Another HRM Question

ukhennin

I've done some searching around here but I haven't found exactly the answers I'm looking for so I'm going to start my own thread. I'm wondering what advantages you've seen from using a heart rate monitor compared to when you didn't use one. Were you able to make your workouts more effective and efficient? If so, in what ways. Also, let me know what HRM you use and if you like it. I appreciate all of the help.

kms1981

I like to see that I am in my target heart rate zone...if I see it dropping I know I need to bump up my intensity to get a good calorie count at the end. I also like seeing the more accurate reading of calories burnt so I know where I need to increase time to meet my goals. It hold me more accountable. Hope this helps.

H_82

I have a Polar FT60 & Love it! I have an elliptical & treadmill at my house, but the calories on there aren't always accurate compared to my HRM. Also, when I did dvd's, I'd have no clue how many calories I burned. But I do now Easier to keep my food in check when I know how many calories I've acutally burned.

Jillk1023

bump

healthyjen342

I was surprised to find that MFP was OVERestimating my calorie burn more often than UNDERestimating. Which is important if you're trying to figure out how many calories you're really burning. It also helps if you're doing something that is not listed in the database..Like Zumba, or a fitness game on a Console, etc...

Also, I feel safer with the numbers I get from my HRM since it's with me and is transmitting what I'm putting out...it's not a "guesstimate".

I have the Polar FT7. It has a chest strap.. I recommend the chest strap.

thomasmarnold

My HRM lets me know when I am in the "fat burning stage" and when I am in the "fitness stage" or Cardio stage. It is good to keep track of how many calories you have burned. MFP calorie counter is generic and not very accurate depending on your body hight, weight and sex. A HRM has all of your measurements programed in, plus your resting heart rate and your target heart rate so it gives you the correct calories burned. I have a Polar FT40 and I would not do ANY workout without it.

jesn311

I have a Polar FT60 & Love it! I have an elliptical & treadmill at my house, but the calories on there aren't always accurate compared to my HRM. Also, when I did dvd's, I'd have no clue how many calories I burned. But I do now Easier to keep my food in check when I know how many calories I've acutally burned.

Just got my Polar FT60 last week...and I love it too! More accurate then the machines etc. Sometimes by about 100 calories burned. I researched on Amazon and read through user reviews. Good luck in your search.

Coramae09

i just got a hrm for my birthday and i absolutely LOVE it! My hubby bought me a polar ft4. i have heard that you cant go wrong with the polar brand, i have never used one before but i like my polar so far. I decided to wear mine today while cleaning my house and i burnt 950cals! i would have never guessed that! Plus it gave me extra motivation to keep moving as i watched the cal counter move up i would definitly recommend getting one!

knittnponder

The biggest thing is the calorie function. MFP uses HUGE numbers and I had suspected that part of my slow weight loss was because I was eating too many calories following MFP's numbers. Once I started logging the calories based on my HRM I saw that it was an issue and now I'm moving again. Also, for something like P90X where it's hard to tell what to log it as the HRM has been invaluable!

The other thing is I know when I'm working to hard or not hard enough. If I see my heart rate isn't getting up where I want it to be I can push a little harder and get it going. I'm very happy my DH bought me one!

knittnponder

i just got a hrm for my birthday and i absolutely LOVE it! My hubby bought me a polar ft4. i have heard that you cant go wrong with the polar brand, i have never used one before but i like my polar so far. I decided to wear mine today while cleaning my house and i burnt 950cals! i would have never guessed that! Plus it gave me extra motivation to keep moving as i watched the cal counter move up i would definitly recommend getting one!

950 calories cleaning the house?!?!! Dang!!! That might actually motivate me to clean mine! lol

Coramae09

lol well i was trying to make it a little bit of a workout i crank up the radio and dance along as i clean! haha it gets my kids movin too and then they want to help me its a win win situation lol i love it!

reepobob

I will ditto all previous responses. I have a Polar FT7 and I use it for all workouts, even stretch routines. I will caution that NO HRM will accurately measure calorie burns from anareobic exercise (yoga, stretching, pilates, resistance training) so if you plan on doing any of those exercises, discount your burn by about 30-35%. The reason is because your heart rate increases due to increased pressure exerted on the heart during those exercises NOT by the increased volume of blood flow that occurs during aerobic or cardio exercise. Also, calorie burns take into account uptake of oxygen (called VO2) during cardio...you simply don't have large uptakes of VO2 during resistance training.

I have been logging 100% of cardio burns and about 66% of non-cardio burn when figuring out how many calories to eat back and I normally eat back most of my calories back and have lost over 34 pounds to date...

CaraRadz

I have a Polar FT7, and I would definitely recommend it.

The biggest thing I've noticed is the range of calories I actually burn for a similar workout on different days. For example, I take a spin class 3-5 times a week. I used to enter it using the MFP "spinning" option. Since using my HRM, however, I've learned that there is a HUGE difference in calorie burns based on the instructor of the class, my energy level, the time of day, etc. For example, yeserday at class I burned 529 calories in 53 minutes (598.9 calories/hour), but during Monday's class I burned 805 calories in 66 minutes (731.8 calories/hour). According to MFP, I burn 598 calories/hour doing spin. So while that would be very close to accurate for yesterday's class, it would have been way underestimating the burn from my Monday class.

Overall, I just think that using an HRM allows you to more accurately track your calories burned so that you can more accurately know how many calories you should be consuming.