Exactly how accurate is a HRM?

carajo

I just started using my Polar F6 hrm, and i am soo depressed!! I have been kicking my butt with these early am workouts, to find the calorie burn waay less then i figured it was! I have been doing alot of circuit type workouts, also alot of workouts using light dumbells, with alot of reps. I have had results with these workouts, and have met my goal....but should i be doing more cardio workouts to keep my heart rate higher...therefore burning more cals? Thanks!!

Lyadeia

If you are seeing results and have met your goal, why change what's working?

You can add more cardio for more of a calorie burn, but keep in mind that you should be compensating with more calories so you don't "bonk" in those workouts and cause injuries.

Why would you be depressed if your results are coming and you are meeting your goals? Using an HRM can help you tweak what you are doing to get results faster, but you don't have to completely change. :flowerforyou:

skyski_tige

I find the trick with an HRM is to get your heart rate up to 80% very quickly. Make sure you maintain the max rate % that you are targeting over the exercise period. If it drops down to low levels, it will not display that many calories burned.

Azdak

I just started using my Polar F6 hrm, and i am soo depressed!! I have been kicking my butt with these early am workouts, to find the calorie burn waay less then i figured it was! I have been doing alot of circuit type workouts, also alot of workouts using light dumbells, with alot of reps. I have had results with these workouts, and have met my goal....but should i be doing more cardio workouts to keep my heart rate higher...therefore burning more cals? Thanks!!

OK--this gives me more information than your earlier post.

If you have an F6, there are 2 things to check first: your VO2 max and your average heart rate. The F6 gives you both pieces of information. (check the manual to find out how to change VO2 max manually--it's kind of hidden).

Again--if your *average* heart rate is between 75%-80% max, then look at VO2 max. (If average HR is lower than 75%, that means you are not working as hard as you think you are--at least not sustaining the effort for the whole class).

Coming up with your VO2 max is a little tricky, since most people don't have a physiology lab handy, but just look at the number. If it says something like 25 or 30, then it is set too low -- that is probably just a factory default setting. If it is set above 40, well--it still may be low, but probably not by much. If the number is low, I would increase it to between 35 and 40--much more likely for you.

Keep in mind what I said earlier about your size--at your weight, you are not going to see huge burn numbers. Even 350 calories is close to an average of 7 METS, which is not out of the ball park for P90X. And, for the workout you describe, it is not unreasonable either.

Bottom line, as Lyadeia said, if it's working, then I would recommend not overreacting to the HRM numbers. Look at some of the parameters I described and see what it tells you under different conditions. Don't let the HRM control your feelings or your workouts--it's just a tool. It's not omniscient.

IsMollyReallyHungry

I just started using my Polar F6 hrm, and i am soo depressed!! I have been kicking my butt with these early am workouts, to find the calorie burn waay less then i figured it was! I have been doing alot of circuit type workouts, also alot of workouts using light dumbells, with alot of reps. I have had results with these workouts, and have met my goal....but should i be doing more cardio workouts to keep my heart rate higher...therefore burning more cals? Thanks!!

I am so confused here. Why are you depressed and this has been working for you. You have reached you goal!! keep up the good work and do put so much emphsis on the HRM. It is a tool and they are not a perfect tool but they are better than MFP numbers.