Heart Rate & Calories Burned

ashleynicol3

I just got a new Polar FT4 heart rate monitor yesterday. I wore it while walking for 20 minutes and burned ~340 calories. I wore it today while doing my Couch to 5K program (jogging for 60 seconds, then walking for 90 seconds) for 30 minutes and only burned ~370 calories. How did I only burn ~30 calories more today when I was working so much harder? My heart rate was not "in the zone" for the majority of the workout today (too high - I topped out at 193). Do I burn less calories when my heart rate gets too high? Just trying to understand how all of this works.

Eric_DeCastro

it could be because you are running then walking. not a steady pace. it will jump from high heart rate to low heart rate really fast and back again. i dunno. when I run, i just run and don't stop til I get home. if I walk it's only for a few seconds. or stop lights.