Fitness watch for strength & cardio & won't cost an arm

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avameva
avameva Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Any recommendations on a fitness watch? I have been thinking of getting it, have been using the cardio machine numbers for calorie burned and then just guesstimating for strength work out. I was thinking something that will tell me about calories burned during cardio as well as strength training workouts. Please help, there are so many out there but i just need one.

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  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
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    Heart Rate Monitors measure heart rate. Using a formula, they are able to calculate the approximate calories burned based on the volume load from steady state aerobic exercises.

    Your HR during weight lifting is pressure load from intermittent anaerobic exercise.

    No HRM accurately measures calories burned from lifting weights, so just get one that you like for aerobics.
  • avameva
    avameva Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you, Sir Vorgas. But, how do you account for strength training? Also, i do body weight exercises like lunges, squats, crunches. I am not sure how to put them in MYP as it asks for how many weights I used.

    So, strength training is only for toning, not really for losing calories?!
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
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    So, strength training is only for toning, not really for losing calories?!
    Strength training improves cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary health. You will see improved flexibility, balance, and coordination. Your bone density gets better. Stronger muscles protect joints and vertebrae, preventing injury. Your metabolism ramps up. With more muscle at a given caloric intake, you will look much thinner. Your confidence shoots sky high. And you burn calories.
    Also, i do body weight exercises like lunges, squats, crunches. I am not sure how to put them in MYP as it asks for how many weights I used.
    calisthenics

    You aren't lifting weights. You are still in the aerobic chain, meaning your body is using mostly fat mixed with oxygen to provide fuel. The anaerobic chain doesn't kick in until you have enough weight that you can't do more than 20 repetitions straight.
    Thank you, Sir Vorgas. But, how do you account for strength training?
    The energy required to lift a weight is .00032 calories per pound per foot.
    Most lifts travel approximately two feet so .00064 per pound per lift.
    And if you lower the weight slowly, there is more calories expended.
    Of course your body is terribly inefficient, so it may require 10 times that amount just to lift the weight.
    Then, if you are using free weights, you are burning a lot more because of all the stabilizer muscles required.

    On top of that, if you lift heavy enough to actually tear your muscles, your body will use protein to repair them. So that protein you consume doesn't really count towards your intake. This is hard to judge though.

    Also, the glycogen used to fuel the anaerobic process needs to be replaced, so all those carbs don't count either.

    Will you burn as many calories in any given 30 minutes as a heavy cardio session? No. Will you end up with fewer calories being converted into fat in the long run? Yeah.

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