General Heart Rate Monitor questions

BrettWithPKU

Hi everyone, I have 2 questions regarding Heart Rate Monitors. I've been doing online research, and everyone seems to sing the praises of HRMs compared to any other non-laboratory method of measuring calorie expenditure.

1. Do you think HRM is the best calorie burning estimate for EVERYTHING? I'm particularly wondering about treadmill runs. My treadmills take weight and age in to consideration and display a calorie count. Then there are the running exercise items under MFP's exercise log. My guess is that the HRM would take your fitness level in to account - and it would be best for that reason. Thoughts?

2. Probably a stupid question but one I have to ask: When using an HRM, wouldn't you have to deduct calories burned from your TDEE for the workout period? That's what I've been doing, and it would seem to make sense...

Thanks in advance for your insight.

anilyze

1. Yes, a HRM is more accurate than the gym or the estimates in the log. It's based on your heart rate for that specific workout and so is going to be the best correlate to how hard you worked, i.e. the effort exerted.

2. It does make sense to do that because the HRM won't take that into account and adjust. If you know what you would have burned just sitting around (BMR) for that duration of time, then you can subtract those calories from what the HRM says to get the additional calories burned from the exercise that are beyond what you would have burned if you'd just sat around for the same period of time. Is this what you were asking?

BrettWithPKU

Basically, yes, that's what I was asking. I appreciate your response.
Though I'm thinking I should use the TDEE instead of BMR in deducting calories burned. TDEE includes a 1.2 multiplier to BMR, for the fact that I'm not sleeping 24 hours a day.
TDEE is based on ACTIVITY over 24 hours, and for that exercise period, my 'activity' is my workout. That sounds logical, right?

Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington

HRM can be good depending on how much information you can put into it. But, with a HRM it's still a formula base equation. The true way to know for each individual is to do a Metabolic Assessment. You can go to www.newleaffitness.com to find a location near you.

anilyze

Yes, that's logical. Wasn't sure how TDEE was different (I use the HRM to track improvement more than calories burned, so it hasn't been relevant for me.), so didn't differentiate in my response, but that sounds right.

tabinmaine

Polar has newer formulas in their HR calculators, so.... they do take into account what you would burn normally for your TDEE..... any newer monitors of theirs does this....

and yes I think that a HR calculator is more accurate, it's knows exactly how much effort you are putting into the exercise, it's knows you age, height, weight and what you "normal exersion" level is.....

I have the Polar FT7 and it literally gets to know you each time you wear it.... it adjusts itself and is learning more about me the more I use it....

tabinmaine

One more thing, if you really want to know what you are burning.... check out a BodyMedia Fit.... it's very eye opening...