Can someone explain Zone 3 to me on my HRM (Polar FT7)?

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starrstarr007
starrstarr007 Posts: 48
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok - so I use my Polar FT7 every day when I work out and use the weekly goals it sets for me as motivation to push a little further each week. I have to admit I look forward to Monday mornings because it plays me a little song and gives me stars or a trophy etc on the face of my watch (hey it is the little things that count on a Monday right?). Well today I got nothing :( I worked out an additional hour over my goal, burned an additional 350 calories over my goal and I met my zone 1 and zone 2 goals at 100%. What I got today as my goal for this week is "Spend less time in Zone 3." Last week I was in zone 3 for a total of 30 minutes.

When I work out I try to push myself to give it as much as I can the whole time. Is that bad? Why is zone 3 bad? Sometimes when I am working out and see that I am in zone 3 I take my intensisty way down to get back into zone 2, but that doesn't feel like working at all. I need someone to explain this to me so I can understand what is going on with me, my heart rate monitor and how we can all get along :)

Replies

  • hazelnut861
    hazelnut861 Posts: 390 Member
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    I have a polar ft7 and had no idea it did all that! I haven't gotten any trophies if it makes you feel better :)
  • starrstarr007
    starrstarr007 Posts: 48
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    I have a polar ft7 and had no idea it did all that! I haven't gotten any trophies if it makes you feel better :)

    Well I am feeling super cool now! I picked the weightloss program and it sets all kinds of goals for me. Believe me the little Dee-Dee-DEE sound effect it makes on Monday morning it HUGE motivation, hence why I was SO let down today... I got nothing :(
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    It's probably going by the old thinking that working out in a lower zone (lower heart rate) burns more fat than working out at a higher heart rate. You can do plenty of research on the topic to make your own conclusions. For me personally it's just about burning calories. So I spend 75%+ of my time in zone 3. If I strive to keep my heart rate low I just get bored and I burn less calories.

    Most times it tells me I only burned 10-15% of my calories as fat, but from what I understand that doesn't mean anything useful.
  • starrstarr007
    starrstarr007 Posts: 48
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    Thank you!!! I will look into it more... I would really just like to understand it because in my mind it is logical - the harder I work, the more calories I should burn and thus lose more weight... I feel weird not giving it 100% just to keep my heartrate in that little zone 2 box.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    The general theory is that:

    If you work out at a moderate rate, your body has time to convert fat to glucose and use it to steadily maintain your gas tank so to speak. So you're "burning fat", essentially.

    If you work out a high rate, your body can't convert the fat fast enough to keep you fueled. So it's forced to just use the glucose floating around in your bloodstream. So you're not burning fat, you're just burning the immediately available energy resources. However, when you're finished exercising, your body now has to stabilize. So in your resting period, it theoretically it starts converting fat to glucose again to bring your blood sugar back up. So you're "burning fat" while resting.

    Theoretically you end up at the same point in the long term.

    At the end of the day, it's all about calories in versus calories expended. So if you burn more you're gonna lose more. It works for me. I especially enjoy pushing myself with interval training, keeps it from being boring and those 30 minutes fly by. If it's boring then I'm just gonna end up not doing it, no matter how good it supposedly is for you.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    Can you tell me how you did that?

    I've had an FT7 since may and I'm pretty sure it doesn't do any of that... Unless there is something I'm missing!
  • JennC831
    JennC831 Posts: 631 Member
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    Can you tell me how you did that?

    I've had an FT7 since may and I'm pretty sure it doesn't do any of that... Unless there is something I'm missing!

    Please let me know how to do that too! LOL.. I just started using mine yesterday... Didn't read in the manual anywhere that it could do that...
  • cjzoller
    cjzoller Posts: 5
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    It sounds like you don't have the FT7, but the FT60.

    What you are explaining is the Star Training Program.. ( more info on the Star Program and how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2GdU1XgGR8)

    The point in the Star Training Program is to create a balanced program which incorporates both high and low intensity workouts. It's not all about the most amount of calories burned. The program is designed with recovery, base training, high intensity and also adapts based on your training load and fitness level.

    Think about it like this: if you spent 100% of your exercise time in Z3 you may burn yourself out. Lower intensities train your body to work more efficiently and increases your total power at high intensity. Using a runner as an example, an experienced runner, running at 160 beats per minute will be much faster than a newbie runner running at 160bpm. Who is working harder?

    The program is exactly that, an exercise program. I have never seen a single running, cycling, exercise program that has every workout the same.. Any exercise is good exercise.. But if you have 3 hours to spend exercising in a week and you just go workout and try to burn the most amount of calories you can in that 3 hours you are doing yourself/your body an injustice.

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