Heart Rate Monitors

phangirl8
phangirl8 Posts: 21 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I'm thinking of treating myself to a heart rate monitor for Christmas and the general recommendations seem to be the Polar FT4 or FT7. I've lost weight just through eating at a deficit and diligently logging my intake but now I really want to improve my fitness levels and I think it would encourage me to exercise more if I could log the calories I burn accurately. (MFP seems notorious for overestimating calorie burn when logging exercise) I am pretty unfit tbh so figured I should take steps to rectify that :)

I do have some really dumb questions though... I was wondering if I would also be able to use it to work out my TDEE more accurately than an online calculator? And also would it be pretty much useless for tracking calorie burn if I started some type of strength training? I'd like to start off doing some cardio and would obviously be able to track calories burnt through that but I would ultimately like to incorporate some kind of strength training at some point (I really want to 'tone up' now that I've lost some weight, reduce my body fat % and increase LBM, I want to be firm rather than skinny fat!)

Any advice gratefully received as I am a complete novice when it comes to fitness and gadgets etc. I'm trying to educate myself as much as I can though :)

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    A HRM is made to be worn during exercise that elevates your heart rate significantly. Running, cycling, aerobics, swimming, etc. They don't work for lifting, stretching, and you can't wear it all the time to determine TDEE. The way the algorithms are set is for a higher heart rate so for other things you get grossly exaggerated numbers. Example: My BMR is about 1100 but if I wear my HRM and lay on the couch for an hour it gives me about 110 calories for the hour which is more than double my BMR.

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