Help Using a Heartrate Monitor

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BeDawn
BeDawn Posts: 56 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
These last few weeks are the first time I have ever used a HRM, so I wore my HRM while puttering around the house for an hour today. I wanted to check the accuracy, because my burn during exersize is always much higher on my HRM than the default burn for MyFitnessPal. It seems I only burned 74 calories an hour, and my heart rate never went above 50% while just hanging out. When I exersize my heart rate is 70% - 85% , and I have burned 500+ calories in an hour before. Does this sound right to you all? Also, I was sedentary until I started exersizing 6 weeks ago, so I was VERY out of shape and I got winded easily.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Replies

  • cozzy530
    cozzy530 Posts: 46
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    Be careful using a HRM. I have a timex HRM and I only log half of what it say calories burn. I work out hard but a hour work out with insanity or P90X will burn 500 calories. You need to be moving fast and hard for the full hour without rest to burn 500 calories. I am in week 9 of P90X and will burn around 450 calories doing the plyometric workout which is the hardest. Use it as a guide only. Never eat more because you burned more calories. i hope this helps
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
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    •The manufacturers of heart rate monitors don't make public the various formulas they use to calculate energy burn, so these formulas haven't been reviewed or studied thoroughly. Heart rate monitor formulas, however, presumably factor in the relationship between oxygen consumption and heart rate discovered during VO2 testing. According to a report by researchers from BodyMedia (Recent Advances in Free-Living Physical Activity Monitoring: A Review), in testing the performance heart rate monitors, rather than their formulas, they've been shown to be most accurate in calculating calories burned during moderate to vigorous activity level. Calculations are more prone to error during low intensity activities.


    Read more: How Heart Rate Monitors Calculate Calories Burned | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5700177_heart-monitors-calculate-calories-burned.html#ixzz13xTqD6FG
  • Utahbeth
    Utahbeth Posts: 68
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    Which make and model of HRM do you have? Does it come with a chest strap? I have the Polar F6 with the chest strap and I find that it's pretty accurate. It bases my calorie burn off of my stats: age/weight/height and resting HR.

    Keep in mind that the more efficient your heart gets the harder it will be to burn calories during your workouts. Now I can burn about 300 in 30 minutes on mowing the lawn (or the elliptical), but earlier this summer when I was slower, I could burn 420 in 30 minutes mowing the same lawn.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    I don't agree that you have to be careful with the HRM calories burned - IF you have a reliable HRM and it is programmed to your sex, weight, height and age. Also you need one with a chest strap for accurate calorie counting! Remember we burn about 100 an hour through "normal activity" as seen on your goal page - that varies by how active you are.
  • lesley12345
    lesley12345 Posts: 89 Member
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    I agree with several posts on here, I think the HRM is a great tool. Is it a 100% accurate? No, but it's a great way to estimate how many calories you burn.
    My watch (Sportsline) has a chest strap, and I found when I use the chest strap I get more accurate readings.
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
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    I use mine, but I adjust the totals. For instance today I was on the elliptical for 31 minutes. My HRM (Polar F6) said I burned 309 calories, but when I subtract my BRM, I enter 266 calories. I feel I am more accurate that way.
  • sk4399
    sk4399 Posts: 96
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    I use mine, but I adjust the totals. For instance today I was on the elliptical for 31 minutes. My HRM (Polar F6) said I burned 309 calories, but when I subtract my BRM, I enter 266 calories. I feel I am more accurate that way.

    How do I calculate my BMR? Thank you.

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