How to use heart rate monitor while strength training?

jax_006

I apologize if this has been asked before, I am new to these forums. Anyways, it's from my very recent understanding that a HRM cannot accurately record calories burned while doing strength training (I use my own body weight or dumb bells). So, if I'm still wanting to use my Polar HRM during these exercises what's the best way I can record the number at the end of my session and log it into MFP? I still want to use my HRM b/c it motivates and pushes me etc. I heard once that you can shave off 10% of the final number? I know everyone is different and the number won't be perfect, but I still want to be able to log my workout b/c it feels good, ya know? And I never eat my calories back.

And to show you an example, this is what I typically do:

-5 minute warm up on spinning bike,
-strength train for 14 minutes,
-hop on cycle for 5 mins,
-strength train for 14 minutes
-and then hop on my spinning bike for the remainder of 20 minutes.

I burn 500-600 calories when I do this and also varies depending on what body part I am focusing on. I know this number is inflated. Another example, when I do only spinning for 45 minutes, I can burn around 400-430 calories. I don't half *ss my workouts, I'm an all or nothing kinda gal in the gym

Erik8484

How much you burn strength training depends on how heavy you lift, how much you rest between sets, how many reps you do, whether you're doing compound exercises or very targeted exercises, etc. Your HRM is too simplistic to capture that, and there's no simple adjustment (10%, 20%, 30%) you can make to get it right.

This is why I don't record my sessions, and use a TDEE method instead. If you have to record it, I'd go with ~100 kcal per 30 minutes, which is apparently derived from a Harvard study (http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_how_many_calories_does_strength_training_burn).

So for your routine I'd record ~100kcal for your 28 minutes of strength training, and then use your HRM for the cycling. I'd also take it with a huge grain of salt, because it's a complete guess and almost certainly wrong.

jax_006

Erik8484 wrote: »

How much you burn strength training depends on how heavy you lift, how much you rest between sets, how many reps you do, whether you're doing compound exercises or very targeted exercises, etc. Your HRM is too simplistic to capture that, and there's no simple adjustment (10%, 20%, 30%) you can make to get it right.

This is why I don't record my sessions, and use a TDEE method instead. If you have to record it, I'd go with ~100 kcal per 30 minutes, which is apparently derived from a Harvard study (http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_how_many_calories_does_strength_training_burn).

So for your routine I'd record ~100kcal for your 28 minutes of strength training, and then use your HRM for the cycling. I'd also take it with a huge grain of salt, because it's a complete guess and almost certainly wrong.

Good to know. I guess you don't burn a whole lot when you do strength train. Kind of a bummer but I am sure it will show it's benefits sooner or later

Erik8484

jax_006 wrote: »

Erik8484 wrote: »

How much you burn strength training depends on how heavy you lift, how much you rest between sets, how many reps you do, whether you're doing compound exercises or very targeted exercises, etc. Your HRM is too simplistic to capture that, and there's no simple adjustment (10%, 20%, 30%) you can make to get it right.

This is why I don't record my sessions, and use a TDEE method instead. If you have to record it, I'd go with ~100 kcal per 30 minutes, which is apparently derived from a Harvard study (http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_how_many_calories_does_strength_training_burn).

So for your routine I'd record ~100kcal for your 28 minutes of strength training, and then use your HRM for the cycling. I'd also take it with a huge grain of salt, because it's a complete guess and almost certainly wrong.

Good to know. I guess you don't burn a whole lot when you do strength train. Kind of a bummer but I am sure it will show it's benefits sooner or later

Yup, you'll notice the benefits when you're firm and strong as f**k (but still feminine!)

BrianSharpe

HRMs aren't intended for anything other than steady state cardio (unless you're really interested in your heart rate while lifting - it could be interesting data to track) and even then the calorie burns they estimate are questionable as there is not a linear relationship between heart rate and calories expended (they track heart rate and time and guesstimate expenditure)

MeanderingMammal

jax_006 wrote: »

... a HRM cannot accurately record calories burned while doing strength training...

Correct. HR is not an indicator of calorie expenditure while resistance training.

So, if I'm still wanting to use my Polar HRM during these exercises what's the best way I can record the number at the end of my session and log it into MFP?

Double the figure, deduct your age, multply by the age of your dog divided by the age of your middle child, and apply an offset for wind speed...

but I still want to be able to log my workout

So log something meaningful, like sets, reps, weight etc. That'll show you more meaningful progress over time than what's essentially a random number.

I wouldn't even say that Max achieved and average would be all that meaningful either.

And I never eat my calories back.

Which rather reinforces the value of recording something meaningful, rather than an arbitrary figure.

I burn 500-600 calories

More likely about 200

tcatcarson

I wore my HRM for a weights session, once, out of interest. It actually confirmed that the "strength training" entry in MFP's cardio exercise list was pretty accurate. Enough, at least for me.

Erik8484

tcatcarson wrote: »

I wore my HRM for a weights session, once, out of interest. It actually confirmed that the "strength training" entry in MFP's cardio exercise list was pretty accurate. Enough, at least for me.

Good luck with that!

tcatcarson

Erik8484 wrote: »

Good luck with that!

Thank you?

sijomial

"How to use heart rate monitor while strength training?"
If you are curious about your HR then use it as designed - as a heart rate monitor. Speed of recovery can be a useful way to get an idea of fitness. I've known people doing circuits who base the rest/recovery period on HR (e.g. when back under 100bpm, go again).

"And I never eat my calories back."
So the calorie estimate being hopelessly inaccurate and inflated isn't really a factor.

BTW - not really sure what you are hoping to achieve by hopping from cardio to strength to cardio to strength to cardio?
Being out of breath and having a raised HR isn't the way to get the most out of your strength training.
Maybe do circuit training instead if you just like the feeling of working hard?

jacksonpt

jax_006 wrote: »

I apologize if this has been asked before, I am new to these forums. Anyways, it's from my very recent understanding that a HRM cannot accurately record calories burned while doing strength training (I use my own body weight or dumb bells). So, if I'm still wanting to use my Polar HRM during these exercises what's the best way I can record the number at the end of my session and log it into MFP? I still want to use my HRM b/c it motivates and pushes me etc. I heard once that you can shave off 10% of the final number? I know everyone is different and the number won't be perfect, but I still want to be able to log my workout b/c it feels good, ya know? And I never eat my calories back.

And to show you an example, this is what I typically do:

-5 minute warm up on spinning bike,
-strength train for 14 minutes,
-hop on cycle for 5 mins,
-strength train for 14 minutes
-and then hop on my spinning bike for the remainder of 20 minutes.

I burn 500-600 calories when I do this and also varies depending on what body part I am focusing on. I know this number is inflated. Another example, when I do only spinning for 45 minutes, I can burn around 400-430 calories. I don't half *ss my workouts, I'm an all or nothing kinda gal in the gym

Splitting hairs here, maybe... but I wouldn't say they aren't accurate. I'd say they aren't reliable. The number you get at the end of the session *could* be very accurate, but in most cases it probably won't be. So IMO, it's not a reliable way to estimate cals burned.

If you still want to wear the HRM, then go for it. When you're done, just use a little common sense to decide how reasonable the calorie burn number is. IMO, if it's somewhere in the vicinity of 4-5 cals burned per minute of exercise, then that's probably fairly reasonable. For example, if you work out for 30 minutes and the HRM shows you 135 cals burned (4.5 cals per minute), then that's reasonable and I'd log it as such. If it gives you 400 cals burned, then that's probably pretty high.

Lastly, if you don't eat your exercise cals back, then the number you log doesn't really matter, does it? It's really just a psychological thing at that point, right?

Erik8484

jacksonpt wrote: »

jax_006 wrote: »

I apologize if this has been asked before, I am new to these forums. Anyways, it's from my very recent understanding that a HRM cannot accurately record calories burned while doing strength training (I use my own body weight or dumb bells). So, if I'm still wanting to use my Polar HRM during these exercises what's the best way I can record the number at the end of my session and log it into MFP? I still want to use my HRM b/c it motivates and pushes me etc. I heard once that you can shave off 10% of the final number? I know everyone is different and the number won't be perfect, but I still want to be able to log my workout b/c it feels good, ya know? And I never eat my calories back.

And to show you an example, this is what I typically do:

-5 minute warm up on spinning bike,
-strength train for 14 minutes,
-hop on cycle for 5 mins,
-strength train for 14 minutes
-and then hop on my spinning bike for the remainder of 20 minutes.

I burn 500-600 calories when I do this and also varies depending on what body part I am focusing on. I know this number is inflated. Another example, when I do only spinning for 45 minutes, I can burn around 400-430 calories. I don't half *ss my workouts, I'm an all or nothing kinda gal in the gym

Splitting hairs here, maybe... but I wouldn't say they aren't accurate. I'd say they aren't reliable. The number you get at the end of the session *could* be very accurate, but in most cases it probably won't be. So IMO, it's not a reliable way to estimate cals burned.

If you still want to wear the HRM, then go for it. When you're done, just use a little common sense to decide how reasonable the calorie burn number is. IMO, if it's somewhere in the vicinity of 4-5 cals burned per minute of exercise, then that's probably fairly reasonable. For example, if you work out for 30 minutes and the HRM shows you 135 cals burned (4.5 cals per minute), then that's reasonable and I'd log it as such. If it gives you 400 cals burned, then that's probably pretty high.

Lastly, if you don't eat your exercise cals back, then the number you log doesn't really matter, does it? It's really just a psychological thing at that point, right?

It'd be easier to just use the clock method of estimating calories burned.

Get back from the gym at 2.30pm? 230 calories burned, well done. Get back at 11.40pm? 1,140 calories sounds high, best use the 230 entry from before.

NorthCascades

BrianSharpe wrote: »

HRMs aren't intended for anything other than steady state cardio (unless you're really interested in your heart rate while lifting - it could be interesting data to track) and even then the calorie burns they estimate are questionable as there is not a linear relationship between heart rate and calories expended (they track heart rate and time and guesstimate expenditure)

FYI, some of the better HRM systems on the market do not simply work on pulse rate. The best systems use the variations in timing between beats to determine how much influence your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems have on your ticker. You can work a lot out from that including where your lactate threshold is, roughly how much physiological stress your body is under and how much recovery time is necessary, etc. (If that isn't clear, 60 bpm could mean 1 beat every second, but it could be much more erratic than that.)

Heart data isn't terribly useful for a lot of things (target zone for intervals at least on a bike, weight training) because it lags up to 30 seconds behind what your muscles are doing.

Calorie estimates for weight lifting from heart data just don't make sense. But an HRM for sure can be used for cardio that isn't "steady state."



My bike calories never come from HR data because I measure them with a direct force power meter. But while I'm riding, I'll back off on the intensity when my heart rate gets to a certain point, and I usually stop a hill repeat session when the power/heart relationship falls apart. Having the HRV data tells me how long to rest, it's not 100 % but it's always pretty close. Finally, having a detailed record of the effort I put forth (power) and my body's reaction to it (heart rate) is useful for evaluating the quality of a workout.

hill8570

I've found that an HRM does a pretty decent job of holding my log book open while I'm lifting. Can't think of any other use when lifting heavy.

Now, if you're doing high volume, low weight circuits with minimal rest, an HRM might have some use...

Mojofilter

I use a Polar HRM with Endomondo to track my strength training.
Results on my Tanita body composition scales suggest that the reported calorie burn is about right.

Really though it doesn't matter if you're not eating your calories back - as long as the method you're using is consistent you're still tracking your progress.

CollieFit

hill8570 wrote: »

I've found that an HRM does a pretty decent job of holding my log book open while I'm lifting. Can't think of any other use when lifting heavy.