Is it me or my HRM??

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RGPargy
RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone :)

Just wondered if anyone could answer a query for me.

Last night i did body pump and burned off 369 calories, and then today i did pump again but only burnt off 276 calories??? This is, i think, the lowest calorie burn for pump i have ever had so i am wondering why it would vary so much? Have i perhaps not placed the monitor in the right position or could i have possibly not worked as hard as the studio was really hot etc?? My weights were exactly the same as last night and I was really really disappointed with today's reading! It's normally around or just under the 400 calorie mark.

So was it me or was it my HRM either playing up, needing a new battery or not being positioned correctly??

Replies

  • julwills
    julwills Posts: 286 Member
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    Well how did you feel? Did you feel as though you weren't working as hard as you usually do? That can definitely answer your question if you weren't giving it your all because it was hot.

    If you have a chest strap with your HRM do you wash it regularly? I've found that it helps keep it more accurate.
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
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    It could be the HRM. The movements done in body pump could possibly cause it to shift at times and not read properly. I've noticed strange readings while spinning (reading as high as 198 and not changing) but I never have any issues when running.
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
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    im no expert, i can only say about my experience. But this is what I find....
    If i work out late in the day or night, i burn more calories & fat because my body was already in motion all day & its already burning. so any workout done is going to be intensified.
    If i work out early in the morning, i burn, but i burn less. & i presume this is because my body is starting out cold. which is ok, because now anything i do after that workout is going to keep burning. it will average out in the end.
    staying in motion is the key. whether it be by workout or just daily movement.
    either way, its great that your working out! keep up the great job!
  • darrenham
    darrenham Posts: 110 Member
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    HRMs are not accurate calorie counters. Take any kcal reading from them with a pinch of salt, just as you would the values from this (and other) websites.
  • 36jessica
    36jessica Posts: 319 Member
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    HRMs are not accurate calorie counters. Take any kcal reading from them with a pinch of salt, just as you would the values from this (and other) websites.

    Then why wear one? I've had the same problem with different readings going from 550-670 cal/hr when I do Zumba's Cardio Party. What's the solution? Take the readout minus say 50-80 cal.?
  • darrenham
    darrenham Posts: 110 Member
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    I don't wear one if that's what you're implying.

    I have no idea why so many people on here a) wear one and b) recommend them.

    A HRM is for monitoring your heart-rate, which is only important for medical reasons, or serious athlete's trying to work certain areas of their cardio-vascular system.

    They provide very little insight from a weight loss perspective.
  • 36jessica
    36jessica Posts: 319 Member
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    I don't wear one if that's what you're implying.

    I have no idea why so many people on here a) wear one and b) recommend them.

    A HRM is for monitoring your heart-rate, which is only important for medical reasons, or serious athlete's trying to work certain areas of their cardio-vascular system.

    They provide very little insight from a weight loss perspective.

    I wasn't really implying anything. I really thought these HRMs gave pretty accurate insight into how many calories a person burns through certain types of physical activity? How do you regulate yourself? How do you know how much you've more or less burned?
  • dnharvey08
    dnharvey08 Posts: 4
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    IMHO I think that HRMs do have a benefits when it comes to weight loss...

    I use one at the gym to ensure that my heart rate doesn't drop too low between sets. Keeping my heart rate in my target zone increases total fat and calorie burn. Also, My Polar FT40 communicates with the treadmills and ellipticals at the gym, so I get constant heart rate reading without holding the handles.

    It would be a mistake to to treat the calorie counters on HRMs as gospel but, same can be said for any calorie expenditure calculator.
  • RGPargy
    RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
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    Thanks for your replies everyone.

    I have to say that i dont wash my strap, as such, but obviously wet the pads before i put it on. Maybe it should be slightly tighter so that it doesn't move. Maybe it wasn't positioned correctly or moved about when i was doing the (wonderful!) clean and press press presses!! (they are a NIGHTMARE!).

    Either way, i'm going to monitor my monitor lol.

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