Hrm and fitbit

rjbkain

Ah ok so is the fitbit just a glorified pedometer? I was hoping for some thing which would give me a more accurate calorie count so that I could make sure I wasn't creating too much or too little deficit for my goals?

I'm not sure how pedometers work, but that's probably not far from the truth. Accelerometer-based devices (like the fitbit) are, IME, pretty accurate for non-exercise based calories (regular daily life, if you will), but exercise burns are all over the board.

Exactly, which is why the HRM is great for that, which you can use for anything that isn't well tracked by a pedometer. I do boot camp and we do lots of intervals and weight lifting. On an interval day the fitbit tells me I was active for about 10 min (when class is 45 min) on a mostly weights day, it says even less, of course, but my heart rate is definitely up there because we still do some running between sets and things like push ups and squats, which can get your heart rate going. Plus I lift fairly heavy weights.

I just ordered an HRM today to compliment the fitbit and to have a more accurate assessment of my boot camp calorie burn.

Just as an FYI, an HRM isn't likely to be very accurate with things like weights and intervals. They are intended for steady state cardio. Intervals aren't steady state, and weights are neither steady state nor cardio.

Circuit training is cardio. Our weight days are circuits: squats w/weights, lunges w/weights, back rows, push ups, biceps, shoulder presses, triceps and run a lap. Repeat 4 times w/ about 30 seconds in between. I wouldn't bother to wear a heart monitor if I were just doing sets of isolated exercises. Basically, the answer to how do I get my cardio in? I lift weights faster. Plus, my whole body is working even when I'm doing something like a bicep curl--the rest of my body is blocked--has to be to curl a 25 lb dumbbell. Our other days are usually HIIT.

ADixie4You2Know

I have both. I use a polar ft7 heart rate monitor during my morning cardio. I wear my fitbit from the moment I get out of bed until I go to sleep but not while doing my cardio. I dont really use it for calories burned so much as to track my daily steps and miles walked.

mattashbrock

Ah ok so is the fitbit just a glorified pedometer? I was hoping for some thing which would give me a more accurate calorie count so that I could make sure I wasn't creating too much or too little deficit for my goals?

I'm not sure how pedometers work, but that's probably not far from the truth. Accelerometer-based devices (like the fitbit) are, IME, pretty accurate for non-exercise based calories (regular daily life, if you will), but exercise burns are all over the board.

Exactly, which is why the HRM is great for that, which you can use for anything that isn't well tracked by a pedometer. I do boot camp and we do lots of intervals and weight lifting. On an interval day the fitbit tells me I was active for about 10 min (when class is 45 min) on a mostly weights day, it says even less, of course, but my heart rate is definitely up there because we still do some running between sets and things like push ups and squats, which can get your heart rate going. Plus I lift fairly heavy weights.

I just ordered an HRM today to compliment the fitbit and to have a more accurate assessment of my boot camp calorie burn.

Just as an FYI, an HRM isn't likely to be very accurate with things like weights and intervals. They are intended for steady state cardio. Intervals aren't steady state, and weights are neither steady state nor cardio.

Circuit training is cardio. Our weight days are circuits: squats w/weights, lunges w/weights, back rows, push ups, biceps, shoulder presses, triceps and run a lap. Repeat 4 times w/ about 30 seconds in between. I wouldn't bother to wear a heart monitor if I were just doing sets of isolated exercises. Basically, the answer to how do I get my cardio in? I lift weights faster. Plus, my whole body is working even when I'm doing something like a bicep curl--the rest of my body is blocked--has to be to curl a 25 lb dumbbell. Our other days are usually HIIT.

I think you are missing the point, which is HRMs might give decent estimates of calorie burn for cardiovascular training, but they fall short (as does every device for that matter) when it comes to weightlifting. Sure circuit training turns your strength training into a cardiovascular activity but even the manufacurer of these HRMs will tell you they are not intended to measure calorie burns for that type of activity. All these devices make an estimate and all are better at one thing vs another. Fitbit is excellent for determining non-exercise calorie burn which is great for people like me who has a desk job. I can figure out how much I am actually moving when not exercising. It is also pretty accurate for running and walking although would tend to underestimate the intensity and calorie burn of the run.

avvalynna

My fitbit one keeps me moving. 5 miles a day and 10k steps is my goal! If I dont hit that I know I didnt move enought. My HRM is for cardio exercise but Fitbit one is my life line for movement.

zoeysasha37

Bump to read later, have same questions

tairaven

I use both the fitbit and hrm too. I only use the Polar HRM for when I'm tracking a specific "exercise" that day (like walking or running). But, I use the fitbit for tracking my overall activity to make sure I'm active enough throughout the entire day. I set specific step and stair goals, and If I haven't met them I know I need to make a point to move more.

maryverg

I would not waste your money on a fitbit. My husband and I both purchased them. The fitbits made "funny" little comments, which made it seem more like a toy than a serious exercise tool. Support said we could turn that off if we wanted. It tracked my steps, but not calories burned for doing things like strength training. We found it to track our calories burned while we slept, but one night I did not wear it and I still "burned calories." It is definitely NOT a hrm and does not say it is, but we just felt like it was more like a gimmick and didn't feel that we could trust its output.
We sent both of them back and demanded a full refund, which we received.

mrsmarit

I would not waste your money on a fitbit. My husband and I both purchased them. The fitbits made "funny" little comments, which made it seem more like a toy than a serious exercise tool. Support said we could turn that off if we wanted. It tracked my steps, but not calories burned for doing things like strength training. We found it to track our calories burned while we slept, but one night I did not wear it and I still "burned calories." It is definitely NOT a hrm and does not say it is, but we just felt like it was more like a gimmick and didn't feel that we could trust its output.
We sent both of them back and demanded a full refund, which we received.

So because you didn't use it the way it was intended someone else shouldn't waste their money on it? And if you thought it would track your calories from weight training then you definitely were using it wrong. As for tracking during sleep.. it' supposed to do that even if you aren't wearing it... it is your TDEE so it estimates based on your activity.


I have both the Fitbit One and a Polar HRM and love them both. The Fitbit gets me moving (and helps me figure out my estimate daily calorie burn) and the HRM is for cardio activities.

heybales

We found it to track our calories burned while we slept, but one night I did not wear it and I still "burned calories."

Give me your age, weight, and height, and how long you slept, and I can make a pretty decent estimate of your sleeping calories too - and I'm not even in the same house.

BMR / 24 x hrs sleeping.

Hardly has to be on you when you aren't moving enough to matter in the scheme of things.
10 min total of tossing and turning in 7 hrs of sleep is only 2.4% of the time, and during that brief time, it's not like you are burning a whole lot more.

abideedum

It's probably an unpopular opinion on here but i personally would say that if your using a HRM for when your working out and just want to know how active you are on any given day ignoring exercise i'd buy a cheap pedometer and whack it on. Wear it for a week, see what your average is and then when you wear it and see your significantly below or above your baseline average you can see what type of activity level you had that day.

For example i wore one a lot while i was studying for exams so i could see just how inactive i was while sitting at my desk all day, seeing that i only hit 1300 steps made me get up and go for a quick walk to get it higher for the day. Don't spend a bunch of £or $ if you dont really *need* it.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

I would not waste your money on a fitbit. My husband and I both purchased them. The fitbits made "funny" little comments, which made it seem more like a toy than a serious exercise tool. Support said we could turn that off if we wanted. It tracked my steps, but not calories burned for doing things like strength training. We found it to track our calories burned while we slept, but one night I did not wear it and I still "burned calories." It is definitely NOT a hrm and does not say it is, but we just felt like it was more like a gimmick and didn't feel that we could trust its output.
We sent both of them back and demanded a full refund, which we received.

So because you didn't use it the way it was intended someone else shouldn't waste their money on it? And if you thought it would track your calories from weight training then you definitely were using it wrong. As for tracking during sleep.. it' supposed to do that even if you aren't wearing it... it is your TDEE so it estimates based on your activity.


I have both the Fitbit One and a Polar HRM and love them both. The Fitbit gets me moving (and helps me figure out my estimate daily calorie burn) and the HRM is for cardio activities.

This.

I love when people make a blanket statement on something sucking when they didn't even know how to use it.

schnarfo

DeCided to give it a go and ordered a flex!

rhonderoo

I use a Polar HRM and a Fitbit One, and I love them both. I like to track my HR when I do weights, even though I'm not getting as many "steps" in. I wear by One while I'm doing cardio and just let MFP tell me the calories I've burned. I probably should enter my cardio into my fitbit dashboard, but it gets confusing and I'm scared it will double count? :ohwell:

Shoechick5

We found it to track our calories burned while we slept, but one night I did not wear it and I still "burned calories."

Hilarious! do you actually think you stop burning calories when you sleep? you're not dead.

To the OP, I have both, Fitbit One all day and the HRM when I'm doing a new activitiy and want to know how much it burns. I had the HRM alone for about a year (polar FT4) and found it very useful. Loving my fitbit though and find it's quite accurate for the same activity as my HRM. Now that I have my Fitbit though, I'll probably get less use out of my HRM.

rjbkain

I think you are missing the point, which is HRMs might give decent estimates of calorie burn for cardiovascular training, but they fall short (as does every device for that matter) when it comes to weightlifting. Sure circuit training turns your strength training into a cardiovascular activity but even the manufacurer of these HRMs will tell you they are not intended to measure calorie burns for that type of activity.

What? So, HRM gives a decent estimate of calorie burn for cardiovascular training. Circuit training is cardiovascular training. But HRMs aren't good for circuit training? I fail to understand the logic.

heybales

I think you are missing the point, which is HRMs might give decent estimates of calorie burn for cardiovascular training, but they fall short (as does every device for that matter) when it comes to weightlifting. Sure circuit training turns your strength training into a cardiovascular activity but even the manufacurer of these HRMs will tell you they are not intended to measure calorie burns for that type of activity.

What? So, HRM gives a decent estimate of calorie burn for cardiovascular training. Circuit training is cardiovascular training. But HRMs aren't good for circuit training? I fail to understand the logic.

It's the steady-state nature of the cardio. HR stays within about 5 bpm range for 2-5 min in steady-state, where best estimate of calorie burn related to HR can occur.
Any type of lifting is as bad as intervals in regards to steady-state. If you used a Garmin and uploaded your data later, about the only time you'd find steady-state is if your rests were 5 min between sets, and maybe about 2 min would be at low end.

Many people will also hold their breath in the lifting part of the circuit training (as well as in lifting), for maintaining good form, whatever reason, just showing that breathing isn't even required during the actual lifting. Well, breathing and HR is the only connection to trying to calculate calories on HR when it's aerobic. Hold your breath, oxygen obviously not required, therefore anaerobic.

So while circuit training is half lifting half cardio, that just means it's a great calorie burner during the workout compared to lifting, but not nearly as good fat-burning post workout as lifting is, and it means the poor HRM formula's have terrible ability to estimate calorie burn.

Don't worry, there are many other reasons even those doing the best steady-state aerobic cardio can have terrible estimates too.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study

rjbkain

Just saw this and would like to point out that you should never hold your breath when you're lifting! Exhale on the lift. Always! If people are holding their breath, they're doing it wrong!

heybales

Just saw this and would like to point out that you should never hold your breath when you're lifting! Exhale on the lift. Always! If people are holding their breath, they're doing it wrong!

Very very incorrect.

Squats and deadlift and many others where the back should be locked, you should hold your breath the entire time to maintain good form, until lockout or release or touching ground, ect.

Just review some youtube video's from experts on many of the lifts. if not specifically stated, you'll see them do it.