Using a HRM

TheBottomlessPit
TheBottomlessPit Posts: 12 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi!

I've just bought a heart rate monitor so I can accurately record how many calories I burn when working out. I know how to set up and use the monitor, but I have a question...

...do you need to take a baseline heart rate?

For example, when I wore it yesterday on a run it said I burned around 300 calories. Does this mean I burned 300 calories ON TOP of my basal metabolic rate, or INCLUDING it?

Do I need to wear the HRM for an hour when resting to see how many calories I'd be burning normally?

Any advice would be very helpful, thanks!

Replies

  • continue29
    continue29 Posts: 16
    i use the count my HRM shows me for the exercise session as a whole. I dont deduct what i would normally burn if i was standing there doing nothing - i think thats what you mean. I dont wear it after exercise to take any count.

    So yesterday i did zumba for an hour & burnt 445 cals. I added that to my log & nothing more

    Hope that helps :)
  • SteveTries
    SteveTries Posts: 723 Member
    a HRM does not record how many calories you burnt. It record your heart rate. It then applies an algorithm programmed in by the manufacturer to estimate your caloric burn.

    I'd suggest using it as a guide, but employ a healthy dose of skepticism. The manufacturer wants to sell the product and we consumers want to hear that we just burnt 1000 calories :smile:
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member

    For example, when I wore it yesterday on a run it said I burned around 300 calories. Does this mean I burned 300 calories ON TOP of my basal metabolic rate, or INCLUDING it?
    Including it. The best way to guess how many calories you eat back is to subtract what you would normally burn during that time. For me according to several online BMR calculators, I burn ~52 calories/hour. So the best option for me would be to subtract that 52 calories from each hour of exercise I do. I have a Polar F7, so I trust what it tells me.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    You never want to wear HRM's when you are not exercising as they are not made for that.

    You can subtract what you would burn while at rest but I personally don't and have lost weight just fine.
  • nosugarcoating
    nosugarcoating Posts: 194 Member
    I don't take into consideration what I would have burned in the same time while resting. I just type my burned calories into MFP as is, and I usually eat them back too, and I haven't had any problems losing weight.
  • TheBottomlessPit
    TheBottomlessPit Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks for all the advice guys!

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