banish fat boost metabolism

heybales

I just did it yesterday with my heart rate monitor for the first time (a polar ft7) and mine read 516 calories. I am 5' 3" and weigh 171....my heart rate was at 100% a lot of the time...I have been doing a lot of strength but clearly need to work on my cardio !

If that 100% means 100 of calculated HRmax value - then that value is very wrong, as you could only maintain that for about 5 seconds before needing to stop and puke if it was the real HRmax.

Since your HRmax stat is lower than truth, the HRM thinks you are really workout out at some massive level - but you are not really.
So you really didn't burn that many calories. Badly inflated.

Polar assumes HRmax is 220-age. For women, you have a better chance of being 10 bpm OUTside that figure than in it.

You might look at your stats as to the real peak HR seen during that seasion, and then look at your personal stats and see what the HR max is put in as. If indeed the same, you need to raise the HRmax stat by probably 10-15 easily, probably more.

mickeyullrich

heybales,

I am totally new to this heart rate monitor thing...I just got it Saturday and I actually have no clue what I am doing. I looked at my display on the watch and my upper limit is set at 163 ( which is 90% of the 220 - my age). Should it be set to just 220 - 39 (my age)? I think that Polar calculated the numbers for me when I entered my info...I only got this darn thing to get a better idea of my calorie burn and it seemed really high to me when I used it. I guess if it seems to good to be true it probably is :frown: ! Thanks for your help!
Christine

heybales

I am totally new to this heart rate monitor thing...I just got it Saturday and I actually have no clue what I am doing. I looked at my display on the watch and my upper limit is set at 163 ( which is 90% of the 220 - my age). Should it be set to just 220 - 39 (my age)? I think that Polar calculated the numbers for me when I entered my info...I only got this darn thing to get a better idea of my calorie burn and it seemed really high to me when I used it. I guess if it seems to good to be true it probably is :frown: ! Thanks for your help!
Christine

I'm trying to think back to the last time I used mine.

Women have always reported it used the same 220-age as HRmax value.

And when you set the display to read % HRmax, that's what it is.

Now, I think you are referring to Upper limit, or really a zone alarm, except they can't call it that because it's only the upper side.

So that makes sense, your HRmax is indeed 220-age, you'd find that on the same personal stats as age, height, weight.
The upper zone alarm, or "upper limit", is 90% HRmax.

You can set that upper limit to whatever type of workout you want.
Perhaps you are doing intervals, and for 15 seconds you want to be over that limit, and then for 45 seconds you want to walk down in the "fat-burning" zone. That's a great workout.

Or perhaps you will be lifting tomorrow and don't want to wear out too much, so you set the upper limit to 70% of HRmax and try not to go over. Now you've got strength the next day for great lifting workout.

Or perhaps you want to increase your cardio fitness level, so you set the upper limit to 80% of HRmax, then go work right above it for 1 min, then walk for 1 min.

That's why that upper limit is easier to change than the personal stat of HRmax. Now, at 90% of HRmax you said you averaged for the whole time, that does mean your HRmax is higher, as 90% is pretty intense, probably could only do it for about 5-10 min before needing to stop or massively slow down and get breath. So yours is higher.
I'd say go into those personal stats and change the HRmax about 10 bpm higher than it is. So rounded 190.
Now try to reach 90% HRmax during a workout, you should feel pretty intense and impossible to keep up for very long.

Oh, don't worry about wearing it for lifting for purpose of calorie counting - totally inflated.
Formulas for calorie estimate (not measuring) are based on steady-state aerobic exercise, HR about the same for 2-5 min.
Lifting and intervals is neither steady state, nor aerobic if done right.
So great for training intervals, but inflated calorie count when you do them.
But from the lifting, just notice what the peak HR seen during a session is, that'll give another good idea of what your MaxHR is as you can normally see it then.

mickeyullrich

Thank you so much heybales...I am fairly new to doing anything other than the treadmill so it can all be a bit overwhelming. I finally got the numbers off of the display instead of just the % and it said that my maximum heart rate was 182 and that my average was 162. How inflated do you think the calorie burn is on these things?