HRM calories burned??

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invisibubble
invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Got a new HRM, set up my age, sex, weight, height, blah blah. Just did a paltry 25 mins on the elliptical to test it out and it clocked me at 165 average bpm, and calories burned 124. Yet sites that allow you to calculate calorie burn from average HR, age, sex etc are saying double that on average... WTF? Who is right?

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  • melibea
    melibea Posts: 228
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    Does your hrm have a chest strap? If so, it's probable more accurate than a website that can't really count your heart beats and doesn't know your actual heart rate (that reflecta how hard you worked out). That said, I usually burn around 80 calories per 10 mins on the elliptical according to my hrm.
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
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    Yeah it does. I don't get why the number is so fantastically low.
  • Fairieluv77
    Fairieluv77 Posts: 95
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    I also burn around 80 to 85 calories per 10 minutes on the Elliptical. I use a Polar HRM with chest strap.
  • Joneses17
    Joneses17 Posts: 135 Member
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    I also use a HRM with strap and I go with what it says versus MFP, the machine or websites. I make sure to keep my weight updated and wear the strap. I also subtract 20 calories every time I use it for a buffer which adds up since I do this subtraction for every workout everyday weekly. Your burn sounds close to correct. It depends on how fast you were going, the resistance and your cardio endurance.
  • islaybower
    islaybower Posts: 57
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    You're not big (sorry, nosed your info on your profile!), so that seems like a realistic calorie burn.

    From reading the forums here, the elliptical seems to be the most optimistic machine EVER. I don't think anyone has ever burned what the elliptical says they do.
  • melibea
    melibea Posts: 228
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    Maybe you were used to sering huge burns on the MFP calculator so that is why it's a shock. It happened to me too the first days I used my hrm. Maybe you need to work out harder (faster or with more resistance) to really get to burn more calories. Downside - you might start to burn more than just fat (eg burn muscle away).

    I use a polar ft4 (with chest strap as well) and like I said the number is not very high unless I push really hard, like HR around 180 bpm. I want to stop doing that though to preserve muscle even if it means if have work out at lower intensity for longer time.
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
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    Oh.... bummer. I was halving the MFP estimates sometimes and it's even lower than that! I was sweating like mad today too. Thanks for all the help, people. I would a thought 25 mins, heels down, hips still, half resistance and alternating no hands would've been more. :(

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