Need advice please! Using my HRM while on cut.
rr85114
Posts: 104 Member
Hey lovely people,
So today is day 2 of cut for me, and since I'm eating at a lower calorie level (2180 versus 2480 which is my TDEE), I'm paying more attention to calories burned during my workouts to ensure that I don't net below my BMR of 1600.
So essentially, I understand that if I burn more than 580 calories in my workouts, I need to 'eat back' those extra calories, i.e. let's say I burn 780 calories. 2180 minus 780 = 1400, which is 200 below BMR, so I eat back 200 to break even at 1600. Right? Right.
Now - here's my question. I've been using a Polar Ft7 HRM to monitor my workouts. I get that when it comes to cardio, it's pretty spot on. In fact, even when I do HIIT it keeps up with me perfectly.
I am also doing some strength training - mainly body weight exercises - in the form of for example, squat jumps, plie hops, burpees, push ups, sit ups, and some other plyo moves (all without weights). I do them pretty vigorously with minimal rest in between - say, 15 seconds. At the end of the workout I'm literally dripping with sweat and am totally wiped out. Take today for example - a 42 minute workout gave me a burn of 400 calories.
To me, that *feels* right, but I know that generally HRMs aren't accurate when it comes to strength training. Does anyone have any advice/personal experience about this? I feel like the circuit training I do is a pretty constant effort and keeps my heart rate up without dropping down for like, rests between sets.
I just don't want to overestimate my calorie burns because I'm only supposed to be eating at 300 cals below TDEE, so any slight overestimation of calorie burn could screw up my cut!
Thanks in advance for your help team!
Rach
So today is day 2 of cut for me, and since I'm eating at a lower calorie level (2180 versus 2480 which is my TDEE), I'm paying more attention to calories burned during my workouts to ensure that I don't net below my BMR of 1600.
So essentially, I understand that if I burn more than 580 calories in my workouts, I need to 'eat back' those extra calories, i.e. let's say I burn 780 calories. 2180 minus 780 = 1400, which is 200 below BMR, so I eat back 200 to break even at 1600. Right? Right.
Now - here's my question. I've been using a Polar Ft7 HRM to monitor my workouts. I get that when it comes to cardio, it's pretty spot on. In fact, even when I do HIIT it keeps up with me perfectly.
I am also doing some strength training - mainly body weight exercises - in the form of for example, squat jumps, plie hops, burpees, push ups, sit ups, and some other plyo moves (all without weights). I do them pretty vigorously with minimal rest in between - say, 15 seconds. At the end of the workout I'm literally dripping with sweat and am totally wiped out. Take today for example - a 42 minute workout gave me a burn of 400 calories.
To me, that *feels* right, but I know that generally HRMs aren't accurate when it comes to strength training. Does anyone have any advice/personal experience about this? I feel like the circuit training I do is a pretty constant effort and keeps my heart rate up without dropping down for like, rests between sets.
I just don't want to overestimate my calorie burns because I'm only supposed to be eating at 300 cals below TDEE, so any slight overestimation of calorie burn could screw up my cut!
Thanks in advance for your help team!
Rach
0
Replies
-
HR monitors are the most accurate way to measure calories burned in both strength & cardio exercise as they measure your HR constantly during the workout. Assuming you set up your settings right, most ask for age, weight, height etc, then it should be the most accurate determination of cals burned you can get.
Don't over think this stuff, there's more to life than 'cutting'.
0 -
Thanks Jen
Any other thoughts?0 -
That burn sounds about right to me. I have been using my HRM for weights and cardio while on cut and so far it has been accurate. If I am still hungry after weight training I will just listen to my body and eat more on those days. It has been working so far.0
-
Sounds pretty accurate to me. I just finished tap out xt and all the exercises you mentioned I did doing the workouts. Given I what I was burning I would say that is pretty close to what I was burning doing 45 minute workouts.0
-
I have a polar ft7 as well and have similar readings from my fitness bootcamp classes (and we do use some dumbells) and a bit less on Zumba days so I think your right on track. I say trust it 0
-
Sounds about right... I burn about 400-500 for my NROL days and I use my HRM for it0
-
Unless you have a Garmin or Suunto using Firstbeat algorithms or the one expensive Polar model intended for weight lifting, it is only intended for steady-state cardio.
Not intervals, not weight lifting. Totally inflated calorie burn estimates for those activities, as well as sitting around or wearing all day. Wrong activity.
It's not the sets between rests that is the reason either, it's the fact weight lifting is by it's nature, anaerobic for the entire lifting, totally different energy system being used than what aerobic system uses.
But the HRM thinks you are attaining that higher HR aerobically, it doesn't know. At least not the cheaper ones.
So after using the Polar on some weight lifting sessions because I was curious even though I knew not accurate, but also was mainly curious how high HR gets, I then used my Garmin that would work correctly.
Calorie burn of 1/4 to 1/3 what Polar estimates. And actually, pretty close to what MFP estimates too for strength training, within 25 cals.
Beyond Polar's own FAQ's, here is study Polar in fact sponsored that says the same thing.
Link on this page.
http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm
For the cardio burns, you gotta have the HRmax setting correct, or you'll get very incorrect values there too. Women sadly with default settings can be 33% inflated values, and that's the nicer Polar's that even have the VO2max figure.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study0 -
Thanks everyone for all of your advice.
I think I've decided to just log the 'minutes' for strength training on MFP and only to log HRM calories for cardio, just to be on the safe side. If I find that there's no change at any point, I'll try bumping up 100 - 150 cals and see what happens. In any event, it's unusual for me to burn more than 600 cals with my workouts (it just happened yesterday which is why this issue has coe up) so netting below BMR generally shouldn't be an issue.
But thank you so much for your help! Much appreciated.0
