HRM Help!

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ChaseAlder
ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Maybe you guys can help me... I got a HRM today and for my run (2 miles in 21:26) it only said I burned 101 calories (about halfway through my run it told me I'd burned over 80 calories)! I double checked my time and weight on another website's calorie calculator and it said 293, while this one said 299 calories burned.... why was my HRM calorie count so low?? Which one is accurate?

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  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    What kind of HRM is it? Does it have a chest strap or do you have to take your HR on the watch?

    Typically mistakes on an HRM are made by not entering stats correctly. weight, age, resting heart rate. If you take your HR manually, how often did you take your HR? Do you have something to compare?
  • Wuggums
    Wuggums Posts: 339 Member
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    That does sound very low. Maybe there was a problem with the hrm? My Polar ft4 occasionally hiccups if the electrodes aren't wet enough or is the chest strap doesn't maintain good contacts.
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
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    That sounds low but I guess it depends on your height/weight/effort. I burn around 250 cals at that distance/time. What kind of HRM do you have and does it have a chest strap?
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
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    It's a Mio Drive + Petite. It's the wrist kind and I wore it on the inside of my wrist nice and tight (tight enough that I couldn't scoot it up my wrist). I double checked my stats on there... weight 184, birth year and gender are correct, resting heartrate is 54... could it just be that my heart monitor sucks?
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Looks like it didnt get a reading the whole time.
  • flea2449
    flea2449 Posts: 500 Member
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    I have a Sportline. Mine doen't automatically show my HR. There is a button I have to hold down for 7 seconds and then my HR shows up. I know on mine it says to press the button once in awhile to get accurate calories burned. I've compared my HR to the machines at the gym and they pretty much have the same readings.
  • iheartralphie
    iheartralphie Posts: 104 Member
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    I have a Mio...one that you have to put your fingers on the watch to get a reading. So I have to do that every few during a workout. I'm not very happy with it, because it sometimes can't get a reading unless I stop moving and sometimes it is obviously off, like it will say my HR is over 200 when I know from just knowing how I feel that I am at about 150, so I have to retake my HR on it, then it shows the correct number. I don't think Mio is a very good quality product. :(
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
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    Sound like your HRM pooped out during your run. I think one with a chest strap is the way to go.
  • angievaughn
    angievaughn Posts: 655 Member
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    Happened to me last night.....during the warm up...it showed that I had burned 23 calories.. checked it 5 minutes into the workout.....and at the end of doing 35 minutes of the Biggest loser Cardio Max...it still said 50 calories...I was so upset...because I worked out hard to see a high number....and at some point the chest strap and the watch were not working together!!! Which sucks!!! I hope it works out better for you next time!!!
  • iheartralphie
    iheartralphie Posts: 104 Member
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    dumb question... if its a wrist HRM, is it the kind with the finger things on it? Did you just record your HR before working out and not every few minutes? Becasue my wrist Mio does not take HR by itself, you have to put your fingers on it kind of like taking a pulse on someone.... and if you only recorded your starting HR, it would have calculated the time of your workout at your beginning HR, not at the HR you worked up to. That would equal a low reading....
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
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    Thanks guys. I'm bummed about this time because I ran my butt off to see a nice high number, but next time I will check my heart rate at regular intervals to make sure it's giving me my dues!

    iheartalphie, it doesn't have finger things on it... but maybe I have to record my heartrate throughout the whole run, not just at the beginning and the end. I wish I understood how to use the damn thing properly! It says I can take my heart rate at the beginning and anytime during my workout, especially when I change intensity (which I didn't).

    Next time I will record it regularly, even though it's a pain to keep holding the buttons while running!
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I have a MIO Drive. Mine works perfectly. You have to check your heart rate at regular intervals. Anytime you feel your intensity changing. You also have to make sure that you update your resting heart rate when you wake up. I don`t wear mine on the inside of my wrist. I`m not sure if that has anything to do with it.
  • lexiwho
    lexiwho Posts: 178 Member
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    From reading the reviews on Amazon, it appears this is a somewhat common problem. One person reported that it wouldn't catch their HR when they were working hard and they had to stand completely still to get a HR. Sounds to me like it's a fault with the product, not the user.
  • Holllie91
    Holllie91 Posts: 2 Member
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    I just got a New Balance N4 HRM and really can't figure how to get it to do what the book says. May be the user. I have been sitting at a desk all day and it says I have burned 2015 calories? I wanted it to read all day to see what my daily calories burned was. Also can't figure how to get it to scroll in Data mode and I can't get it to clear the timer. It won't save my days totals either. Anyone else having similar problems. Thought the book would have good directions, boy was I wrong. It is a nice size book but only 11 pages are in English???? Any and all help would be welcome!
  • drop30lbs
    drop30lbs Posts: 12 Member
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    i just got the Mio Drive because my Sportline was giving me inaccurate & inconsistent calorie count. It said I burned 27 calories after 45 min of bootcamp. I sure hope it works for me.
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
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    Thanks guys. I'm bummed about this time because I ran my butt off to see a nice high number, but next time I will check my heart rate at regular intervals to make sure it's giving me my dues!

    iheartalphie, it doesn't have finger things on it... but maybe I have to record my heartrate throughout the whole run, not just at the beginning and the end. I wish I understood how to use the damn thing properly! It says I can take my heart rate at the beginning and anytime during my workout, especially when I change intensity (which I didn't).

    Next time I will record it regularly, even though it's a pain to keep holding the buttons while running!

    If you can, return it and get one with a chest strap. They are by far more accurate and reliable.

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