Calories burn via HRM question....please help :)

tarapin

I'm the new owner of a hrm thanks to Christmas. I love it and have been using it but I'm a bit confused. I used the elliptical for 30 minutes and it said I burn 193 cals, then I did 25 mins of Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and I ended up burning 302 calories. How is that possible?

My heart rate and sweat from doing the elliptical tells me something different. Does it have to do with the target of my heart rate. When I do the ellipitcal it is between 130- 145 for the most part and for the 30DS it's about 109-118. The target heart rate for the fat burning mode I use is factory set at 99-135. Any insight would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance ~tara

lisapooh1

when I do 30 minutes on my Elliptical I burn 339 calories, thats also what this site says.

tarapin

Ok, so now I'm really confused because just the fact that I weigh more I should burn more. The site and machine used to tell me that I burned about 550 cals. I do various intervals usually high performance and aerobic so it's not just level 1 for a half hour. Nothing wrong with that, just more info. Hmmmmm

cviertha

I am also the new owner of a hrm and I have the same question. In my 60 minute cardio sculpt class my hrm says I burned 730 calories. Now I know I was hot, sweaty and out of breath during class, but could that really be true? My hrm is a watch with a chest strap, of which I wore both. Anyone out there have any helpful advice for us?

RDTaylor13

I'd check your HRM's factory settings for your target heart rate against the calculations found here: http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate

Fat Burning Zone: 55% - 65% of maximum heart rate
Cardio Zone: 65% - 75% of maximum
Endurance Zone: 75% - 85% of maximum

Also your HRM might not be taking in as many variables to account as MFP, or the other calorie tracking sites. it is after all just a small piece of electronic equipment, as opposed to a larger computer server, and database.

tarapin

Gonna check it out now.....thanks Ronny, you rock! I'll let ya know how it works out

slieber

Did you do the fitness test before starting? It sets your VO2 level and allows a more accurate reading.

On the elliptical, I burn about 200 cals via the HRM, 300+ if I went by this site or the elliptical machine itself. I'm fit and not terribly overweight (anymore).

BoresEasily

I'd check your HRM's factory settings for your target heart rate against the calculations found here: http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Target-Heart-Rate

Fat Burning Zone: 55% - 65% of maximum heart rate
Cardio Zone: 65% - 75% of maximum
Endurance Zone: 75% - 85% of maximum

Also your HRM might not be taking in as many variables to account as MFP, or the other calorie tracking sites. it is after all just a small piece of electronic equipment, as opposed to a larger computer server, and database.

Please don't continue to perpetuate that myth. That fat-burning zone is a joke and a gimmick and a worthless waste of time. The more calories you burn the more fat you burn, it's very simple.

One caveat to that above statement. Unless you're doing heavy endurance exercise which would be 60+ minutes.

BoresEasily

I am also the new owner of a hrm and I have the same question. In my 60 minute cardio sculpt class my hrm says I burned 730 calories. Now I know I was hot, sweaty and out of breath during class, but could that really be true? My hrm is a watch with a chest strap, of which I wore both. Anyone out there have any helpful advice for us?

It depends how intense the workout was and being out of breath is a good indicator that you were pushing yourself, so depending on your weight and other factors it's very possible. The thing with heart rate monitors and caloric burn is that they aren't as accurate as people think. They're also only accurate for cardio workouts, they're useless for strength training, house-cleaning and things of that nature. I'm not too sure about circuit training but I figure the accuracy is off on that. Also heart rate monitors tend to overestimate heart-rate when lifting your arms above your head for some reason.

BoresEasily

I'm the new owner of a hrm thanks to Christmas. I love it and have been using it but I'm a bit confused. I used the elliptical for 30 minutes and it said I burn 193 cals, then I did 25 mins of Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and I ended up burning 302 calories. How is that possible?

My heart rate and sweat from doing the elliptical tells me something different. Does it have to do with the target of my heart rate. When I do the ellipitcal it is between 130- 145 for the most part and for the 30DS it's about 109-118. The target heart rate for the fat burning mode I use is factory set at 99-135. Any insight would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance ~tara

Please do yourself a favour and completely ignore the fat-burning mode. Unless you're doing heavy endurance related exercise shoot for 70-85% of your max. You'll increase your caloric burn and burn more fat calories in the process.

JakeNonne

One suggestion I can make is to check your HRM profile settings. Make sure you entered your sex, age and weight correctly.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

bstamps12

I also got a HRM for Christmas and I just used it for the first time. I did Zumba for 30 minutes which I know can have a huge range of calories burned, but it said I only burned 228 calories (usually it's minimum 300 cals). I think my problem may have been not checking my HR frequently enough during the workout?? The HRM I have is the watch style that checks my heart rate by placing two of my fingers on the watch...how often should I check it during a workout??

TrainingWithTonya

Remember that a heart rate monitor can only estimate calories burned based on what you've put in it and what your heart rate is during the workout. If it hasn't been properly programmed to begin with, then it isn't going to be accurate. Also, if you are on high blood pressure medications, it may register a lower calorie burn because your heart rate is artificially lowered by the medications. If you are on asthma medication, cold medication, sinus medication, decongestants, caffeine, etc. you will have an artificially raised heart rate, which will cause a reading of a higher then accurate calorie burn. Remember, it is just an estimate just like this site's database and any number of other estimates of calories burned in other websites, with different heart rate monitors, and even the metabolic cart used in most labs. The only true way of measuring calorie burn is in a human calorimeter which is almost impossible to get to use. But the only true way of measuring the calories in food is just as hard to get access too and is known as a bomb calorimeter. It's all estimates, so pick which estimate you want to use and stick to it. Otherwise don't worry about it.

As for the fat burning zone, this comes from the proven scientific fact that lower intensity exercise burns a higher percentage of calories from fat then higher intensity exercise, which burns a higher percentage of carbs in the form of glycogen/glucose. Given that the average calorie burn for moving 1 mile by way of your feet (walking, jogging, running) is 100 calories, it doesn't matter if you walk or jog or run a mile, you will burn somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 calories. Now if you can walk that mile but it takes you 20 minutes, you burn 60-70% of that 100 calories from fat, so 60-70 calories from fat. If you can run a mile in 10 minutes, but can't keep going after that 10 minutes, you still burn 100 calories, but only 25-35% of that is from fat, so only 25-35 calories from fat. Now, if all you have the energy to do is that one mile, then the slower paced walk is better for fat burning. But if you can go the 20 minutes and still run, making it 2 miles in that 20 minutes, you've burned 200 calories with 25-35% from fat. 25-35% of 200 calories is 50 to 70 calories from fat. Either way, you've burned about the same amount of calories from fat, but have doubled your total calorie burn by running. So, yes, higher intensity is better if you can keep it up, but if you can't keep it up yet, don't stress about it.

Also, keep in mind that those heart rates are more important for other things, not just determining intensity level. For someone with high blood pressure or other cardiovascular issue, they should maintain a lower heart rate during exercise then the average person. 60-70% of max heart rate (using the old 220-age formula to determine max heart rate unless you can be tested in a lab) is generally what cardiologists I've worked with recommend. So, if you have blood pressure issues, keep that in mind when checking your heart rate during exercise.

tarapin

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all of that.....I really appreciate it!!!