HRM and Hiit

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Pickles11
Pickles11 Posts: 310 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I read somewhere that your HRM is no long accurate as soon as your workout is over. I have a HRM that seems pretty accurate, and it has a chest strap.

Today I did a HIIT workout, and left my watch/chest strap on for 10 minutes after my workout, and my HR was still around 130, and the calorie burn increased significantly.

My question is- can I trust this count, even though technically my workout is over with? Part of the hype of HIIT is the afterburn, so I am just interested to know if what my HRM is saying 10 mins after my workout is accurate or not.

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  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
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    I read somewhere that your HRM is no long accurate as soon as your workout is over. I have a HRM that seems pretty accurate, and it has a chest strap.

    Today I did a HIIT workout, and left my watch/chest strap on for 10 minutes after my workout, and my HR was still around 130, and the calorie burn increased significantly.

    My question is- can I trust this count, even though technically my workout is over with? Part of the hype of HIIT is the afterburn, so I am just interested to know if what my HRM is saying 10 mins after my workout is accurate or not.

    I stop mine when my HR drops to 120 (usually within a few minutes after my run). If your HR is still elevated your HRM doesn't know your workout is over.
  • Pickles11
    Pickles11 Posts: 310 Member
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  • JamesBurkes
    JamesBurkes Posts: 382 Member
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    It depends what you mean by accurate.

    It's accurate in measuring your heart rate, which is interesting information to know, especially when it comes to see if you are recovering quicker after exercise, something which is a good indicator of fitness.

    It isn't obviously isn't accurate in terms of calories as it is just measuring your heart rate. It THINKS you're still working out as your heart rate is 130, so it uses its algorithm to think, "130. Hmmm, must be working moderately hard - legs pumping, core stabilised - therefore that's XX calories." In reality you're not doing anything - you're just sat there.

    The heart itself isn't the thing that burns the calories!!

    Wear it in a sauna and you'll see your heart rate rise. You're not burning extra calories, though, as you're just sitting down. Same thing here.

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