Either my heart beats too fast, or my HRM is faulty. Help?

bellasera973
bellasera973 Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I entered all the of the information into my new Polar FT40 HRM, and I wore it to my first workout last week. After having just put it on, it had said my HR was at 82.

After a few mins of working out, my HR was up to 130-140, and it was in the "fitness" zone of the Polar HRM workout. I tried my best to lower my HR so it was in the "fat burning" zone, but I literally could NOT go slow enough to lower my HR all the way down to 128.

So of course, as the workout goes on, my HR goes up (it usually hangs out around 150-170) and at the end of my 30 min workout, I burned 387 calories, but only 16% of that was from fat.

WHAT.

I feel discouraged. I'm trying to lose weight (and burn fat) but I don't feel ANYTHING (heck, I don't even SWEAT) when I'm going slow enough for the "fat burning" zone.

Should I send my HRM back? Or is this just how it is for people that are really overweight?

Replies

  • c_ansari
    c_ansari Posts: 57 Member
    Try taking your heart beat manually while wearing the monitor and compare the results for accuracy.
  • c_ansari
    c_ansari Posts: 57 Member
    And don't be discouraged for not being in the "fat burn" zone. A lot of people will tell you that it's a myth anyway. Even if it isn't, why be discouraged about working harder? Just keep at it and the results will come.
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
    Trying to workout in a specific zone to burn fat is a fitness myth. If you are trying to lose weight it is better to work out hard (according to your ability, of course) and burn more calories thus creating a bigger calorie deficit. Want to maintain the muscle you already have - lift heavy things, repeat.
  • jordanlell
    jordanlell Posts: 340 Member
    If you're not in in very good shape, then yes, that could be right. The resting heart rate for a normal adult is anywhere from 60-100bpm. 82 is pretty much as in the middle as it gets, so that could definitely be right. And I don't know much about the whole "fat burning zone" thing, but I almost wouldn't consider anything as low as 128bpm a workout. I personally don't see below 160bpm for my cardio sessions, unless it's the warm up. So I wouldn't worry about it, really. Just get out and work up a sweat.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Trying to workout in a specific zone to burn fat is a fitness myth. If you are trying to lose weight it is better to work out hard (according to your ability, of course) and burn more calories thus creating a bigger calorie deficit. Want to maintain the muscle you already have - lift heavy things, repeat.

    yup. :drinker: :flowerforyou: :happy:
  • c_ansari
    c_ansari Posts: 57 Member
    Here's a good article about the fat burning zone myth: http://www.builtlean.com/2013/04/01/fat-burning-zone-myth/
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    I always heard you only burn fat after the first 20 minutes anyway. Until then it's only sugar.

    So if you're serious about low/medium effort cardio you should probably be doing 40-50minutes and be getting a good result from that even at low intensity.

    Instead I think you should focus on something else.

    Cardio (especially when done at medium to higher intensity) is good for your overall health (heart, blood vessels, lungs).

    Cardio also gets your metabolism up so during the rest of the day you burn more calories while sitting on the couch (or at your desk). The higher the intensity or longer the length the longer the extra calorie burning effect (on top of you what you burned during your workout).

    Cardio when done at high intensity also builds muscle, which weighs more than fat and muscle also uses more calories to maintain

    Use the extra calories burned to eat a little more that day aswell.

Categories