Could my heart rate monitor be wrong?

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amrithav
amrithav Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi Guys,

I have had my polar rs200 hrm for a while now. Initially in 2008-2009, I trusted it completely and I saw results. Then the batteries died and I let it go.

Last night after over a year, I replaced batteries in both the watch and the strap myself and configured the zones to what they used to be before.

The calorie burn seems to be a little on the higher side. I am not sure if by changing the batteries myself/ letting it sit for so long could have caused the monitor to be inaccurate.

So
a) is it possible that by changing the batteries myself/ not using it all this time, I messed it up somehow?
b) how do I check the accuracy of my hrm

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks
Amritha.

Replies

  • NNAhuja
    NNAhuja Posts: 669 Member
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    I'm not sure if your is the kind that transmits to a cardio machine. If it does not then go to a machine and test what the machine says against your HRM.
    As long as it was left in proper conditions (not extreme heat or cold) it should be fine.
    Changing the batteries yourself shouldn't affect it.
  • robinhardysmall
    robinhardysmall Posts: 246 Member
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    Have you been working out over the last year? If not- it could be your heart is having to work a little harder to get the same results and your numbers would be higher.
  • pedraz
    pedraz Posts: 173
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    Have you been working out over the last year? If not- it could be your heart is having to work a little harder to get the same results and your numbers would be higher.

    Does that mean that the more in shape you are, the harder it is to burn calories? it seems that I'm working up a storm as usual *sweat,sweat,sweat* and instead of say, 450 cals as usual, my HRM now tells me I'm only burning 250! Am I getting in shape or is there something wrong?
  • pedraz
    pedraz Posts: 173
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    sorry, the bottom half of the quote is my question...... the more in shape you are the harder it is to burn???
    I don't know why my question became part of the quote but, I haven't been able to edit it correctly. SOORRYY
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Have you been working out over the last year? If not- it could be your heart is having to work a little harder to get the same results and your numbers would be higher.

    Does that mean that the more in shape you are, the harder it is to burn calories? it seems that I'm working up a storm as usual *sweat,sweat,sweat* and instead of say, 450 cals as usual, my HRM now tells me I'm only burning 250! Am I getting in shape or is there something wrong?

    You do adapt and get more effcient with almost any exercise so as time goes on, you will not burn the same. This is especially true of cardio. You need to constantly be increasing either intensity or distance or both to get the same burn. It mean you are more fit.
  • pedraz
    pedraz Posts: 173
    Options
    Have you been working out over the last year? If not- it could be your heart is having to work a little harder to get the same results and your numbers would be higher.

    Does that mean that the more in shape you are, the harder it is to burn calories? it seems that I'm working up a storm as usual *sweat,sweat,sweat* and instead of say, 450 cals as usual, my HRM now tells me I'm only burning 250! Am I getting in shape or is there something wrong?

    You do adapt and get more effcient with almost any exercise so as time goes on, you will not burn the same. This is especially true of cardio. You need to constantly be increasing either intensity or distance or both to get the same burn. It mean you are more fit.

    Thanks for the response. I wish you were going to say that being more fit I can now eat more calories. It seems somewhat unfair that after all this work my exercise cals are diminishinggggg! Argh!!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Well, you can if you've reached your weight goal!
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Have you been working out over the last year? If not- it could be your heart is having to work a little harder to get the same results and your numbers would be higher.

    Does that mean that the more in shape you are, the harder it is to burn calories? it seems that I'm working up a storm as usual *sweat,sweat,sweat* and instead of say, 450 cals as usual, my HRM now tells me I'm only burning 250! Am I getting in shape or is there something wrong?
    The more fit you are the easier it is to burn lots of calories because you can work your body harder for longer at the same or lower perceived effort.

    Your body will get more efficient over time so that for a given workload you will burn fewer calories but the difference is minimal, less than around 5%. This is more than compensated for by the fact that your workload should be increasing.
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
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    I think you should test it while at rest. First feel for your own heart beat and count it for 10 seconds then do the simplt math to find the average then use the monitor is what Id do :) good luck
  • amrithav
    amrithav Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks everyone, for your responses.

    During the last year I went through a complicated pregnancy and was on bed rest for over 5 months. So did not do much in the way of exercise.

    I started working out again at 12 weeks post c-section and only started using my hrm yesterday since the 77 cals that mfp reports for walking 17 mins at 4 miles an hour seemed too low - esp. since I also carry an 8-10 pound load and walk uphill for a portion of the walk and I am usually quite breathless and sweaty by the time I get to my destination.

    I actually tried the bp machine near my work a couple of times. The first time the hrm seemed to be off by 5 bpm but the second time it was spot on. So I am assuming it is fairly accurate.

    As robinhardysma mentioned, since my fitness levels are not where they used to be, my heart is probably working harder than before.

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