Exercise machine accuracy?

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LilMizDetermined
LilMizDetermined Posts: 175 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How accurate are the readings on fitness equipment? I don't have a HR monitor at this time so I am judging how many calories I burn based on what the machine is saying. It doesn't ask for my weight, height, or anything like that.

Replies

  • cornerofgreystreet
    cornerofgreystreet Posts: 180 Member
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    In my experience, the machines always give me a higher calorie burn than what my HRM says. I don't trust them.
  • mmcgille
    mmcgille Posts: 60 Member
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    When I got my HRM, I found the machines were over twice the calorie burn than my HRM readout (and that was after I put in my age and weight). I don't trust them either.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    I never trusted those readings and totally disregard them.
  • ghostrogue
    ghostrogue Posts: 5
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    I think it depends on the individual machine. My bike shows less than my HRM but my treadmill shows a little higher. trouble is without a HRM you won't know .
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    if it doesn't ask for your vitals, it will just use a default -- which, for some reason, is something like 35 years old and 150 pounds. so in that case, your hrm would be way more accurate. but the ones that ask for your information and track your heart rate, I think, are pretty accurate.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    if it doesn't ask for age / height / weight then the machine really can't be accurate unless you happen to be magically the "average" person that they based their settings on. Try it out and see if after 1 min of full incline and then 1 min of no incline the "burn" is the same to see if it's nothing more than a function of distance in a given time. At least the MFP estimates factor in age/weight etc.
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
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    The machine always gives me a much higher calorie burn than my HRM.
  • Luthorcrow
    Luthorcrow Posts: 193
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    If it is not asking your weight, gender and age it can't be accurate. Calories burned is also not a good measure for an exercise program. You would be better off tracking time and intensity (speed or distance covered). Tracking time and speed will give you a real measure you to chart your progress
  • elinor631
    elinor631 Posts: 2
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    Hmmm, I assume everything is off, or at least different from machine to machine, workout to workout. I use the numbers as an estimate, a gauge. Heck the same is true with calorie counting for foods. What is a large XX? If I want to loose weight I'm going to be honest with myself. And with Pilates, the MFP database says a workout burns 215 calories (or something like that), and walking briskly for 30 min. burns 170. No way. AND, I've found that if I do 30 min. of fast walking before Pilates my workout is much more intense, burning more calories. This is not reflected in any database or calculator.
    The real gauge is my clothes, how I feel, how I look to myself.
    Like a deep sea diver who looks at the air meter to gauge content. The real test is whether s/he can breathe.

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