Having your heart rate monitor on while weight training.

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  • FitPhysique
    FitPhysique Posts: 284 Member
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    I think it depends on what type of weight training you are doing. If you are using 2,3,5 lb I don't think it would matter much. However, in a Les Mills Pump type of workout, Pump Challenge, Pump Revolution, I would say definitely!
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
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    Heck, I use mine to log calories when I clean house.
    Last week I used it to log calories when I washed and waxed my car. It was over 200 cals...so yes, give yourself credit whenever possible.

    You realize you're probably "double-dipping" here. Two things to be aware of: One, see the previous posts about HRM's being designed for steady-state cardio. Two: you're not taking our for your TDEE for that time period, so you're likely WAY overestimating your calorie burn. Be careful if you're eating back your exercise calories.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    HRMs are not designed for anaerobic activity like weight lifting...the burn I get is about 150 calories more than my actual burn. I wear mine simply to tell me when to start my next set.
  • KilannaFit
    KilannaFit Posts: 35
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    Only wear it on leg day (as I do walking lunges and step-ups) and for my cardio

    My weight lifting I just use the MFP calculation

    Even when I see my burned calories I take away 25% to try and get a better idea of my burn
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    Yes. I mix in short 60 second bursts of cardio with my weight training and burn crap-ton-o-calories.

    Me too. I keep the HR up over 135BPM. Just as good as interval running as I can hit 160+BPM lifting.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    Always. I find that I burn quite a bit more than the estimate that MFP or Endomondo gives me, so I always wear it, no matter what exercise I'm doing.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,527 Member
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    Clients ask me about it often. And my answer usually is no. The best gauge to calorie burn from weight lifting is the mirror. If you aren't seeing definition, then you're probably overestimating calories and eating too much.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    I used to. I would wait until heart rate dropped under 120 before doing the next set. Now I just go by feel.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    I don't wear my HRM while weight training as I know it's not an accurate burn. But I do log 50 calories per 15 minutes of weight training - partly so that I have a log on MFP of when I have done it and partly to remind myself to have more protein afterwards (I have MFP set to log and eat back all my exercise calories - I also run and hike, which I do use a HRM with). The weight is going down using this method so I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing.
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    I do. I try to do routines of mixed cardio and resistance to keep HR up and strength train. For example, I do jumping jacks followed by dumbbell chest press in a bridge position. I do lunges with bicep curls. I do jumping twists followed by deadlift/row combos with dumbbells. By intermixing the cardio, you get the best of both worlds... some cardio conditioning and strength training. I use the HRM to ensure that throughout the workout, I am keeping the HR elevated in a working range.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    I wear mine for purposes of monitoring heart rate. Heart rate not high enough == doing too little weight most likely. Heart rate gets too low == been slacking off too long between sets. Handy for timing purposes too. However, for calorie burn estimation it's useless. It usually reads about 1000 calories too high for a 90 minute session (shows 1500ish and I log 500ish). So, not even in the ballpark.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    I do. I try to do routines of mixed cardio and resistance to keep HR up and strength train. For example, I do jumping jacks followed by dumbbell chest press in a bridge position. I do lunges with bicep curls. I do jumping twists followed by deadlift/row combos with dumbbells. By intermixing the cardio, you get the best of both worlds... some cardio conditioning and strength training. I use the HRM to ensure that throughout the workout, I am keeping the HR elevated in a working range.

    You're really getting the worst of both worlds doing that. By doing cardio between sets, you're not allowing proper rest and you won't be able to lift as much weight or progress as well as you should. And by pausing your cardio to lift weights, you're not getting the full benefits of the cardio. I'd keep them separate if you really want to maximize your benefits.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    I am fortunate not to be afflicted with the apparently common misconception that HRMs serve only to tell you how many calories you burned, so I wear mine for every training session, and I don't give a flying crap what anyone thinks about it. Because I wear it every time I train and record the readings every time I train, I am able to accurately measure my progress from one week to the next, and that is a million times more important for my goals than whether or not the calorie burn is 100% accurate.
  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    I do. I try to do routines of mixed cardio and resistance to keep HR up and strength train. For example, I do jumping jacks followed by dumbbell chest press in a bridge position. I do lunges with bicep curls. I do jumping twists followed by deadlift/row combos with dumbbells. By intermixing the cardio, you get the best of both worlds... some cardio conditioning and strength training. I use the HRM to ensure that throughout the workout, I am keeping the HR elevated in a working range.

    You're really getting the worst of both worlds doing that. By doing cardio between sets, you're not allowing proper rest and you won't be able to lift as much weight or progress as well as you should. And by pausing your cardio to lift weights, you're not getting the full benefits of the cardio. I'd keep them separate if you really want to maximize your benefits.

    Have you heard of the Spartacus or Spartan training method or metabolic circuit training? It has been recommended to me as more effective. I don't do cardio between sets of lifting heavy barbells, on those days (my Stronglifts days), i just do a separate cardio workout if I feel like it. But, when using dumbbells with lesser weights (10-20 pounds depending), I do put the cardio between sets. It is considered to be an effective training method. But, if you have some information or data on how it is bad for you, please share it as I'm always open to learning. Right now, I do Stronglifts 3 days a week usually with another cardio activity on that day like eliptical or riding a bike. I do a mixed cardio-resistance workout (e.g. 30 Day Shred where you alternate cardio-strength-abs, or the full body blender http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMGF88XMh2s) on a couple of the other days because it burns fat/calories while still adding a strength component to retain/encourage LBM. Then a couple days a week I just do cardio or some other exercise (e.g. Zumba, Yoga, etc.)

    http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/can-cardio-and-weights-go-together
    http://www.predatornutrition.com/blog/2012/04/11/cardio-vs-strength-training-for-fat-loss/
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/spartacus-fitness-the-science-of-the-spartacus-workout.html
    http://www.spartacusworkoutdvd.com/spartacusworkoutdvd/cc/index?keycode=227343
    http://www.menshealth.com/video/cast-spartacus-works-out#/video/all/created/d/1
    http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/spartacus-workout-0

    http://www.spartacusworkoutdvd.com/spartacusworkoutdvd/cc/index?keycode=227343
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I am fortunate not to be afflicted with the apparently common misconception that HRMs serve only to tell you how many calories you burned, so I wear mine for every training session, and I don't give a flying crap what anyone thinks about it. Because I wear it every time I train and record the readings every time I train, I am able to accurately measure my progress from one week to the next, and that is a million times more important for my goals than whether or not the calorie burn is 100% accurate.

    Ditto!
    People forget that consistency is just as important as accuracy. HRMs are supposed to be an aid to training rather than diet.
  • PrincessNikkiBoo
    PrincessNikkiBoo Posts: 330 Member
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    I am fortunate not to be afflicted with the apparently common misconception that HRMs serve only to tell you how many calories you burned, so I wear mine for every training session, and I don't give a flying crap what anyone thinks about it. Because I wear it every time I train and record the readings every time I train, I am able to accurately measure my progress from one week to the next, and that is a million times more important for my goals than whether or not the calorie burn is 100% accurate.

    Ditto!
    People forget that consistency is just as important as accuracy. HRMs are supposed to be an aid to training rather than diet.

    Love both of these responses!
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
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    I am fortunate not to be afflicted with the apparently common misconception that HRMs serve only to tell you how many calories you burned, so I wear mine for every training session, and I don't give a flying crap what anyone thinks about it. Because I wear it every time I train and record the readings every time I train, I am able to accurately measure my progress from one week to the next, and that is a million times more important for my goals than whether or not the calorie burn is 100% accurate.

    I guess I'm one of those with that misconception. Can you please explain how one accurately measures progress when strength training using a HRM?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I am fortunate not to be afflicted with the apparently common misconception that HRMs serve only to tell you how many calories you burned, so I wear mine for every training session, and I don't give a flying crap what anyone thinks about it. Because I wear it every time I train and record the readings every time I train, I am able to accurately measure my progress from one week to the next, and that is a million times more important for my goals than whether or not the calorie burn is 100% accurate.

    I guess I'm one of those with that misconception. Can you please explain how one accurately measures progress when strength training using a HRM?

    You can't. It's as simple as that. People continue to pound their heads against the wall trying to litigate that fact, but it's not a matter of opinion or persuasion. There is no way, under any circumstances or with any style of resistance training that a HRM can be used to track calories during strength training.

    Again, it doesn't mean that you DON'T burn calories. (Some people seem incapable of making that distinction). It just means you cannot track them using an HRM.
  • pyroxian
    pyroxian Posts: 99
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    I am fortunate not to be afflicted with the apparently common misconception that HRMs serve only to tell you how many calories you burned, so I wear mine for every training session, and I don't give a flying crap what anyone thinks about it. Because I wear it every time I train and record the readings every time I train, I am able to accurately measure my progress from one week to the next, and that is a million times more important for my goals than whether or not the calorie burn is 100% accurate.

    I guess I'm one of those with that misconception. Can you please explain how one accurately measures progress when strength training using a HRM?

    You can't. It's as simple as that. People continue to pound their heads against the wall trying to litigate that fact, but it's not a matter of opinion or persuasion. There is no way, under any circumstances or with any style of resistance training that a HRM can be used to track calories during strength training.

    Again, it doesn't mean that you DON'T burn calories. (Some people seem incapable of making that distinction). It just means you cannot track them using an HRM.
    Neat. I get the privilege of disagreeing with azdak, whom I've quoted and who's blog entries I've linked countless MFP'ers to over the years.

    The innermost quote doesn't ever mention using the HRM for calorie burn at all - The poster says s/he uses an HRM for consistency and as a way to compare to previous (assumed similar) workouts. I would argue that that is a GREAT use for an HRM - recording objective intensity level for comparison to previous intensities. I do the same, albeit probably with greater precision that most non-elite-athlete types, and probably with greater precision than I really need (using an R-R recording suunto memory belt and firstbeat athlete software), which brings up another question ... azdak, you have previously stated in blog posts that some of the higher end HRMS _can_ estimate caloric burn during strength training - and have referred specifically to the high end suunto products - do you no longer hold that opinion?

    edited to add:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

    "Note: Certain higher-end HRMs--the Polar RS800 and Suunto T6c use a very sophisticated method of analyzing the R-R interval of heart beat signals. When using this method, it is claimed that they can more accurately estimate caloric expenditure at rest, during anaerobic exercise and even during post-exercise oxygen consumption. Since these models are in the $350-$400 range, I am not including them in this review--if you are interested in more detail, check out www.firstbeattechnologies.com and www.suunto.com"
  • halleymw
    halleymw Posts: 246 Member
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    I wear my hrm during weight training. Not for the calories burned, but just as a general guide that when my hr gets back to normal, or close to it, it is time for the next set.
    Mike

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