HRM: Why so popular?

WolffEarl
WolffEarl Posts: 379 Member
edited September 25 in Fitness and Exercise
I have noticed that many of the fine folks here seem to enjoy the use of a HRM. The question I have is why? I have never used one. When I am out jogging I can tell pretty easily when I am huffing and puffing and need to slow down or when it seems a bit too easy and I need to speed up. Are folks using theirs mostly b/c of health concerns? or calorie counting or?? some ultra-secret really cool purpose I am not able to grasp? So if you own one, I am curious to hear what benefit it offers you.

Replies

  • MGleason2010
    MGleason2010 Posts: 105 Member
    I use an HRM that also counts calories. It's based on Height, Weight, Gender and then of course my Heart Rate. I find that I actually burn more calories that what MFP automatically calculates in the exercise portion.

    I don't pay as much attention to the Heart Rate, as I do the calories, but I know there is a lot of stuff out there about working out in a range that will maximize weight loss. I just haven't invested much time to research that yet. :ohwell:
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Mostly for calorie counting, from what I can tell.

    Mine doesn't calorie count itself, but I can do the math to see how accurate MFP or other calculators are, comparatively and adjust accordingly.
  • Nomomush
    Nomomush Posts: 582 Member
    A HRM can't lie and really tells you how hard you REALLY are working or not working. It also helps me to make sure I ma staying in my "fat burning zone" to get the most out of my workout.

    Before I got my HRM, I was working out and slowing/ down or stopping when I was out of breath and when I thought I was pushing too hard. Then I bought an HRM and found that I was on the low end of my target max heart rate and knew I could push longer and harder. Since having my HRM, I am more efficient on my workouts and get the most out of it....instead of lying to myself that I worked out hard. OH- and mine has the calories burned counter so that's a plus too.
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    I felt like you....I am really aware of my exersion (spelling ??) level and know when I working at the "right" place for me.

    I simply got one so I could track my calories better for this program! I figure if I'm going to do it right I didn't want to guess.

    There is LOTS to be said about intuition however and I believe you can always know that what you feel on the inside is a good indicator of fitness.

    I like science and who knows.............I may use my HRM to discover some new calorie burning activities...............
  • tabbychiro
    tabbychiro Posts: 223 Member
    1. I like gadgets.
    2. The calories burned number can motivate me to work out a bit longer.
    3. I like to compare my HR numbers to see if they are changing, i.e., am I able to run at a faster pace at the same HR from 2 months ago, a year ago?
    4. The calories burned number helps me to adjust my diet better. While I don't believe the calories number is 100% accurate, I feel it gives me a more accurate number than a chart or whatever.
  • Brittney24
    Brittney24 Posts: 105
    HRM are useful since they measure target zones you want to be at. Certain zones are good for burning certain fuel sources. I think it is the most accurate way to at least come close to levels you would find in a VO2max test which is exercising at a percentage of your maximum volume of oxygen you are able to consume for aerobic workloads.

    Usually if you want to burn fat staying around the 55-65% of maximum HR is key. Thus a heart rate monitor tells you if you're going over or under.

    Higher HR even though you are using more fuel tends to shunt the fat pathways and utilize more glycogen.
  • CricketKate
    CricketKate Posts: 3,657 Member
    It's a secret conspiracy for the government to keep tabs on our exercise.:wink:
  • bunnysone
    bunnysone Posts: 486 Member
    essentially for calorie counting, but I have one with a GPS as well that tracks both my km and the path I took.

    My husband gave it to me for Christmas the other year as he knew that by me having that information I would stay more motivated as I can use it to compete against myself. It works :)
  • HelenTheKitchen
    HelenTheKitchen Posts: 383
    It keeps me in my huffing and puffing zone. Since wearing mine I push myself even harder.
  • MGleason2010
    MGleason2010 Posts: 105 Member
    It's a secret conspiracy for the government to keep tabs on our exercise.:wink:

    haha that's awesome! lol
  • jacquejl
    jacquejl Posts: 193 Member
    I bought a HRM for 3 reasons:
    1. To make sure I am training within 80% of my maximum heart rate for max fat burn;
    2. To track my progress; and
    3. For an accurate calorie count.

    See, I'm not quite 5 foot tall. Lets say I walk on my treadmill at 3.0 mph, I'm working harder than someone who's 5 1/2 foot tall. The calorie burn on my treadmill is not accurate for me. Also, when I log walking 3.0 mph for 30 minutes in MFP, the calorie calculation is also off b/c it doesn't take into consideration that I work harder at 3.0 mph than taller people. The calorie count also helps me set and reach goals. I want to burn more calories each time I hop on the treadmill.

    Thanks for asking :happy:
  • tdolphin1
    tdolphin1 Posts: 26
    I've only had mine about a week but I love it. I was the same way...figured my body would tell me if I was working too hard or not enough....well come to find out I wasn't even in my target heart rate range when working out even though I thought I was. Now I push it and get there and make sure I stay there. I feel great afterwards also. Mine also has a calorie counter too which I so love. The difference between what the machine says, MFP and my HRM is amazing. So for me it helps me stay in my target heart rate range and gives me a more accurate reading of how many calories I've burned. Hope this helps :-)
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
    HRM are useful since they measure target zones you want to be at. Certain zones are good for burning certain fuel sources. I think it is the most accurate way to at least come close to levels you would find in a VO2max test which is exercising at a percentage of your maximum volume of oxygen you are able to consume for aerobic workloads.

    Usually if you want to burn fat staying around the 55-65% of maximum HR is key. Thus a heart rate monitor tells you if you're going over or under.

    Higher HR even though you are using more fuel tends to shunt the fat pathways and utilize more glycogen.

    ^^^^^^right-o!^^^^^
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    1. I like gadgets.
    2. The calories burned number can motivate me to work out a bit longer.
    3. I like to compare my HR numbers to see if they are changing, i.e., am I able to run at a faster pace at the same HR from 2 months ago, a year ago?
    4. The calories burned number helps me to adjust my diet better. While I don't believe the calories number is 100% accurate, I feel it gives me a more accurate number than a chart or whatever.

    Same as above.

    I lost about 30 lbs without one, so on one hand, it is not absolutely necessary, but have since started to focus on different types of exercise that require me to stay in certain heart rate zones for different purposes and it has really helped keep me on track with my training.
  • WolffEarl
    WolffEarl Posts: 379 Member
    Thanks everyone for all the wonderful reasons for why you got a HRM. I especially noticed how many indicated that there was a difference between how hard you thought you worked prior to having a monitor and how hard you are now working with the monitor. Looks like I might have to go and check some out. Any particular ones you would recommend?
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    HRM are useful since they measure target zones you want to be at. Certain zones are good for burning certain fuel sources. I think it is the most accurate way to at least come close to levels you would find in a VO2max test which is exercising at a percentage of your maximum volume of oxygen you are able to consume for aerobic workloads.

    Usually if you want to burn fat staying around the 55-65% of maximum HR is key. Thus a heart rate monitor tells you if you're going over or under.

    Higher HR even though you are using more fuel tends to shunt the fat pathways and utilize more glycogen.

    Great condensed post - I train w/ VO2max as target numbers when I work out with my trainer - and he believes in the zones ;-)
  • Brittney24
    Brittney24 Posts: 105
    Although you are working at a lower intensity and it takes you longer to get the most out of the workout for a fat burning zone it's the best way to burn fat.

    You still burn some fat as fuel at higher intensities but blood flow tends to decrease to adipose tissue once you reach 80-100% of your max VO2 so you start to decrease the fatty acids brought to the tissues as fuel so it decreases proportionally.
  • Aylilth
    Aylilth Posts: 125
    1. I like gadgets.
    2. The calories burned number can motivate me to work out a bit longer.
    3. I like to compare my HR numbers to see if they are changing, i.e., am I able to run at a faster pace at the same HR from 2 months ago, a year ago?
    4. The calories burned number helps me to adjust my diet better. While I don't believe the calories number is 100% accurate, I feel it gives me a more accurate number than a chart or whatever.

    This pretty much.

    I like being able to keep track of my workouts, seeing the same routine is done but my cals burned are dropping I need to switch it up or work harder etc.

    Plus I'm one of the cool ones at the gym b/c not many use them that I've seen lol
  • knantz
    knantz Posts: 68
    Accurate calorie counting is the short answer. Calorie counts on the machines at the gym are all over the place and require you to run holding onto the hand grips...awkward. Then you have the dilemma of taking classes such as Zumba or kickboxing or whatever and not having a clue how many calories to log. My Zumba instructor made mention once that we were burning 800 calories an hour. I sure didn't feel like I was burning 800 calories. Used my HRM and found out I burn more like 300. Good to know. This is also the case with the strength training. I needed to know how many calories I could accurately "eat back".

    Now I have a different reason. I am fairly new on here. Just a week or so. MFP set me up based on my height, weight, activity level etc. to eat 1200 calories a day based on their BMR estimate. I was starving to death. I was obsessed with wanting to eat. Anything, everything, all of the time. I was drinking 16 plus glasses of water per day trying to curb the hunger. Eating high protein and low calories trying to tame the beast. It was crazy. I thought, something is absolutely not right here. So this morning, I strapped on the ol' HRM first thing and I have been wearing it all day. It's been on for almost 16 hours and I have burned approximately 1750 calories so far without going to the gym. This is just my normal activity. So I am going to leave it on until tomorrow morning (24 hours) and change my activity level in my fitness profile to more accurately reflect my normal day before exercise. Then, I plan to alter my caloric intake to 500 calories shy of that.
  • knantz
    knantz Posts: 68
    Thanks everyone for all the wonderful reasons for why you got a HRM. I especially noticed how many indicated that there was a difference between how hard you thought you worked prior to having a monitor and how hard you are now working with the monitor. Looks like I might have to go and check some out. Any particular ones you would recommend?

    Polar FT7 beyond a shadow of a doubt. Did the same research on here a couple of weeks ago, then also online. Went and bought the FT7, and it's my new best friend. I wear the watch all the time (cause I like it and my regular watch battery died), and just put on the chest strap when I'm exercising.

    I understand you can get them cheaper on ebay, but I am one of those she-males that has to have what I want when I want it, so I wasn't into waiting a couple of days on shipping. Bought mine at D I C K's sporting goods (MVP asterisks out ****s) retail there @ $109.99. I got them down to $84.99 which is what I would have paid on ebay for the FT4 that I originally was going to purchase. D I C K's was out of the FT4 that I went in to buy, so I was able to get the FT7 at a $15 discount then there was a $10 mail-in rebate sticker on the package.
  • knantz
    knantz Posts: 68
    Speaking of which, I am very glad they were out of the FT4, because the FT7 is awesome for my needs. You may want to look into some of the others that offer the VO2 max measurement. This one does not, but I haven't found that I need it.
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