How do I gauge the intensity of my workout??

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kd5nay
kd5nay Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
hi, first post here. LOVE this site and have been logging everyday on iPhone for about a month now. Anyway, I go to gym 3 days a week and do typical cardio stuff then meet with a trainer to do some strength training. Well I'm having a hard time logging the exercises because I don't know how to distinguish between intensity levels. I.e. Moderate cycling, vigorous cycling, etc... There's a pretty big jump in calories between the levels so, to keep things as accurate as possible, I'd like to put the right one. I am 266lbs, 6'1" and I'm riding at about 20mph on stationary bike. Definitely working up a sweat but not about to pass out or anything. Any ideas? Thanks!

Replies

  • mililanimom
    mililanimom Posts: 2
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    if I am at the gym I use the equipment to gauge my calories burned. That is an option on most of the equipment. 24 Hour Fitness actually has a monitor that you can purchase to do this for weight lifting, walking, aerobics, etc.
    I know it's hard to track. Usually when I think I've been working extremely hard on a bike and then read the burned calories and plug into the myfitnesspal.com it is listed under low intensity...I personally felt like it was high, though...LOL!
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
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    heart rate is probably a good indicator. you can ride a stationary bike 20mph, but if you don't have the resistance cranked up it isn't much different than riding 10mph.

    personally i don't use a heart rate monitor. to guage intensity, i stick to advice i heard a few years back - it was something like: "you should feel like you could carry on a conversation, but you don't want to"
  • msdrogo
    msdrogo Posts: 5
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    I would agree about checking your calories burned. There are many ways to do that. It is a basic formula age/weight, etc. Interval training can make your workouts very intense. Go all out for a set period of time then rest or slow down, then do it again. I'm sure your trainer told you about that. My rule is find something that you know your body reacts to the most. For me it's running. To vamp it up I go farther or faster to make sure my intensity stays high. When I'm done I'm drenched with sweat and I know I put it a good work out. Then switch things up from time to time. I love my GPS watch, it tells me everything and motivates me to do more the next time. Good Luck!
  • kd5nay
    kd5nay Posts: 3
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    Thanks for the info! I have been keeping an eye on that too. My only concern is that from what little I have recently learned about calories is that the calories burned is largely dependent upon your weight. The machines I use at la fitness only account for age. That leaves a huge gap between myself (an out of shape, male) and a 110 lb girl wih a bmi of 10. When I put my info in other websites that take EVERYTHING into account the numbers are WAY higher than the machines at gym.
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
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    i could be wrong, but i don't think a stationary bike really needs to account for someone's weight when determining calories burned. all you are doing is cranking the pedals in a circle at a set resistance. you aren't propelling your body forward, up hills, etc.

    if you and a 110lb girl were riding real bikes up a real hill, you'd probably burn a lot more calories than her. but if you are both on stationary bikes with identical resistance and speed, your calorie burn isn't going to be much different than hers.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I use the talking method too. If it becomes difficult to carry on a conversation, then you're doing it right. If you are just lolly gagging around, you're wasting your time.

    Personally, I huff and puff and my face turns red. Then, I'm sore for the next two days. It's hard to know if I'm overdoing it sometimes, because I am really out of shape, but at the same time, if I don't challenge myself (which is very easy to do) I won't get much benefit from it.
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
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    I use the talking method too. If it becomes difficult to carry on a conversation, then you're doing it right. If you are just lolly gagging around, you're wasting your time...

    one of my biggest pet peeves at the gym is when a trainer is supposedly working someone out, but they are both chatting incessantly the entire time. usually about how much boozing they're going to do next weekend.
  • kd5nay
    kd5nay Posts: 3
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    Boopiejones, that makes sense about the weight. I just thought that even though you're not lugging the extra weight up hills or anything your body is still working more intensely than the body of a "fit" person. It may have actually been on here that I read something about how if you log the exact same exercise over time, all the while losing weight, that the calories burned keeps decreasing. The more in shape you get, the more you have to do of a specific exercise to burn the same amount. At least thats what i thought it meant.

    I like that talking method you mentioned too! that is dead on. I have been watching my heart rate as well. the machine setting I use is the "cardio" workout and it tells me my target heart rate which i maintain for at least 30 minutes. Its definitely a sweat maker. I really appreciate the input from everyone.
  • PhilBlock
    PhilBlock Posts: 25 Member
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    In my experience, the best way to gauge the intensity and burn is with a heart rate monitor. That way I know how hard I'm working by how fast my heart is beating. There were times before getting one where I thought I was working hard, but it turned out I wasn't going as hard as I could. Now I know when I'm at the max, and when I can push harder...:wink:
  • Chelij
    Chelij Posts: 49
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    I completely agree with Phil....an HRM...that and you get a pretty accurate count of how many calories were burned too :)
  • complejo
    complejo Posts: 36
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    When I first started getting into exercise I started with the elliptical... it takes into account your weight and age and it has different intensity levels. I do the weight loss program that automatically sets the intervals and it is way easier than treadmill to me, but when I ramp up the resistance it can be a challenge as well. I've always liked it over things like stationary bikes and it is easy on my knees.
  • mashame
    mashame Posts: 6
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    Hello! A good way to guage intensity is called the Perceived Exertion Scale. Basically it's a 1-10 scale while exercising:

    1: Not feeling a thing
    2
    3: Breathing starting to quicken
    4
    5: Heart rate up but can still talk
    6
    7: Difficult to talk
    8
    9
    10: Dying!

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