Calorie Counter Accuracy Question with P90X

sconnors16
sconnors16 Posts: 16
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
I purchased a relatively cheap (20 bucks) calorie counter wristwatch for use with P90X (I'm in Week 2.) The first week, I wasn't sure if the counter was counting ENOUGH calories, as I was only burning one or two hundred for a nearly hour-long workout. I wore the counter to the gym and compared it to what the elliptical was counting, and it was only off (under) by about 30 calories, so I deemed it relatively accurate.

This week, it is telling me I am burning up to and sometimes over 1000 calories for my hour (and sometimes hour plus) long P90X workouts, and I'm just wondering if this is accurate. I am definitely pushing myself harder this week than last, as when I first started, I was focusing on learning the moves and working on my balance and coordination. Is there something in the body that affects how calories are burned (such as the addition of more muscle, etc.?) I have absolutely no idea how these calorie counters work, and I just want to be sure what it's telling me is somewhat accurate. I lost my job and can't afford a pricey one, so just wanted to get some thoughts.

Thanks!!!

Replies

  • leakewh
    leakewh Posts: 91 Member
    Before I got my hernia when I was doing P90X it wasn't unusual for me to burn 1000 calories during an hour long workout...I would still purchase a better quality watch for the sake of consistency and confidence in your tracking
  • mrmarius
    mrmarius Posts: 1,802 Member
    i think your heart rate is the biggest factor in determing calories burned, in p90x i burn about 900 cals on the cardio type exercises but only about half of that during the strength exercises. i know everyone here will tell you that your cheap watch isnt accurate but the one i bought (30 bucks) has been a big help so i wouldnt worry about it. also the intensity that you bring makes a huge difference
  • MrOutfit
    MrOutfit Posts: 30
    Heart rate is definitely the biggest factor. The more you rev the engine, the more "fuel" you will burn. Don't rev too much though, you don't want to feel like your heart is going to explode out of chest either. Good luck, just keep pushing play and forget about the rest, BRING IT! :)


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  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    I purchased a relatively cheap (20 bucks) calorie counter wristwatch for use with P90X (I'm in Week 2.) The first week, I wasn't sure if the counter was counting ENOUGH calories, as I was only burning one or two hundred for a nearly hour-long workout. I wore the counter to the gym and compared it to what the elliptical was counting, and it was only off (under) by about 30 calories, so I deemed it relatively accurate.

    This week, it is telling me I am burning up to and sometimes over 1000 calories for my hour (and sometimes hour plus) long P90X workouts, and I'm just wondering if this is accurate. I am definitely pushing myself harder this week than last, as when I first started, I was focusing on learning the moves and working on my balance and coordination. Is there something in the body that affects how calories are burned (such as the addition of more muscle, etc.?) I have absolutely no idea how these calorie counters work, and I just want to be sure what it's telling me is somewhat accurate. I lost my job and can't afford a pricey one, so just wanted to get some thoughts.

    Thanks!!!

    No, it is not accurate. HRMs do not "count" calories--they estimate them. Some brands and models do a better job of estimating them than others. Unfortunately, when you buy a cheapo HRM, they are likely not accurate at all. In this case, use the HRM to help with monitoring your exercise intensity and just give yourself around 400 calories for your P90X workout and see how that goes.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    According to my HRM (both actually, since I have 2 that are different brands), I tend to burn upwards of 700 calories in the Plyo workout, around 500 in the Kenpo workout, and about 400 in Cardio X. My heart rate soars to nearly 190 during the hour of Plyo but doesn't even come close in the other cardio workouts.

    With the circuit training, it really all depends on the intensity that I put into it. I have burned around 600 calories doing Chest and Back on "good days" where I worked really hard and pushed through everything...or on "bad" days I might burn half that if I don't give my all. I tend to burn the most on average doing the Chest and Back or Legs and Back, but the least on Shoulders and Arms (about 450 on average).

    I also like to do some cardio type things while I am "resting" between exercises. A lot of my ballistic stretches include some hopping like a boxer or some other sort of moves like that. It keeps my heart rate up and gives me the motivation to push through on the next exercise.

    With all that being said, I actually come close to burning that estimated 600 calories per workout that the guide says you might average. Adding 600 to the 1210 that MFP tells me to eat, I can eat a max of 1810 calories...but I never eat ALL of the exercise calories back, about half does it for me...so I eat around 1500 calories per day and lose weight consistently. When I had a lot to lose, I was doing this above method and losing an average of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week, and that makes me think that my HRM was pretty darn accurate since that's the amount estimated by MFP including exercise calories.

    Without knowing what functions your HRM is, I can't really tell you how accurate it is...does it ask you for specific things about yourself like height, weight, etc? Or is it just age, sex, etc. questions? Most often HRMs are more accurate the more info you have to put in them, and the ones with chest straps are more accurate than those without since they monitor your heart rate the whole time.

    But as stated before, if you think that it is not accurate, at the very least use it as a guide of how intensely you are working. This is also a useful tool.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Have you had any caffeine or taken a decongestant this week? Sounds like a crazy question, I know, but those things will effect your heart rate and make your HRM read a higher calorie burn. Are you on medication for high blood pressure? If so, those may effect your heart rate in the opposite direction and the HRM will read a lower calorie burn. While HRM's are a great tool, they aren't the be all end all most accurate calorie calculators like a lot of people on here will say. The calorie recommendations on here aren't either, though. In fact, to me they estimate low based on my lab tested BMR. So, use the numbers as a guide and play with your intake to find where you will lose best. For some people it may be eating all the estimated calories from both, for others it may be eating less then the estimated calories for both, and for still others it will be eating more then the estimated calories for both. Just relax so you don't raise your cortisol levels because of it and play with your numbers as you see fit. You'll see the results in the end and that's all that matters.
  • sconnors16
    sconnors16 Posts: 16
    Thanks, everyone. It only asks for age and gender....the thing that struck me as the most odd was that it was calculating so low the first week, was right in line with the counter on a machine at the gym that week, but then this week it seemed to skyrocket. Since I can't afford a more expensive one right now, guess maybe what I'll do is cut what it's telling me in half since that seems to be more in line with what the guide says. I also just re-read the instructions and it says that the more often you take your heart rate, the more accurate the calorie counter will be, so I'll give that a try too.

    Thanks again!! :)
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