10 Comments » Was at the gym today using an elliptical trainer. These machines, like treadmills, have sensor bars on the handles, meant to detect your heart rate and chart your progress.
Well, doesn’t work for me.
I used to work out at California Fitness. I tried all the different machines but none could ever detect my heart rate. I don’t think I was holding the handles wrong. How many ways are there to hold a handle, anyway? I’d always get “Unable to detect heart rate. Switching to manual mode”.
Very, very annoying.
Today, I went to a Singapore Sports Council gym. Very cheap, pay per use is $2.50, so much more affordable than paying $70 a month for upmarket gyms and going only once or twice a week.
Anyway, the elliptical trainer at the SSC gym couldn’t detect my heart rate, either.
Maybe I don’t have a heart or it’s broken, or something. If you put your hand on my chest, you can’t feel my heartbeat. You have to wait till I do 20 minutes of cardio and then you might be able to feel a faint thumping, kinda like a butterfly wings thumping against a padded glass jar.
Wen called me heartless.
But that’s nonsense because I am possibly the most sympathetic, emotional person you could ever know.
I was playing a game on the Wii called Trauma Center, in which you play a surgeon cutting up patients and treating their diseases. In between operations, you follow the storylines of your patients. There was this story that was so touching that I started crying while playing.
It’s a great game.
So, I know my heart is there. But why can’t the stupid machines find it?
Strangely coincidence that I just blogged about gym-ing (except that I am only releasing it tomorrow).
Anyway, I have long given up on those grip-and-shows-your-heartbeat-thingie.
Nothing beats a finger on the radial artery i.e. wrist underside and count to 15 seconds and then multiply by 4 lor.
Don’t be lazy lah…. after all, weren’t you at the gym?
its not u, its the machines. The sensors go awry after a while.
Play something more cheerful! Wario Ware and Monkey Ball are great games that make good use of the Wii motion sensors.. and they keep you laughing and happy! no need to feel sad to have a heart…..
Oooohh… Looks like Goonfather got you a Japanese Wii… Probably modded for multi-region capabilities. Time to get Wario Ware, Rayman’s Raving Rabbits and Mario Party 8 (when it’s out) for multi-player madness! I’m sooooo looking forward to party games. Hehe…
it’s proberly all the marital arts training you had. so your palms are conditioned and have thick skin :P thus no heartbeat.
JayWalk: But the sensor thing is supposed to show your heart rate while you’re running so that you know you’re maintaining the ideal rate mah. Running halfway where got time to hold wrist and time heart beat? lol.
Ruok: Ok, but they never ever work for me :(
Rykarx: I love Wario Ware. But I hate Monkey Ball – the games are damn irritating! lol.
Alvin: How did you know we got a Japanese Wii?? Oh we just got Raving Rabbits… it’s damn fun!! As good as Wario.
chak: Eh… how dare you call me thick skin!!! lol.
Ahh.. I see you are the non-multi-tasking type of runner. :P
Hmm.. come to think of it, I did fall off the treadmill once when I was wiping my face with the towel. The moment my eyes were covered by the towel, I went stumble, awkward gait, stumble, struggle, stumble, awkward gait and stumble, stumble, stumble, splat.
Most unglam.
u have to be thick skin what, it’s ur occupational harzard :P
JayWalk: Hahaha. Yeah, I stumbled on the treadmill before just by turning my head around to look behind me. Anyway, these days I prefer to use ellipticals rather than treadmills. They engage both arms and legs, so I really go no more limbs left to check my pulse. lol
chak: True enough. But the truth is I very thin skin one. :P
those built in palm readers pretty much suck.