HRMs and Interval training...

RCKT82

I'm curious what ya'll think...

how accurate do you think HRMs are with interval training? When I do my interval runs, my cals burned are ridiculously high. I feel like I'm cheating because during my recovery segments my breathing drops to almost normal and I'm not exerting myself during the recovery periods (hence the interval)... my heart rate is dropping pretty quick. When it gets to a certain BPM i'll start my High Intensity segment to shoot it back up.

My cals burned seem higher than what I think it should be. I know it's a feeling and not an actual calculation. and I know my HRM calculates my cals burned based on my BPM (I confirmed the cals burned with cal burning equations using my avg heart rate, age, sex... etc). Do you think I'm still burning that many cals even though I'm not exerting myself nearly as much on the low intensity segments? My avg heart is right on target for the cals burned using exercise equations, but I still have my doubts on my actual cals burned...

Thanks forum, I'm curious to hear your input...

Avalonis

I'm curious what ya'll think...

how accurate do you think HRMs are with interval training? When I do my interval runs, my cals burned are ridiculously high. I feel like I'm cheating because during my recovery segments my breathing drops to almost normal and I'm not exerting myself during the recovery periods (hence the interval)... my heart rate is dropping pretty quick. When it gets to a certain BPM i'll start my High Intensity segment to shoot it back up.

My cals burned seem higher than what I think it should be. I know it's a feeling and not an actual calculation. and I know my HRM calculates my cals burned based on my BPM (I confirmed the cals burned with cal burning equations using my avg heart rate, age, sex... etc). Do you think I'm still burning that many cals even though I'm not exerting myself nearly as much on the low intensity segments? My avg heart is right on target for the cals burned using exercise equations, but I still have my doubts on my actual cals burned...

Thanks forum, I'm curious to hear your input...

If I were you... I wouldn't worry about it. You got your body looking nice. I got some catching up to do.

bigalfantasy2004

I always worry about that too. My theory is that HRMs, regardless of which on you get, are an estimate. I still put the exercise calories for mine in spite of that. I try not to eat all of them back. I try to leave at least 200 on the table, so to speak.

borys12

Hi,

I noticed using my HRM, that intervals burn more calories as well. I usually do HIT on elliptical / treadmill, and do the same like you,
going up to 170 BPM, and than slower, let it down to 150. It drops very fast ( so my fitness level is good ). Comparing the
same machine and time but steady pace, HIT had always more calories burnt.

SoCalSwimmerDude

I'd still say its accurate because, as you said, your avg heart rate is right on par w/ where it should be in order to burn a certain amount of cals. I do TONS of interval training and get the same results for the most part. When we're coming down the 'resting' period of intervals, our heart rate is still higher than at resting, etc. I do the same thing as you when doing weights... instead of giving myself a timed :30 seconds rest between sets, I allow my heart rate to come down to 100-110 before starting the next set. Just my 2 cents...

sharidiane

Well, for the duration of the exercise ... I think the HRM *might* overestimate. But since there's a lot of information that says that interval training speeds up your metabolism by as much as 100-200 calories after the workout, I personally think whatever the overestimation might be is actually negligible in the overall picture. Just my opinion though.

robertf57

The calculations for the HRM are usually based on steady state exercise. They could be off for HIIT training.......

RCKT82

Thanks all... seems like we're all on the same page. I never eat all my exercise cals back for that reason. I've always treated my HRM burns from interval training like cals burned from weight lifting... which acts just like intervals because of the down time between sets. I'll just continue using my HRM as an estimate and leave a buffer in the cals I eat back for exercise.