HRM - when do you press STOP ??

melanie3103

hi all,

I have a Polar FT4 HRM which I love, I never exercise without it (except netball, when I can't wear any jewellery - so watches n rings have to be removed). So my question, and I've been using it for about it a year, and it's never really occurred to me to ask.. but here goes..

When do you press stop ??

If I go for a run, I press START the minute I start running, I don't start it with my warm up which is often a walk to the "start line" and some stretches etc. Should I have started already you think ?

Then when I cros finish line or get back home, the minute I stop running I press STOP. I've still got to get through my gates (live in a gated development) and up the stairs to my 2nd floor flat etc etc. Then there's stretches etc. Do I stop the HRM too early ?

What about the gym ? Should I include cool down or just the "main part of the activity" ? At the gym I would often cycle for 5-10mins to warm up and then as I'm messing around with the buttons on the treadmill I'm walking and still I've not started the HRM. What about cool-down, I tend to jog slower or walk for at least 2 mins then stretch or I do some weights to finish up/to make up my hour - do I continue the HRM ??

I'm not trying to earn a few extra bonus cals, just curious to get the most accurate result I can...

Thoughts ??

cmriverside

That is strictly up to you. They are meant to be used during sustained exercise, and will give the most accurate readings during that type of activity.

I turn mine on and off when I actively start ....I use the warm-up walk but not the cool-down.

cmriverside

Have you read this, it's good (he knows his stuff)


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

justal313

If I'm at the gym, I turn it on when I start my run, or time on the ellipticals or my run-through of the machines and stop at the end of a run, the elliptical time or when I finish my last repetition on the weights.

I go to the gym late now so I can go through the machines without any stops but when I was going after work I would pause the timer if I had to wait for the next machine (going out of order generally avoided waiting once I thought of it)

I actually add about 2 mintues at walking speed to the end of my treadmill runs and the elliptical adds in cool-down time but I go from start to finish and then it's off and come on if I move to another method of exercise.

When I'm running outside, it's from the start of the run til the end and if I wind up walking the last 1/4 of a mile I don't stop until I'm done.

Am I possibly not logging exercise, it's possible, but it's also possible that any food I didn't personally, physically weigh or measure is under estimated so it basically all washes out.

omma_to_3

I include my warm up and cool down because my HR is above the minimum for the HRM to work accurately (I believe around 90 bpm). But it's entirely up to you. For me though, when running, I get about another half a mile of walking in during warm up and cool down.

DargoMack

I hit stop after my cool down, before I put my exercise equipment away while at a cardio class or after HIIT. If I'm running, I hit stop when I finish the run while catching my breath. This weekend I walked/jogged to the courts to play tennis, played tennis and then walked up the hill home. I pressed start when I started my walk and ended when I got home.

Like the other poster stated, I might missing exercise or after burn, but I'm sure my portion aren't always exact.