Unrealistic calories 'burned' after spinning class

[HazelMY]

I have just done a 45 min spinning class, HR average was 120 bpm, and my calories burned were 44. Surely the calories burned should be far more than that? My previous fitness tracker (Garmin) used to have me around 440. Am I missing a setting on my Blaze? Or any other ideas? Thanks in advance 🙂

[bbarrera]

@HazelMY Agree, something wrong. Did you use the spin exercise mode on Blaze? Or just start spinning without starting anything on the Blaze?

How hard did you push during the class? Its hard to judge based on your HR, and wrist based HR isn't the most reliable/accurate. For example for the same power output on an indoor trainer (roughly 20mph on the road) a friend of mine will be at 130bpm and I'm at 145bpm.

Using average data based on weight/effort, an easy 45 minute spin (very little effort) would roughly burn:

119 calories for someone weighing 100 lbs

238 calories for someone weighing 200 lbs (twice the calories versus 100lb person)

I got those numbers here:

http://www.acaloriecalculator.com/calories-burned-calculator/

and then scrolling down to "bicycling, stationary, 30-50 watts, very light to light effort"

[bbarrera]

 @HazelMY I wrote a nice reply and it disappeared

yes, that calorie burn is too low. Did you start spinning mode on the Blaze? Or did you just go to the gym and start spinning without doing anything on your Blaze?

Heart rate isn't the most accurate method to estimate calorie burn while cycling (power meter is better), but its pretty good. If you started spinning mode on your Blaze and only received 44 calories then I suspect the HR monitor is doing a poor job tracking your HR which isn't unusual (some have no problem, others get really low readings because wrist is bent.

Try moving the Blaze higher on your wrist, by following the tips here:

http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1565#ImpactsAccuracy

That is first thing to try, it usually works and try not to bend wrists. Now keep in mind "usually works" doesn't mean it works 100% of the time for everyone.

Regarding calories, 440 is reasonable depending on your weight and fitness level. You can check a site like this one:

http://www.acaloriecalculator.com/calories-burned-calculator/

by inputting your weight and specifying 45 minutes, then click the "Calculate Calories Burned in Activities" button. It outputs calorie burned estimates for a bunch of exercises, you'll want to scroll down to "bicycling, stationary" and there are a handful of these, based on intensity. The lowest for 100 lb person is 119 calories for 45 minutes, for very light intensity.

Note those are averages, compiled from real data. If you are a well trained athlete the numbers are a little high - e.g. that table lists very vigorous (201-270 watts) effort for my weight as 1334 calories per hour. Now a year ago I struggled to do 200 watts for a 1 hour spin session or outdoor ride. That 1334 calorie burn estimate was pretty accurate back then. Now my fitness level is much higher, I can do 250-270 watt efforts for an hour, and I usually burn 700-1000 calories per hour depending on exactly how "very vigorous" I ride.

Hope that helps.

[FerdinandFitbit]

Hey there @HazelMY. Welcome to the Community Forums! 🙂

I'm sorry you're having problems with your calories not showing up correctly for your activity.

I'd like to know... Are you recording this from your tracker or you're manually logging the activity? I would recommend in these situations to record your activity from your tracker directly. For this, just swipe to the right to the exercise screen, tap on it and then select Spinning. If it's not available, go into your account, tap on your tracker at the top of the app, scroll down to Exercise Shortcuts and there you can edit the exercises that you see on your tracker. Once you've made the changes, make sure to sync your tracker and then, select it on your tracker to start the activity and see how it goes.

Also, I can suggest to restart your tracker just in case. You can easily do this by pressing the left and lower right buttons for 10-12 seconds. This will make your tracker to reboot and then you can keep an eye on it and see how it goes.

Let me know if you need more help with this!

[HazelMY]

Hi,

I am selecting Spinning from my tracker. Which is why it seems odd. I will
try a re-start and see what happens in my next class.

Thanks
Hazel

[bbarrera]

@HazelMY A moderator has deleted two of my replies. 

440 calories is reasonable estimate if you are spinning vigorously

try following the wearing tips, the Blaze HR monitor sometimes reads low while spinning, or when bending your wrist. 

Hope that helps. 

[HazelMY]

Thank you - maybe '44' means 440...

[bbarrera · Accepted solution]

@HazelMY no, unfortunately 44 means 44 calories. The calorie estimate for spinning is going to be based on HR. So one guess about the low calorie estimate is that your Blaze is having trouble reading your HR. That is why I recommended you review this article:

http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1565/#ImpactsAccuracy

moving the Blaze higher up your arm usually helps with heart rate accuracy.

[Tomo1]

I historically get under reported heartrate and calories on my Charge 3 when spinning. Other excercises are pretty accurate, e.g. running hard is about 150 bpm and about 100 kcal/mile. I go hard in spinning class and feel more of a workout than running, but today had ave 120 bpm and 400 kcal for 50 min.