DO I need an HRM?

TRD66

I cycle to work 5 days a week and also runusually 3 times a week. I use the generic guides on MFP and I know these are generally accepted to be on the high side. How much more accurate will an HRM be for me?

On the way to work I will easily fit into the 16-20 mph bracket for cycling. Downside to that is that if I go faster on a particular day I don't gain 'extra' calories - in fact I loose because I log less time. I can see the benefit here, but I have a cycle computer already, so is an HRM an additional, luxury cost?

With the running the brackets here are much smaller so there is less of an issue (outside of the accuracy).

Thoughts please.

OMGeeeHorses

HRM are amazing. They will keep you in your "burn zone" for your body and can be pretty upsetting to some ( because it shows your true burn, compared to MFP) I know with mine, I was short changing myself with MFP. MFP would tell me I burned 600 calories while (being a bigger woman) my armband would say I burned 800 calories. Going off the right facts, helps you eat the right amount of macros and calories for your body and makes it easy to burn better.

I wouldn't call it a luxury. I would call it an investment deeper into your health

maca416

You don't need one but if, like me, you want a more accurate idea of what your bodys doing then it's a good tool to have. Also you do not have to spend much to get a good HRM no need to go spend £££££'s or $$$$$'s just get one that gives you the functions you want.

BrianSharpe

Many HRMs*are wildly inaccurate too as there is not a linear relationship between heart rate and calories expended but the can be very useful for monitoring heart rates while working out and tracking long term improvements in fitness (I loved watching my average HR dropping as my fitness improved).

You can reasonably estimate net calories expended running by using the following formula (source Runners World)

.63 x body weight in lbs x distance in miles (I've been too lazy to recalculate for metric.....)

Personally I opted for a Garmin Forerunner GPS/HRM - keeps my distances honest, tracks pace and has a reasonably accurate algorithm for estimating calories expended in steady state cardio (running, riding, rowing).

Nicolee_2014

You don't necessarily need a HRM.

Perhaps just find an on-line calculator - one where you enter your height, weight, age, exercise etc.

I love my HRM.

sijomial

If you are interested in training seriously for an endurance sport and want to do heart rate zone training then yes - if you just want a calorie counter then no. Really a HRM should be a training aid with the calorie estimate as a bonus guide.

A free exercise tracking app like Runkeeper seems to give very similar calorie counts to my HRM even over several hours of cycling if you want a cost-free option.

In the end consistency and making adjustments based on actual results is superior to any form of estimating IMO.

TRD66

Thanks guys - some helpful information out there.

Much appreciated.