical was easily 100+ calories over the HRM. It surprises me it's THAT different for you but it certainly wasn't a waste of money - the HRM is right.

    As you lose, remember to update your weight in the user info on the FT7 so you keep getting accurate burns.
  • fireman300
    fireman300 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks everyone. Good to know I m not alone. That being said...WOWWW..have I been over eating on some days when I eat my full workout calories..LOL
  • scotty579
    scotty579 Posts: 4
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    I found the opposite as my Polar FT7 (correctly set up) showed 376 kcal whereas my BH Prisma M80 treadmill showed 270. The heart rate on the treadmill (that was reading from my Polar chest strap) also showed 30 bpm under around the 170 mark whereas it was only out by around 5-10 beats around the 120 bpm mark. No weight, age or height details were entered into the treadmill.

    Do I go by Polar FT7 or treadmill.
  • dowens1133
    dowens1133 Posts: 1
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    This discussion has been helpful since I hadthe same question. I bought the FT 7 last week and noticed my HRM showed I burned nearly 100 fewer calories than the Lifefitness treadmill posted at my local gym. I've entered my age, weight, etc. on both but was curious about the difference. I figured the treadmill was probably more accurate since I run at a 2.0 incline but now I'm going to go with the HRM...and really pay attention to my calories that I can consume each day.
  • jgrode1984
    jgrode1984 Posts: 112
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    Are you wetting the chest strap well? I notice a small difference on my ft4 when the strap part that the transmitter snaps onto gets dry and when it's really nice and wet. Not gonna lie, a little KY helps too.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    HRMs can still be inaccurate. There are a number of things that can affect accuracy. Here is a thread to test for how accurate yours is.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

    (It also has a link to an explanation of what can affect it)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    What were you doing on the treadmill and exactly how were you doing it?

    If you are walking on a Life Fitness treadmill and not holding on to the handrails, then the calorie counts are more accurate than a HRM. If one is running,esp at faster speeds, the treadmill will likely overestimate calories by 15-20%.

    Given the discrepancy you are reporting, there are more details at work here.

    People makes the assumption that HRMs are always more accurate but that is often not the case.
  • KarenJean91
    KarenJean91 Posts: 283 Member
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    Omg. This post made me realize how much I really do need a HRM........
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    This discussion has been helpful since I hadthe same question. I bought the FT 7 last week and noticed my HRM showed I burned nearly 100 fewer calories than the Lifefitness treadmill posted at my local gym. I've entered my age, weight, etc. on both but was curious about the difference. I figured the treadmill was probably more accurate since I run at a 2.0 incline but now I'm going to go with the HRM...and really pay attention to my calories that I can consume each day.

    For walking, the equations built into commercial treadmills (esp Life Fitness) are very accurate (again, no handrail support ).

    Research I have seen suggests that the equations overestimate calories burned during running by 6%-15%, plus there are some other characteristics of treadmill running that might add a couple of points more.

    However, you also cannot assume that the HRM is correct just because it is different. HRMs are not plug and play devices. Most people don't have them set up correctly so they could be as much a guess as anything.

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