My new heart rate monitor makes me sad.........a little.

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torregro
torregro Posts: 307
in Fitness and Exercise
So, after reading about all the great benefits of a heart rate monitor, I bought one yesterday and used it during my 55 minute trainer workout this morning. We did pretty much non-stop plyometrics, hanging dead lifts with 25# weights, squats with a 17.5# weight, lat pullovers, balancing on an upturned BOSU ball while playing catch with a weighted medicine ball, etc, etc, etc.
The monitor was working correctly, and it's obvious that I recover my pulse rate pretty quickly.

So.....at the end of the workout, I got ready to dream about more food in my day and I was shocked to see a calorie burn of 309.
:-((((((((((((((

I'm 134 pounds
26.7% body fat as determined by the Bod Pod
resting pulse rate at or below 60
Age 53.

I know, I know....I'm building lean muscle and that helps me burn more calories all day long, but seriously?????????????
Only 309??????? I'm a little bummed.

Replies

  • skingszoo
    skingszoo Posts: 412 Member
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    When I got mine I was bummed too. I had high hopes I was burning all these calories. Nope. My resting heart rate is pretty low in the 50-52 range which I had no idea until I got mine. Now with having the HRM I check it so often and if Im not in my zone I try a little harder and push myself a little more.
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
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    putting on more lean muscle actually doesn't help you burn that many more calories a day. it is almost negligible. but yeah, you want to do either HIIT or steady state cardio if you want to burn a significant amount of calories (over 300 anyways).
  • bovbjerg
    bovbjerg Posts: 172 Member
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    Me too - especially when I compared it to what MFP was telling me I was burning....oh well I guess it's better to be accurate than have your head in the sand!!!
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
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    I hear ya..It's harder now to burn those dang calories...It's disheartening for sure, however, it's nice to know that on the inside my body is much healthier and I'll live longer (assuming I don't get hit by a bus).

    Keep up the good work and you'll find some numbers that will make you happy or you'll be like me and keep working out till you hit the number. :)
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    You're in good company. But at least you've arrived to the reality of it all. With that new tool, you'll be able to see how much MFP (and other sites) overestimate calories burned. Which is the biggest concern I have for all those folks who regularly eat all of their exercise calories -- if they are eating more calories than they actually burned, they get stuck pretty quickly. At least having a real number (or at least as close to 'real' as is practical), you'll be better informed.

    Yep -- it's disappointing that the number seems so low sometimes, but you have company there. If your heart recovers quickly, that's a wonderful sign. Keep up the good work, and know when you feel disappointed in the lower number, that at least you're not unintentionally eating too many calories any longer, and know that you have company. :ohwell:
  • jacquejl
    jacquejl Posts: 193 Member
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    Did it come with a chest strap? They are more accurate, and you'll need to keep an eye on it during your workout. For instance, this am I hopped on the treadmill and after the first song on my ipod I noticed my heartrate said 56bpm, which is lower than my resting HR. So, I adjusted the chest strap and it shot right up to 127. Then after I ran for a song I noticed it said 84bpm, adjusted the strap again and it shot right up to 170+. So, I'm going to have to tighten up the strap and keep and eye on it. Just a suggestion. Good luck to you!
  • nighthawk327
    nighthawk327 Posts: 79
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    Yep I was a little bummed too at first, mkennedym is right about the lean muscle. I was all excited to finally narrow down what I was burning during moderately intense yoga sessions, and it turned out to not be that much (although I was a bit stronger later at least). Seems like the only time I burn a lot is when I stay in the middle of my zone for about an hour (long walks/runs). Skingszoo's advice about pushing harder is what I do as well now ;).
  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
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    Thanks for all the great replies. I too, was bothered by what seemed like some pretty high calorie rates for various exercises, which is why I wanted to know what was real. My monitor does have a heart rate strap, and when I check the readings all afternoon yesterday and today during the workout, the readings seemed consistent with how I was feeling. If you're getting very erratic readings make sure you're not too close to electrical sources (found that out last night). Even my land line telephone makes the rate shoot up to 200+.

    Bottom line, I really could NOT have pushed myself any harder. When doing the pushups on the upturned BOSU ball with my feet on another BOSU ball, I worked to capacity...that's why I'm working with a trainer,......so that I don't wimp out on my work out, which I'm likely to do on my own. Fortunately, I was only entering 350 calories for my trainer workouts, and I was falling below my calorie goals for the day pretty regularly, so I'm probably good. But...................probably no extra pizza in my future either! LOL
    thanks for the encouragement. I'm trying to stay off the scale and like another member says...............looking forward to delayed gratification. ;-)
  • T0M0
    T0M0 Posts: 250 Member
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    My polar has me down as burning over 800 cals doing 60 mins of plyo (P90x)
  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
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    My polar has me down as burning over 800 cals doing 60 mins of plyo (P90x)


    I just read your "about me" on your profile and l loved it!!
    After reading that, all I can say is............of COURSE your monitor shows you burned more calories than anyone else! ROFL

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