How accurate are those heart monitors on the tread mills?

[Argo]

I'm 25 and in a pretty good shape (12% body fat, work out regularly). Today I used one of those heart monitors and it clocked me at 200 beats per minute. Is that normal?

 

[tweakmm]

1) I'm pretty sure they are pretty acurate.
2) It's normal if you were stressing yourself extremely hard, on a 1-10 scale where were you?

 

[Xyo II]

200? wow, that's damn high (well I've never gotten that high anyways 😛)

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = 220 - age in years

 

[Pepsi90919]

200 is a bit excessive... they're generally accurate and reliable, you can test it by using a different machine every time.

on another note,

let's say i do a 30 minute cardio workout on a cross trainer. by 3-4 minutes in, i've hit 159 bpm, my target. from there, it will stay at 158-163 for a couple minutes, then drop down to 147-150 for 30 seconds, come back up to the 159 area, and drop down again, repeating. is that OK or wtf?

 

[Argo]

On a scale from 1-10 I was at about 7, stress wise. My resting heart rate is at around 60, which is what made me think that machine was deffective.

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Heart rate monitors are hardly accurate. Do those things even get calibrated on a frequency or a schedule?

They are good for "ballparking" if you need to go faster than were you are at with the machine.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: PhoenixOrion
Heart rate monitors are hardly accurate. Do those things even get calibrated on a frequency or a schedule?

They are good for "ballparking" if you need to go faster than were you are at with the machine.

what would you calibrate? it counts pulses.

 

[platinumike]

No I used to sell treadmills. All the heart monitors are horribly innacurate. Every make and model, except the very very expensive ones.200bpm is like extremely out of breath. Judge it yourself and take your own pulse.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

I don't know if they are very accurate, but I know some people have a disorder where stress makes their heart beat faster than it should. 200 is a bit over the top. I have a fairly normal resting beat, but my HR goes faster than the average person with moderate stress. You can ask a doctor about it if you are worried.

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: platinumike
No I used to sell treadmills. All the heart monitors are horribly innacurate. Every make and model, except the very very expensive ones.200bpm is like extremely out of breath. Judge it yourself and take your own pulse.

what brand?

 

[PhoenixOrion]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: PhoenixOrion
Heart rate monitors are hardly accurate. Do those things even get calibrated on a frequency or a schedule?

They are good for "ballparking" if you need to go faster than were you are at with the machine.

what would you calibrate? it counts pulses.

a simple loop check calibration comes to mind.

 

[huberm]

you can get the polar heart rate monitors that has a strap that goes around your chest. They claim to be EKG accurate. I take mine with me when I go to the gym and most of the time it syncs up with the machine I am using.

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
200 is a bit excessive... they're generally accurate and reliable, you can test it by using a different machine every time.

Wouldn't it be easier to just take your own pulse? It's not that difficult, I do it all the time when I'm running or on the stationary bike.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: huberm
you can get the polar heart rate monitors that has a strap that goes around your chest. They claim to be EKG accurate. I take mine with me when I go to the gym and most of the time it syncs up with the machine I am using.

This is what I was about to post. You can get a basic one for under $40.

 

[Turin39789]

I dislike the fact that the ones at my gym can't be used while running on the treadmill. I've never been very good at counting time and pulse beats myself, but if I want to stay in a target range it would be nice to know where I am at when I am actually running.

Are there any good wristwatch or portable systems that are el cheapo out there?

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Turin39789
I dislike the fact that the ones at my gym can't be used while running on the treadmill. I've never been very good at counting time and pulse beats myself, but if I want to stay in a target range it would be nice to know where I am at when I am actually running.

Are there any good wristwatch or portable systems that are el cheapo out there?

My post....right above yours.....polarusa.com.......they have cheap ones....

 

[Dessert Tears]

Originally posted by: Argo
Today I used one of those heart monitors and it clocked me at 200 beats per minute.

As others have posted, it sounds like something was wrong with the machine, particularly if you weren't at full exertion.

Originally posted by: Xyo II
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = 220 - age in years

This is a common formula, but it's only somewhat likely to be accurate.

Originally posted by: Turin39789
Are there any good wristwatch or portable systems that are el cheapo out there?

Nashbar and Performance Bike always seem to have a few HRMs on sale. I got a Sigma Sport PC7 (7 functions including stopwatch, session min/max, zone high/low with audible alert) for $35 last year when they were being cleared out. At this price point, I would choose based on price and features, and not so much on brand name.

 

[SWScorch]

I would say not very accurate, but also remember that the equation for Maximum HR of (220 - your age) is also horribly inaccurate. It's a rule of thumb for an average data set but is almost never the case for anyone specific. But still, 200 bpm is quite high and is most likely very near your MHR, which means it's what your HR would be if you ran half a mile all-out, rested a minute and ran another half-mile all-out again. Nearly puking, in other words. 🙂

 

[JulesMaximus]

I wouldn't say it's horribly inaccurate. My max HR is 180 bpm and I'm 39...of course, I'm about ready to blow chunks at that rate. 😛

When you're younger your max HR is higher than it is when you are older.