Strong Lifts 5x5 and HRM

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mreeves261
mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok so on Monday I will be shifting my workouts around. At the moment I cycle T, Th, Sun and Run/Walk M, W, F. I also play softball on Tuesdays and Sundays. I am semi-training for a Sprint Triathlon in September but am growing rather tired of doing just cardio. I know strength training will help also so I have decided to add Strong Lifts 5x5 M, W, F. Here's my question(s)...

Will me HRM record somewhat reliable information doing Strong Lifts?

I ask because I eat back my exercise calories. I've tried the TDEE method but there is no way for me to gauge my activity level correctly. I can go from having a desk job to having a manual labor job and everything in between.

So, would I get a general idea of what I burn, or blank readings because my heart rate isn't high enough?

Replies

  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
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    No, it absolutely won't.
    It's going to read way, way, way high.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
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    Any suggestions on how I could somewhat accurately gauge?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Any suggestions on how I could somewhat accurately gauge?

    This formula is an ok estimate...

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/76934-calories-burned-lifting-weights/

    That said, it's still most definitely an estimate. There's just too many variables with strength training to really be accurate. I always just put down about 150 calories and called it good. You actually don't burn as much as you would think (or you feel)...the real magic happens during the 48 hours after your lift...you burn a lot more calories at rest while your muscles repair. Impossible to estimate that though.

    HRM is highly inaccurate for anaerobic activity though.
  • JAMProphet
    JAMProphet Posts: 288 Member
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    Let me know what you figure out about this. I have been using a HRM while lifting, and I thought I was getting a pretty fair reading of what my status was, in terms of calories burned, since it seemed to adjust for work and rest periods.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
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    So I guess I will try my HRM and compare it against the equation provided on LS and see if they are even close. I hate math so I don't want to have to do that every day but it that's what it takes....

    Thanks CWolf!

    JAM, I'll let you know what I come up with.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    If the HRM "works" it will be due to random chance, nothing more. HRMs are useless for strength training--and the heavier the weight, the more useless they are.

    I know that little number on the watch is awfully convincing, but HRMs do not measure calories. They are programmed to reflexively generate a number based on heart rate response during steady-state cardio only. You could strap the HRM to a fence post, use a simulator to send it electrical signals and it would tell you the fence post burned 500 calories in 30 minutes.

    There is no way to accurately estimate calories burned during strength training. OTOH, you don't burn that many, so you can always just add a couple of hundred if you think you need to track it and you will likely be close enough.

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