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First workout with HRM

Ang8178
Ang8178 Posts: 308
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
OK Today was my first day working out with my HRM. It's a very simple one. You do have to push this one button for a few seconds often to get accurate heart rate reading and it tells you calories burned based on your heart rate. Much to my suprise, I burned 399 calories doing 30 mins on the eliptical today!! :drinker: Before I was entering what the machine said and it said I was only burning 220 calories. Neither my watch or the machine at the gym ask for age or weight and the machine doesn't take in to account your heart rate when it tells you calories burned.

For my weight lifting I was just guessing before on calories burned with MFP which was normally a total of 65 calories for 30 mins of work. Keep in mind when I say weights I am doing low weight (heavy to me) and 10-20 reps in sets of 3. I paused the HRM during breaks and moving between machines and took my heart rate very often durning my workout. The HRM said I burned 169 calories doing weights!!! I know most of the burned calories came from doing weights right after cardio because my heart rate was still going pretty strong. And abs really gets my heat pumping :laugh:

This means I've been cutting my calories short by almost half!!! No wonder I've been so freakin' hungry and had what I call a "food breakdown" yesterday! I know I didn't buy the best HRM and it doesn't have a chest strap, but I think I'm going with the numbers it gave me. If for some reason I gain weight, I'll go back to the other way, but I really don't see that happening, I work out hard and to spend one and a half hours at the gym 5-6 days a week and come home after each workout burning only 300 calories seems way way off to me!!!

I'm very happy I bought some type of HRM because I didn't know how much longer I could not eat food when I was clearly starving! :bigsmile: I was always sad to see people who worked out only 45 mins had burned almost 400 calories, and I spent longer, but burned less, I'll stop going on and on, I'm just happy I figured out why my weight loss came to a hault and knowing I can eat more makes me happy :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Replies

  • mbmomof4
    mbmomof4 Posts: 172 Member
    Are you using a wrist watch style hrm? I just picked one of those up also & I'm pretty pleased with the results. The only thing that bugs me about it is how I manually have to take my heart rate. I imagine on the better (more pricey) ones it takes the heart rate automatically...
  • Ang8178
    Ang8178 Posts: 308
    Yeah I have to push a button everytime to take my heart rate. I got a Sportline 910 for $50. I check my heart rate all the time when doing cardio so I just would hold the button down, before I started I thought it was going to be annoying, but it really wasn't.
  • mbmomof4
    mbmomof4 Posts: 172 Member
    Mine is the Sportline S7, I paid $27 for it. So I'm sure the functions are pretty similar.
  • leeslim4life
    leeslim4life Posts: 371 Member
    I felt your joy a couple of weeks ago. Though the site was off a bit when it came to the calorie count, I was so happy to be able to log my actual count for strength training. I love my HRM.
  • SkinnyCate
    SkinnyCate Posts: 116
    Did you ladies buy your HRM's online or at a store? I'm really interested in buying one :)
  • arasm
    arasm Posts: 65
    My sisters personal trainer told her to get a Polar, that they are very accurate, so....I bought a polar F6 & love it!! the best investment in my health! it does have the chest strap, which I thought I wouldn't like but I wear it alll day and don't even know it's there! The chest strap also works with all the machines I use at the gym as well! I love knowing exactly what I'm burning. I would highly recommend getting one to anyone who works out. I got mine on Amazon for $92. Worth every penny!!
  • l_slade
    l_slade Posts: 12
    I just ordered one! It sounds fantastic, thanks for sharing!
  • daved71
    daved71 Posts: 65 Member
    For those that have the Sportline, could you let me know if it aslo has a watch built in. I was looking at getting one but I need a watch also.
  • Ang8178
    Ang8178 Posts: 308
    The sportline watch I bought does have a watch. I got the 910 model (was made for women) but I would think the men's also has a bult in watch. Mine was $50.
  • vhuber
    vhuber Posts: 8,779 Member
    I owned a wrist MIO before I received my Polar F11 (wrist with chest strap) for Christmas and I found out the wrist only HRM's are NOT as accurate as the HRM's that have a chest strap. Also they are usually LOWER than what MFP says too!
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