MFP v. HRM

PhilipByrne
PhilipByrne Posts: 276 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

recently bought a HRM and entered all my details. It calculates that a 2hr walk at 3.5 mph approx, burned 230 cals. MFP reckons it's over 700. What gives?

Thanks
Phil

Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    The HRM sounds low. Did you wet the contacts on the chest strap before using it? Perhaps the battery in the transmitter needs replacing? (they tend to last a long time but the unit may have been at the retailer for a long time) Or it could just be defective.

    I don't know your weight but the tables (http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist3.htm) show anywhere from 224 cal /hr (130lbs) to a bit over 350 cal/hr (205 lbs) for walking 3.5mph.
  • PhilipByrne
    PhilipByrne Posts: 276 Member
    The HRM sounds low. Did you wet the contacts on the chest strap before using it? Perhaps the battery in the transmitter needs replacing? (they tend to last a long time but the unit may have been at the retailer for a long time) Or it could just be defective.

    I don't know your weight but the tables (http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist3.htm) show anywhere from 224 cal /hr (130lbs) to a bit over 350 cal/hr (205 lbs) for walking 3.5mph.

    Brian,

    yep, I did wet the contacts and they seemed to be picking up the heart rate fine. I weigh 210, so I would have thought somewhere in the 500-700 cals would be about right. I'll try it out again and change the battery if there's no change. Thanks for response.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
    How high was your heart rate during this walk? If you're relatively fit and your heart rate didn't elevate significantly, the HRM won't be accurate. They're only accurate in a small heart rate range that is typical for exercise. I have the opposite problem. My heart rate gets so high during exercise that my HRM gives me numbers that are a lot higher than the MFP database (or any other database).
  • PhilipByrne
    PhilipByrne Posts: 276 Member
    How high was your heart rate during this walk? If you're relatively fit and your heart rate didn't elevate significantly, the HRM won't be accurate. They're only accurate in a small heart rate range that is typical for exercise. I have the opposite problem. My heart rate gets so high during exercise that my HRM gives me numbers that are a lot higher than the MFP database (or any other database).

    HR was in the 100-110 range, I've never used HRM before so maybe I just set the zones wrong.

    Thanks for reply.
  • momof2winsplus
    momof2winsplus Posts: 137 Member
    You can use this calculator to figure it out. Hope you work out your HRM soon!

    http://www.calories-calculator.net/Calories_Burned_By_Heart_Rate.html

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