p90x help

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OK so I'm tired of estimating how much I burn and I'm low balling it.. is there any way I can find out how much I really burn and I read u burn at least 600 with each video and that seems high to me. .... sorry if I confused anyone but I'm confused. ;/ please give me advice
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Replies

  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
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    That's an average...people burn from 350-700 calories per DVD.

    HRM is the ONLY way to do it and get in the ball park, and I don't even trust the HRM's in that program to save my life.
  • P90XCertifiedCoach
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    You really need to invest in a good heart rate monitor, I reccomend any with a chest strap, I have the Polar ft7. Its around a 100 bucks, my best investment so far other than P90X
  • raelynnjordan
    raelynnjordan Posts: 135 Member
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    I agree. Heart rate monitor is the best way to go. I also have a Polar. Mine is the FT60
  • terter0764
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    This might sound dumb but how do u use it and how do u figure out how much u burn using hrm
  • SweetCharity
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    I agree with the above posts. The only way you can know what YOUR body burns and not depend on an average is to get a good heart rate monitor, or what I use - the bodybugg. But that's a little more in depth than just calculating an exercise calorie burn. I had the same problem the first time I did the X, but once I got a better hold on my calorie burn with the bodybugg - it made calculating calories in a lot easier!
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
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    There should be instructions that come with it, every HRM monitor is different, and they all use different algorhythms to determine the calories burn.
  • Spitfirex007
    Spitfirex007 Posts: 749 Member
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    HRM's are a great tool for getting your calorie burn. However they really only work if you are doing cardio. Other then that you just have to ball park it. They say 600 is average. So if you feel that is too high, use maybe 500.

    And this is just my personal opinion. People stress way too much over numbers on this site. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep track and everything. But even with a HRM, you are never going to be 100% accurate. Just keep measurements, weight yourself weekly, (in the morning before you eat is best time) eat right and stick to your workouts. You will see results!
  • terter0764
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    Thankx everyone .... I will get one it will be nice to have. .. u have helped a lot ;♥
  • wbond
    wbond Posts: 363 Member
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    HRM's are a great tool for getting your calorie burn. However they really only work if you are doing cardio.

    I 100% disagree!

    HRMs don't only work if you are doing cardio, they work for all types of activities. Based on your thought, you only burn calories doing cardio. You burn calories 24hrs a day. Even with strength training, you can burn many calories. And knowing the number of calories you burn during ALL kinds of exercises is a great tool to track your progress in weight loss. Knowing how many calories you take in and how many calories you burn throughout the day, you can estimate at the end of the week how many lbs you should have lost. And if you are not near that number then you can take a look at your nutrition to see where you went wrong and adjust accordingly.
  • obrien821
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    HRM's are a great tool for getting your calorie burn. However they really only work if you are doing cardio. Other then that you just have to ball park it. They say 600 is average. So if you feel that is too high, use maybe 500.

    And this is just my personal opinion. People stress way too much over numbers on this site. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep track and everything. But even with a HRM, you are never going to be 100% accurate. Just keep measurements, weight yourself weekly, (in the morning before you eat is best time) eat right and stick to your workouts. You will see results!

    I completely agree with you. Numbers are important, but as long as you see results that is what matters most! HRM are a little over rated. lol (but is a nice tool to have).
  • obrien821
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    terter,

    I am 5'3", weigh 114 lbs and burn about 610 with Kenpo, 570 with Core Syn, 550 with Cardio X, 612 with Plyo, and strength training about 450 -500. Hope this helps.
  • Spitfirex007
    Spitfirex007 Posts: 749 Member
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    HRM's are a great tool for getting your calorie burn. However they really only work if you are doing cardio.

    I 100% disagree!

    HRMs don't only work if you are doing cardio, they work for all types of activities. Based on your thought, you only burn calories doing cardio. You burn calories 24hrs a day. Even with strength training, you can burn many calories. And knowing the number of calories you burn during ALL kinds of exercises is a great tool to track your progress in weight loss. Knowing how many calories you take in and how many calories you burn throughout the day, you can estimate at the end of the week how many lbs you should have lost. And if you are not near that number then you can take a look at your nutrition to see where you went wrong and adjust accordingly.

    What the hell are you blabbing about... When did I ever say you only burn calories during cardio? I am saying it's pointless to wear them during lifting exercises. Your heart rate isn't going to be nearly as high as when doing cardio. Which is probably why I have never seen anyone wearing one during weight training! And while I do think they can be useful tool, they aren't necessary.

    Like I said above.. people look into the numbers on this site way to much. HRM are not going to be spot on 100%. Your calorie intake is not going to be 100% spot on. Just do your workouts and eat right. You can and will get results!
  • wbond
    wbond Posts: 363 Member
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    What the hell are you blabbing about... When did I ever say you only burn calories during cardio?

    Umm, read your original post and you see what "I am blabbering about." and way to be professional when you start cursing and being rude.
  • petey247
    petey247 Posts: 9 Member
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    I've been tracking my calories with a HRM over the past 10 weeks on p90x. My averages are below if you want to compare them to yours. Depending on your weight, you may burn more or less. I'm currently 160 lbs.

    Yoga / X-Stretch: 280 calories (I log 180 after I deduct the calories I would normally burn during that time at rest. I deduct more for Yoga because the program is so long.)
    Cardio: 350 calories (I log 270)
    Core Synergistics: 420 calories (I log 340)
    Kenpo / Plyometrics: 520 (I log 440)
    All Strength Days + Ab Ripper: 350 (I log 270)

    Hope this helps...
  • Spitfirex007
    Spitfirex007 Posts: 749 Member
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    What the hell are you blabbing about... When did I ever say you only burn calories during cardio?

    Umm, read your original post and you see what "I am blabbering about." and way to be professional when you start cursing and being rude.

    Cussing? lol. When did I cuss? Anyways not really getting into a debate about this. I never said you only burn calories when you do cardio. Sorry if you took it that way...
  • vaston
    vaston Posts: 38 Member
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    HRM's are a great tool for getting your calorie burn. However they really only work if you are doing cardio.

    I 100% disagree!

    HRMs don't only work if you are doing cardio, they work for all types of activities. Based on your thought, you only burn calories doing cardio. You burn calories 24hrs a day. Even with strength training, you can burn many calories. And knowing the number of calories you burn during ALL kinds of exercises is a great tool to track your progress in weight loss. Knowing how many calories you take in and how many calories you burn throughout the day, you can estimate at the end of the week how many lbs you should have lost. And if you are not near that number then you can take a look at your nutrition to see where you went wrong and adjust accordingly.

    What the hell are you blabbing about... When did I ever say you only burn calories during cardio? I am saying it's pointless to wear them during lifting exercises. Your heart rate isn't going to be nearly as high as when doing cardio. Which is probably why I have never seen anyone wearing one during weight training! And while I do think they can be useful tool, they aren't necessary.

    Like I said above.. people look into the numbers on this site way to much. HRM are not going to be spot on 100%. Your calorie intake is not going to be 100% spot on. Just do your workouts and eat right. You can and will get results!

    I always wear my HR monitor (Polar FT7) during lifting. The P90X lifting days are intense enough to keep your HR above 100 easy, unless you sit around between the exercises. Since 100 is the top of the normal HR range (60-100), I consider that calorie burning. I also push myself harder during lifting to keep my HR up. True, there is no way to accurately determine calorie burn from lifting, but I CAN determine minimum calorie burn from my HR. The benefit is this: If my HR monitor tells me I burned 350 kcal and my average HR was 115, I know I burned at least that much. I therefore have probably underestimated my true calorie burn, but I still account for what I can see. Nothing you say can discount the fact that I burned at least that much when maintaining an elevated HR.

    FYI: Many people in this world consider the word "hell" used in your context as a cuss/curse. Just a heads up.

    To the OP: Wear your HR monitor during all of your workouts. It will give you a good general idea of what you have accomplished. Most days the P90X plyo burns around 650-750 kcal for me, but this week I burned 900. Guess I pushed a little harder that day.
  • Spitfirex007
    Spitfirex007 Posts: 749 Member
    Options
    HRM's are a great tool for getting your calorie burn. However they really only work if you are doing cardio.

    I 100% disagree!

    HRMs don't only work if you are doing cardio, they work for all types of activities. Based on your thought, you only burn calories doing cardio. You burn calories 24hrs a day. Even with strength training, you can burn many calories. And knowing the number of calories you burn during ALL kinds of exercises is a great tool to track your progress in weight loss. Knowing how many calories you take in and how many calories you burn throughout the day, you can estimate at the end of the week how many lbs you should have lost. And if you are not near that number then you can take a look at your nutrition to see where you went wrong and adjust accordingly.

    What the hell are you blabbing about... When did I ever say you only burn calories during cardio? I am saying it's pointless to wear them during lifting exercises. Your heart rate isn't going to be nearly as high as when doing cardio. Which is probably why I have never seen anyone wearing one during weight training! And while I do think they can be useful tool, they aren't necessary.

    Like I said above.. people look into the numbers on this site way to much. HRM are not going to be spot on 100%. Your calorie intake is not going to be 100% spot on. Just do your workouts and eat right. You can and will get results!

    I always wear my HR monitor (Polar FT7) during lifting. The P90X lifting days are intense enough to keep your HR above 100 easy, unless you sit around between the exercises. Since 100 is the top of the normal HR range (60-100), I consider that calorie burning. I also push myself harder during lifting to keep my HR up. True, there is no way to accurately determine calorie burn from lifting, but I CAN determine minimum calorie burn from my HR. The benefit is this: If my HR monitor tells me I burned 350 kcal and my average HR was 115, I know I burned at least that much. I therefore have probably underestimated my true calorie burn, but I still account for what I can see. Nothing you say can discount the fact that I burned at least that much when maintaining an elevated HR.

    Just an FYI: Many people in this world consider the word "hell" used in your context as a cuss/curse. Just a heads up.

    To the OP: Wear your HR monitor during all of your workouts. It will give you a good general idea of what you have accomplished. Most days the P90X plyo burns around 650-750 kcal for me, but this week I burned 900. Guess I pushed a little harder that day.


    " True, there is no way to accurately determine calorie burn from lifting "

    And that was my point. Sure you can use a HRM during lifting. But it's not going to give you a spot on calorie burn. Which is why in my first post I said " However they really only work if you are doing cardio. " It will give you a general idea. But that is it. Which also why I say people put too much stress on their numbers. But thanks for the info :smile:
  • JamesBurkes
    JamesBurkes Posts: 382 Member
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    True heart rate monitors are generally ineffective at telling you how many calories you burn during weight workouts because of the algorithms they use. For example, mine uses weight, height, gender and heart rate but the algorithm it uses is based on "moderately fast running" i.e it assumes constant activity. With weights you may go all-out on a set and spike your heart rate and you may be sat on the bench panting for a minute or so until it comes back down. The heart rate monitor assumes you're actually exercising (albeit increasingly moderately) as you rest, yet in reality all you're doing is sitting down.

    To be honest, this is less of an issue with the P90X weight workouts as they're pretty fast-paced and you get very little rest (compared to hitting the gym and doing 15 sets in an hour, say), so you ARE pretty much working out constantly. Still, I'd take any figures produced with a healthy dose of scepticism and if in doubt (when calculating your calories for the day) round downwards.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
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    basically here is a good example of an HRM getting screwy.

    Sit in a sauna with it on. Your heart rate is going to go crazy because it's trying to keep your body cool...but you aren't burning any calories, however the HRM will tell you.