HRM experts out there??

alison2429

Hi
I have a Polar FT7 HRM. I am 5ft 11.5in, female (!) and weigh 185lbs. I have been trying to keep my HR between 140 and 160 when running. I then read on another post on MFP that you should keep the HR low to increase fat burning. According to my HRM I only fat burn for a few minutes of my runs (usually 60 - 80 mins). Does anyone know if this is correct?
I tried to keep my HR between 130 and 140 yesterday but only managed this when I was walking after running and then it would quickly go below 130 so I would start running again. When I run it is between 145 and 155.
Anybody got any ideas what my optimum HR should be for maximum fat burning and to help me run for longer periods? Yesterday my LSR was 7.5 miles and I ran one section of 3.5 miles without walking - which is a record for me!!
I know there are loads of HRM gurus on here so please advise.

Many thanks

Alison

trud72

the 2 main rates you should aim for in fat burning are
120-130 is fat burning and 130-140 is super fat burning lol
in basic!

dad106

Honestly, the fat burning zones and the fitness zones are a myth, and shouldn't really be paid much attention too. You're going to burn fat no matter where the heart rate is.

I've have a Polar FT7 and I hardly ever stay in the fat burning zone for more then a few minutes and I've still managed to lose 25 pounds and fat. It's more about what type of exercises that you're doing.. Make sure that you're doing a combo of cardio and weights, and you'll be ok.

Azdak

There are two issues here: one is that, as another commenter said, the "fat burning zone" is nonsense and should be ignored--that includes ANYTHING and ANY NUMBER that has the word "fat" associated with it (e.g. "time in fat burning zone", "% of calories from fat", etc.

The second is that, even if the "fat burning zone" existed, chances are that your HRM is showing you the incorrect HR range. That is because a substantial number of people have a true HR max that is higher (sometimes a LOT higher) than the age-predicted max HR that the HRM assumes.

For example, a 40 year old female with a resting heart rate of 60 will have a 60% intensity level of 132 bpm calculated by the HRM. If the true HR max is 200, the actual 60% intensity level is 144 bpm. .

A balanced cardio program should include longer, easier workouts, medium tempo workouts, and hard interval workouts. Don't short change your training efforts by plodding along at low intensities all the time.