Why should I use a heart rate monitor????

theguy12
theguy12 Posts: 156
in Fitness and Exercise
So I was about to buy a $70 heart rate monitor because some said that was more important than a scale.

Now I am thinking - how is a heart rate monitor going to help. I already log my workouts on MFP. How will that change how I log them?

How is wearing a heart rate monitor going to change what I input?

I know there are some apps that can attach to a heart rate monitor and then attach to MFP -- is that why? So the calories burned just log automatically?

IS a heart rate monitor calorie burn more accurate than the MFP exercsise log?

I know it would help me know if I am in my target heart rate range BUT that I can tell with my little $15 dollar one I have now or by putting my hands on the heart rate pads on the treadmill. Not sure how these more high tech ones are going to change how I work out OR how I log my exercise?!?!

Can someone explain? Help?!

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    If you buy a HRM that calculates calories burned, it's not 100%, but it's far more accurate than MFP in some instances. I've relied on websites for most of my journey, but some people want the added accuracy of a HRM.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I've never bought one for these same reasons. I have no medical conditions that I would need to monitor my HR and I log my exercise from here unless it seems really high then I manually enter my best guess.
  • rlevitz
    rlevitz Posts: 4
    Depending on what kind of exercise you are trying to do, a HRM will keep you "in the zone," as they call it. For burning calories from fat you want your HR to be in a certain range; I think its 60-75% of your max heart rate. My Polar calculates your "zone" for you after you tell it a little about yourself and do some walking and running.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    they just want you to waste your money the same way they were convinced to waste your money. don't bite
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    It helps to keep track of how high the intensity of your workout is.

    Also if you want to track calories and get something that's semi-accurate then a HRM is a decent device to do this.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    It's really useful for long distance running. I like to know what my level of exertion is since it varies with temperature, humidity, and terrain. Generally speaking though if you're just doing 30 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill in the gym there's no pressing need to have one unless you find it to be a motivational tool for you.
  • chelstakencharge
    chelstakencharge Posts: 1,021 Member
    I love my HRM and use it everyday!!! It was worth the $65 I spent
  • Graceious1
    Graceious1 Posts: 716 Member
    I only use it as a motivational tool. People will or won't use it for different reasons. It's up to you.
  • abbyrae1
    abbyrae1 Posts: 265 Member
    I use a HRM with my workouts because I can track my time, average HR, max HR, and calories burned. I use this as a way to more accurately measure how many calories I'm buring and tracking that in with the rest of my inputs for the day (i.e. food, water, etc.) My HRM keeps all my workouts logged on the watch and I can sync it with my computer so I can see how I have done historically (ex. if you are regularly running 3 miles, you can see how much effort you are putting into that workout). Ultimately it is up to you but if nothing else, it gives you a more accurate measure of calories burned than what is in MFP.
  • easy2putt
    easy2putt Posts: 36 Member
    I was kinda thinking the same thing (too late though I already got it..) but at least I know now how hard I'm exercising and how many calories I "might've burned")
  • EvilFeevil
    EvilFeevil Posts: 95 Member
    I bought one because I wanted to be sure the calorie burn I was logging was accurate and it turns out that what I was logging was pretty darn close to the HRM. Shortly thereafter someone on MFP recommended an app called Calories Burned Calculator that has a lot of exercises and workout videos in it that is pretty accurate (you enter age, gender, weight, workout and duration) and when my HRM wouldn't stop beeping after a week, I returned it for a full refund and now I rely on the CBC app for my workout videos and my RunKeeper app w/ GPS for my walks/runs. And it's easier than using the HRM in my opinion.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    It's really useful for long distance running. I like to know what my level of exertion is since it varies with temperature, humidity, and terrain. Generally speaking though if you're just doing 30 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill in the gym there's no pressing need to have one unless you find it to be a motivational tool for you.
    Just curious what you do with the information. I run (training for a 10 mile) but having that info wouldn't change my training.
  • KeepGoingKylene
    KeepGoingKylene Posts: 432 Member
    I am very glad that I purchased a hrm. The calories burned from exercise that I was logging without one were WAY off. I was using what the treadmill told me or whatever machine it was or using what MFP told me. I always eat back my exercise calories. Now knowing what I really burn (which is way more than I thought) I am now eating correctly. So all the times before when I didn't really know means I wasn't eating enough food in a day. Now that it is more accurate I am now having much more success with my weight loss.
  • mom2jac
    mom2jac Posts: 24 Member
    I love my HRM because it accurately tells me the zone I am training in as well as gives me an accurate calorie burn. There are times that I run that I am COMPLETELY out of my zone (too high) which means I am burning muscle rather than fat. For training, that is important for me to know, as I do not want to be burning fuel (muscle) over the long run. I have found (for me) that the tracking tools are not accurate at all regarding how many calories I burn vs the HRM. It is my very favorite tool that I have added to my workouts. Of course, everybody is different--- if you do not plan to adjust your workout based on the output from the HRM, then it is probably best to save your money. Good luck in your decision :smile:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I love my HRM because it accurately tells me the zone I am training in as well as gives me an accurate calorie burn.

    Yes, that's what I use it for as well. It allows me to calibrate my effort.
    There are times that I run that I am COMPLETELY out of my zone (too high) which means I am burning muscle rather than fat.

    You don't stop burning fat when you go above the zone. Even in the so-called "fat burning" zone you are burning things other than fat, because the human body cannot generate enough energy from fat-burning alone to run at even low speed.

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