HRMs and strength training

rose313

I want to get an HRM so I can see how many calories I burn at the gym. My main exercises are core class, step aerobics class, and C25k. However I also do circuit strength training and part of my aerobics class is lifting. So I need to know how many calories I burn while weight lifting. Would an HRM work for that? I know it's not many calories but I really need to know so I can stop guessing. I would go with one I can wear on my wrist, and I want a simple one, I don't really need to know where my heart rate is, all I want to know is my calories burned.

Mokey41

Unless you get one with a chest strap you might as well keep on guessing. HRM's aren't very accurate at lower heart rates so lifting calories is iffy. It will be fine for all your other activities. A Polar FT4 will give you what you need at a reasonable price.

rose313

Thanks! The Polar FT4 was the one I was looking at. I'm reading the manual for it online right now.

EDIT: Reading the manual and I'm confused about the chest strap.

http://www.polar.fi/e_manuals/FT4/Polar_FT4_user_manual_English/manual.pdf

See page 6. Do I really have to wet the electrodes on the strap and wear the thing around my chest EVERY time I work out? What if I go swimming?

alpine1994

Thanks! The Polar FT4 was the one I was looking at. I'm reading the manual for it online right now.

I got mine in August and I love it.

penrbrown

I personally use the Polar F6. It works quite well. My biggest complaint is that I can never seem to secure the strap properly and sometimes my sports bra will slip UNDER the strap, thus breaking the connection and ruining the readout. *sigh*

I've never been able how to 100% get around that but in the meantime it works pretty well.

omma_to_3

Thanks! The Polar FT4 was the one I was looking at. I'm reading the manual for it online right now.

EDIT: Reading the manual and I'm confused about the chest strap.

http://www.polar.fi/e_manuals/FT4/Polar_FT4_user_manual_English/manual.pdf

See page 6. Do I really have to wet the electrodes on the strap and wear the thing around my chest EVERY time I work out? What if I go swimming?

Well, not if you go swimming. But yes, I just run mine under the faucet. You also should rinse it after every use and machine wash it weekly.

omma_to_3

I personally use the Polar F6. It works quite well. My biggest complaint is that I can never seem to secure the strap properly and sometimes my sports bra will slip UNDER the strap, thus breaking the connection and ruining the readout. *sigh*

I've never been able how to 100% get around that but in the meantime it works pretty well.

I suspect your strap isn't tight enough. It shouldn't be able to slip, though I have had this happen once or twice with one particular bra.

Coltsman4ever

HRM's don't work at all for weight training. They're not made for that. The calculations are based on higher oxygen levels in the blood that only occur with cardio exercise.
Using a heart rate monitor when weight lifting would be the same as using it to calculate how many calories you burned when something scared you. Your heart rate increases but it's not the same as cardio.

The benefits of weight training come after instead of during.
The more muscle you have on your body the more calories your body burns thru the day.

rose313

Thanks! The Polar FT4 was the one I was looking at. I'm reading the manual for it online right now.

EDIT: Reading the manual and I'm confused about the chest strap.

http://www.polar.fi/e_manuals/FT4/Polar_FT4_user_manual_English/manual.pdf

See page 6. Do I really have to wet the electrodes on the strap and wear the thing around my chest EVERY time I work out? What if I go swimming?

Well, not if you go swimming. But yes, I just run mine under the faucet. You also should rinse it after every use and machine wash it weekly.

Do I have to wear the chest strap every time I use it? There's no way to get a wrist HRM without the transmitter?

rose313

HRM's don't work at all for weight training. They're not made for that. The calculations are based on higher oxygen levels in the blood that only occur with cardio exercise.
Using a heart rate monitor when weight lifting would be the same as using it to calculate how many calories you burned when something scared you. Your heart rate increases but it's not the same as cardio.

I do circuit training with weights which gets my heart rate up, would it work for that?

omma_to_3

Thanks! The Polar FT4 was the one I was looking at. I'm reading the manual for it online right now.

EDIT: Reading the manual and I'm confused about the chest strap.

http://www.polar.fi/e_manuals/FT4/Polar_FT4_user_manual_English/manual.pdf

See page 6. Do I really have to wet the electrodes on the strap and wear the thing around my chest EVERY time I work out? What if I go swimming?

Well, not if you go swimming. But yes, I just run mine under the faucet. You also should rinse it after every use and machine wash it weekly.

Do I have to wear the chest strap every time I use it? There's no way to get a wrist HRM without the transmitter?

You can, but they're not accurate. Don't even bother with one that doesn't include a chest strap. The strap is super comfortable and you won't even notice it. Way more comfy than my sports bra LOL.

And the PP is correct - HRMs are NOT made for weight training at all. Turn it off for that portion of your workout.

Coltsman4ever

HRM's don't work at all for weight training. They're not made for that. The calculations are based on higher oxygen levels in the blood that only occur with cardio exercise.
Using a heart rate monitor when weight lifting would be the same as using it to calculate how many calories you burned when something scared you. Your heart rate increases but it's not the same as cardio.

I do circuit training with weights which gets my heart rate up, would it work for that?

Any kind of cardio will work with the HRM. Just not straight weight training.

rose313

Thanks! The Polar FT4 was the one I was looking at. I'm reading the manual for it online right now.

EDIT: Reading the manual and I'm confused about the chest strap.

http://www.polar.fi/e_manuals/FT4/Polar_FT4_user_manual_English/manual.pdf

See page 6. Do I really have to wet the electrodes on the strap and wear the thing around my chest EVERY time I work out? What if I go swimming?

Well, not if you go swimming. But yes, I just run mine under the faucet. You also should rinse it after every use and machine wash it weekly.

Do I have to wear the chest strap every time I use it? There's no way to get a wrist HRM without the transmitter?

You can, but they're not accurate. Don't even bother with one that doesn't include a chest strap. The strap is super comfortable and you won't even notice it. Way more comfy than my sports bra LOL.

And the PP is correct - HRMs are NOT made for weight training at all. Turn it off for that portion of your workout.

Thanks! I still think it would benefit me with the amount of time I spend at the gym. I love that they come in pink!

rose313

Has anyone experienced erratic readings caused by TVs at the gym, cell phones near you, other HRMs near you, etc?

Coltsman4ever

Has anyone experienced erratic readings caused by TVs at the gym, cell phones near you, other HRMs near you, etc?

I have a Polar HRM and never had a problem with any of this.

rose313

I didn't think it would be a big issue but I read it in the manual so just figured I'd check. Thanks for all the info!

My1985Freckles

HRM's don't work at all for weight training. They're not made for that. The calculations are based on higher oxygen levels in the blood that only occur with cardio exercise.
Using a heart rate monitor when weight lifting would be the same as using it to calculate how many calories you burned when something scared you. Your heart rate increases but it's not the same as cardio.

The benefits of weight training come after instead of during.
The more muscle you have on your body the more calories your body burns thru the day.

For grins now I want to put my HRM on and have someone scare me just to know what it would say....

You can get a HRM with a chest strap at walmart for $50. I got mine there. It might not have all the bells and whistles of the polar, but it works great and I know it is accurate because I had my calories set to maintenance for a while and with the exercise calories logged in my deficit for the week came out to how much I lost (3500 calories is approximately 1 pound).

florymonde

The HRM may help you estimate more accurately, but bear in mind that you will always be guessing on how many calories you are using.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I don't know that I'd call circuit training and/or lifting during an aerobics class "heavy lifting". I bet a HRM would be mostly applicable for that. The reasons they aren't for heavy lifting is the increase in heart rate and pressure caused by the strain of heavy lifting and the fact that you aren't moving for rest periods but your heart rate is still elevated.

Coltsman4ever

Here's a excerpt of an article written by a certified trainer. It explains some of the technical aspects of HRM not working for weight training...



The problem is a technical one. Calorie burning isn't determined by heart rate, it's determined by the number of muscle cells that are activated to perform a given activity. It's the working cells that actually use the energy (calories) and consume oxygen. When working muscle cells need more energy and oxygen, your heart rate goes up to deliver these things to the cells via the blood stream.

Any muscle that performs a high intensity or maximum effort (strength training) will trigger an increase in heart rate and blood flow. But if only a single muscle group is on the receiving end to utilize that extra oxygen (doing a strength exercise that isolates your biceps, for example), only a relatively small amount of oxygen (and calories) will actually be consumed.

So while a series of strength training exercises may elevate your heart rate like aerobic exercise does, you're not actually using as much oxygen and burning as many calories as you would be if you were steadily using several large muscles all at once, as when walking, running, swimming, or doing aerobics for example.

The heart rate monitor doesn’t know whether your increase in heart rate is due to several large muscle groups working (cardio), an isolated muscle group lifting a weight (strength training), or even if adrenaline or excitement is increasing your heart rate. It just knows your heart rate, and the formulas it uses to estimate calories are based on studies of aerobic exercise, not other activities. So, it's going to overestimate your calorie expenditure when the rise in heart rate is stimulated by using isolated muscles at maximum intensity, which is what occurs during strength training.

rose313

I see. The important thing for me is that I won't have to guess anymore what I'm burning during core class and aerobics class. And if I decide to do c25k outside instead of on the treadmill, I'd need it for that too. I have used MapMyWalk in the past for walks and runs and found it to be very iffy. I also have no clue how much I burn during core class because MFP doesn't have an entry for that, so I just use "sit ups, vigorous". But I have no clue if that's right. And what I burn is an important part of how much I eat. If I'm not eating enough or eating too much that could explain my plateau.