How do I increase my burn if my hr is at 85% already?

I know exactly what you're talking about... I see some of my mfp friends that have high burns for the same amount I workout and I feel like Im working my butt to the max where Im huffin and puffin lol... and my burn is low compared to theirs. Some of them are way smaller than I am and still getting a good burn.. Im in the 180's. I thought the bigger you are the more you'll burn Guess not haha. Im in the same boat hehe.

I'm at the 205lb mark and I find I get the most out of a 1 hr boot camp session (its ladies only, but extremely challenging). When I do a steady 45 min powerwalk and my heart rate stays at a fairly consistent (high) level, my burn is much much lower. Have you tried a mixed cardio and strength training workout? I think the key might be to keep your body doing different things, and have your heart rate constantly moving up and down. My hrm always shows a decent spike in my heart rate when I'm doing push ups and squats (even without weights). Plus, the more muscle you can build and tone, the more your body will burn.....at least thats what I've read anyway! See if you can find a fitness class and change up your routine a little bit, and keep up the good work!

Great job on running for 45 minutes!!!

I suspect that many people aren't keeping their heart rates in their range.

I would like to offer a suggestion, if I may.

Working out for 45 minutes at 85% is exhausting. Even though you'll be running slower, and it won't feel like you're doing much for a little while, why not try training your heart to be really efficient at around 70%? You'll still be in the cardio range, and after a while, your heart will become more efficient at 70%,. You'll actually be able to run the same speed for longer without taxing your body as much. You'll become more efficient at burning calories, as well. You'll use more calories more efficiently.

There are some ultra-marathoners whose heart rates never exceed 130 bpm. They train their hearts to be really efficient at a low heart rate. Their bodies are consuming calories like crazy, but their muscles don't get fatigued as quickly which helps them run further.

Patience is key in weight loss. The more efficient your body becomes, the more calories you'll consume.

Hope this helps!

First, you never know how accurate that information is. I sometimes question where some are getting their burn information - are they taking the numbers from a machine or are they using MFP's defaults or are they using a HRM. Anyway - just something to think about when seeing those high numbers.

Aside from that, how long have you been doing this? Your body will get very efficient at something and you need to change it up in order to get the same benefits out of it. Maybe try something different for a while. Try increasing the intensity by doing intervals instead of steady pace. Or switch to the elliptical if it's available (before I could run consistently at least 6 MPH, I burned way more on the ellpitcal in the same time). If you are doing this outside, chose a different route that has some hills (or use the incline on a treadmill - you can really crank those suckers up for a minute and then bring it back down). You may just need to find some way to chagne things up. Do you like DVDs? I have some that I really love (Cathe Intensity and The Firm Advanced Cardio Blast and The Firm 500 Calorie Workout).

You should do some reading on interval training. From what I understand, it's a much more efficient workout and there are so many benefits to it (you also get to do shorter workouts). Something to consider anyway. That's what I've been doing for cardio, and I tell you that after 20-30 minutes (1 min on/2 min recover), I feel like I worked just as hard or harder than when I did my 60 minute steady pace cardio (and I pushed hard to maintain a high intensity the whole time) - and I'm pretty sure my afterburn is way higher cuz I can feel it!

Good luck!!