Heart Rate Questions

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saltorian
saltorian Posts: 192 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a heart rate monitor that I use to estimate my calorie burns. It's a good one with a chest strap (Polar FT4), but I know that it's still an imperfect (indirect) way to judge the calories I'm burning. Since I can't exercise every day in a metabolic chamber or hooked up to a V02 hose, though, it's the best tool I've got.

I do have some questions about the best way to use it, though, and I'm hoping someone has the answers.

1) At what heart rate range is the training computer's formula the most accurate? I know that HRMs are said to not be intended for all-day wear, only deliberate exercise. So how high does my heart rate need to be before it's reasonably accurate?

2) If I'm sprinting and my heart rate gets very high, it stays high for quite a while, even when I stop and walk slowly. I was reading someone's post on another website that suggested that this is "tricking" the heart rate monitor -- your heart rate is high but you're not really burning as much as you were while sprinting, so it throws off the accuracy. Is this true?

3) I know the HRM is not really as useful for strength training, but here's something that happened earlier this week: I went canoeing for the first time in years. My heart rate was not getting very high (staying under 115 consistently), but I felt like I was working and my arms (which don't normally get as much use) were feeling it. Was I probably burning more than the HRM suggests, since I was engaging muscles that I usually neglect?

Just stuff I was curious about. I hope someone knows the answers!

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  • monocot
    monocot Posts: 475 Member
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    bump
  • drmastermind
    drmastermind Posts: 17 Member
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    while I'm defiantly not a a doctor here's how I understand it from what an old personal trainer told me

    1) I have a polar rs300 that I use for tracking while running, a sigma that I use for cycling and a timex that I just upgraded from. They are all ECG accurate (I've checked while getting an ECG). My usual resting heart rate is in the 60's which was within 2 beats of exactly what it showed while I was getting an ECG. So I don' think there's a point where it works better, mine seem to be 99% accurate no matter what my HR. There are things that can screw them up though, like interference from another HRM or other electrical signals. I've seen mine tell me that may max HR was 300 on a run a few weeks back but for the most part it's as accurate and I'll ever need.

    2) It may throw off the accuracy of the calorie burn, I usually use the number of calories right after I complete the exercise since I feel that it's better to have too low of a number for how much I've burned than too high. What you're looking at is your recovery HR (how quickly your HR returns to normal from exertion). I can personally attest that the recovery time is quicker the more exercise you do.

    3) HRM's are useless for weight training and the calorie counts during that time wouldn't be remotely accurate.
  • drmastermind
    drmastermind Posts: 17 Member
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    I found this which may help

    Will a heart rate monitor accurately estimate how many calories I burn during strength training?
    http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

    one other thing with the calorie calculations. On an HRM they are doing speed, distance and HR they don't take into account elevation which can account for a difference between the HRM calculation and one on, say, a treadmill.

    Personally even though the numbers are a lot lower on my HRM than either this site (or any other for that matter) or the equipment I usually use the number it gives me for burn.

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