Elliptical Trainer Vs. Heart Rate Monitor

CTK3989
CTK3989 Posts: 109 Member
edited November 5 in Fitness and Exercise
At the gym, I use a LifeFitness Elliptical Trainer for 44 minutes. I input my weight, age, and the length of time I would like to exercise and I get started. The machine also tracks my heart rate.

For 44 minutes of the Elliptical, the machine tells me that I burned 353 calories.

At the same time, I am wearing my Timex Zone Trainer heart rate watch and chest strap. I have input my weight and maximum heart rate.

I am constantly comparing the machine vs. my heart rate monitor and my heart rate is relatively the same on both.

At the end of my 44 minute work out, my heart rate monitor tells me that I burned 563 calories.

MFP says in 44 minutes I should have burned 478 calories.

Which device should I believe? The elliptical or the heart rate monitor?

Replies

  • dollipop
    dollipop Posts: 379 Member
    Bumping cause I'm keen to know too! I guess I usually take the lower of the elliptical and MFP - I have a Polar but it needs a new battery...
  • CTK3989
    CTK3989 Posts: 109 Member
    Does anyone have a guess?
  • speedyf
    speedyf Posts: 1,571 Member
    I always trust my HRM.
  • auticus
    auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
    The Heart Rate Monitor should be keeping 100% track. The eliptical does not. Therefore I would go with the HRM.
  • sweetpixy16
    sweetpixy16 Posts: 12
    i also would go with the lower number in order to help out with motivation. i am not 100% sure thoough which one to go with. i have also ran into the problem of comparing the same machine you use with what it says on MFP.
  • beccadaniixox
    beccadaniixox Posts: 542 Member
    Isn't the point of having the HRM because it's supposed to be accurate?
    I always go with the lowest number I have since then I don't risk "over eating".
  • n_unocero
    n_unocero Posts: 445 Member
    HRM. the elliptical doesn't take into account your gender like the HRM does.
  • mwilbur27
    mwilbur27 Posts: 46
    I would go with what your heart rate monitor is saying. It's monitoring your heart rate the entire time you are working out not just every 45 seconds to a minute. That's just my opinion though.
  • blueyegrl
    blueyegrl Posts: 248 Member
    I don't know for sure, however, what I do is go with my heart rate monitor. I treat it like a home scale vs. a doctor scale. You know your home scale is accurate because you are the only one on it, but the doctor scale, everyone and their mother has been on it and unless they calibrate it daily, it's not telling you the whole truth.

    So I figure my HRM is wrapped around my body, telling me exactly what I'm doing, and only I use it...I put my faith in that little bugger. lol Now, if I'm correct in doing this, don't know. But just my two cents. :happy:
  • runbyme
    runbyme Posts: 522 Member
    If you're unsure, take the average of the 2! Good job regardless of the calorie burn!
  • hyde1977
    hyde1977 Posts: 476 Member
    Go with the HRM
    I know at my gym my HRM works with the machine I am on which is why they show the same Heart Rate. It usually says on the machine with monitors they sync up with.

    The HRM is the most accurate thing to go with!
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    I'm assuming that the elliptical picks up the signal from your chest transmitter.

    I'd believe whichever has the most information; if your elliptical does not ask whether you are male or female, I guess that would be the HRM.

    If it was not clear which was the most accurate, and if you eat your exercise calories, I'd go with the lower figure. This is because the consequences of eating too much are reduced weight loss which is not desirable, but not eating every single one of your exercise calories won't suddenly crash you into starvation mode. :smile:

    Personally, though I'm aware that any HRM can only offer an estimate, I'm happy to use the figures from my Polar FT4 - I may not be so happy with the figures from a Timex.
  • Legally_Natural
    Legally_Natural Posts: 101 Member
    I use my HRM. I usually burn 150 calories more than the elliptical trainer tells me I burn based on my HRM. I rely on the HRM because it is based on my body and keeps a more accurate count of my heart rate
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Def. not the HRM!

    TImex is absolute crap at estimating calories burned... I'd return it and use the machines numbers until you can get a decent HRM.
  • Saffyra
    Saffyra Posts: 607 Member
    I would use the HRM number rather than the machine.

    I have a Polar FT40 and says exactly the same as the machine. And somehow the machine knows my heart rate the whole entire time... I didn't even know my HRM could do that but I think it's awesome :) Which might also explain why the two numbers are identical.
    I also put my weight and age into the elliptical.

    I never use what MFP says. Except for circuit training (30DS type stuff). Although MFP is pretty close to what my HRM says for it.
  • jets2014x
    jets2014x Posts: 14 Member
    I would LIKE to use my Timex HRM's figures, because it always says I have burned up WAY more calories than MFP and the elliptical machine, but I suspect it is not accurate. The difference is too much for me to believe it.

    The funny thing is, the actual heart rate on the Timex and the elliptical are the same - give or take 1 or 2 bpm, which makes me think Timex is using some bizarre formula to calculate the calories burned.

    So I tend to go for the middle value. I think it is better to go for the lowest though - it is better to underestimate than overestimate in my opinion.
  • CTK3989
    CTK3989 Posts: 109 Member
    Thanks for all of the replies. I will be subtracting the calories I burn per hour using the method from this blog post.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Huskeryogi/view/my-personal-thoughts-on-logging-cleaning-calories-154113
  • MollyDurham
    MollyDurham Posts: 39 Member
    I bought a heart rate monitor recently and found out that I was actually burning 500 MORE CALORIES during my daily gym routine than I thought!!!! I wear mine on the inside of my wrist so that the pulse is more easily detected and during the hour it takes my heart rate somewhere between 10 and 13 times so the calories burned is probably pretty accurate!!!!
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I bought a heart rate monitor recently and found out that I was actually burning 500 MORE CALORIES during my daily gym routine than I thought!!!! I wear mine on the inside of my wrist so that the pulse is more easily detected and during the hour it takes my heart rate somewhere between 10 and 13 times so the calories burned is probably pretty accurate!!!!

    I hate to burst you're HRM bubble, but if it doesn't have a chest strap, then it is not accurate at all.

    Taking a reading 10 to 13 times an hour is nothing.. one with a chest strap is constantly reading, which makes them far more accurate.

    If it was me, I'd return it and get one with a strap.
  • archie1964
    archie1964 Posts: 34 Member
    Polar FT4 up against a Polar Elliptical, links in with the HR monitor on the machine, but the FT4 over a period of 30 minutes shows 100 calories less than the machine, I tend to believe the Polar FT4
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