Marrying my HRM?

What one did you get? I'm looking to get one too

Haha, that's awesome! Glad you like it!

Should my boyfriend be worried? I'm 99.9% sure he bought me one for Christmas.

It's just sitting there, under the Christmas tree (yes, I already have my tree up), wrapped up...waiting for me...so tempting!! :laugh:

What kind did you get, btw?

I'm in love with my HRM also. My daughter bought it for me for my birthday at the end of September and we are inseparable!!

I have a Polar FT7!! For me, I found that MFP was way underestimating my calories burned...go figure!!

Careful! HRM are not good for estimating weight training work outs!

( I was surprised to find this out and thought it was important)

http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

I have a 'Polar FT4F' (ITS PINK!)

Cost my mother (she bought it for me as a gift for reaching my first weight loss goal) about $120 (AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS).

Its awesome!! I cant believe ive never used one before!!

HIghly recommended!

(Also, I am now noticing that MFP GREATLY overestimates calories burned during excercise...so this is alot more accurate

Polar FT4, That is the one I have on my Christmnas list! Glad to hear you are enjoying your new toy!

Don't get the Polar RS100, unless you want to track running. I got that for my kickboxing and weight training work outs and it beeps continuously. (Usually because my heart rate is above target). I can't silence the thing...no matter what I do. Not exactly great for Yoga either. :-)

I have the Polar RS100 as well and you can make the beeping stop. Just turn off limits when you are not worried about staying in the "zone" as follows.

Settings->Limits->Off.

It will still track you heart rate high/low/average, calculate calories and fat% the same as when you are using OwnZone/Age/Manual limits. It will just stop beeping at you!

Careful! HRM are not good for estimating weight training work outs!

( I was surprised to find this out and thought it was important)

http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

Logic in that is suspect given that if anything a HRM will underestimate calorie burn for weight lifting. If you are lifting with proper intensity, it should be fine and in fact has been working great for me.

How is that a given?

I know I've read it other places too, like here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/hrms-cannot-count-calories-during-strength-training-17698

If it's not true, then great! I would be really happy about that but I've only read things saying it is (even though they're not the most official things). Any resources that say something else?

Again that post is flawed.

Here's why. Heart rate IS an indicator of how hard you are working during lifting. You burn more calories activating muscle in a lift than you do during cardio of the same duration. If you do set that takes 30 seconds and compare what you burn to what you burn for 30 seconds of walking or jogging, lifting will burn more. The more muscles you activate the more you burn, period. Most cardio exercises do not activate as much muscle as a squat does. Not to mention that with lifting you burn addition calories for about 48hrs post exercise VS a few hours for typical cardio. Not only that but the inensity of the lifting determines how much extra you burn post exercise.

Where it is right is that it's not as accurate as it is for cardio because cardio burn is almost completely contained during the time of exercise. It is right that if you are lifting girly weights and not lifting with proper intensity you will probably have more problems with accuracy.

Like I said, I wear my HRM for cardio and lifting and eat according to the burn and MFP calculation and it's darn near spot on. IME, and a few others that have been monitoring lifting with HRMS, it IS pretty close. I think the reason it works is that while you may be overestimating how much you burn during the exercise, you are also underestimating the residual burn over the the next 48hrs and it seems to even out.

I have the polar FT40 and I love it - it breaks my workouts into % of fat burning level and tells you how long you have been in either fitness or fat burning zone.

As I wanted to see how my average heart rate was today for the cardio compared to the weights part of my workout - I stopped the watch and made a new recording for the weights part. I had wanted to burn 500 cals today so once I had done my half hour weights I recorded the next cardio session. The cardio sessions showed my max hr as 178 & 179 and the weights it was 165. I just love that I my watch does all this for me. The calories overall for the cardio was 419 in 70 mins and only 160 for the 30 mins of weights.

These figures will seem low as I am 44 and its only my second week at the gym, I haven't been for nearly 18 months and I carry quite a bit of weight - but hopefully you get the gist - I don't see the weights as part of my calorie burn, they are more about shaping and toning, the cardio is to build up my lung capacity, stamina and general fitness levels - It would be really hard for me to work it all out without my watch.

Was about to google HRM ) but now I know what an HRM means;)
I don't have one, willl look up something on line to see if I can find a deal. I am the only one in my family that needs to lose weight. I will buy for myself this Christmas, or give a hint my DH

I have a 'Polar FT4F' (ITS PINK!)

Cost my mother (she bought it for me as a gift for reaching my first weight loss goal) about $120 (AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS).

Its awesome!! I cant believe ive never used one before!!

HIghly recommended!

(Also, I am now noticing that MFP GREATLY overestimates calories burned during excercise...so this is alot more accurate

i bought the Polar FT4 (pink) a few weeks back. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, its keeps me motivated and pushes me to not only work out, but to work out harder to try and stay "in the zone"..

I too, was overestimated (and sometimes id underestimate..to be on the safe side).
love that i dont have to do that anymnore

Yeah for you ...... My beep had gone........................:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

I've been toying with buying a HRM and the various brands. I have some questions about how you guys incorporate them into your diaries.

Do you guys just change your diary entries manually all the time to reflect what the polar HRM says you burned? or are you only wearing it during exercise and inputting you own calories burned during each particular exercise?

Thanks in advance

I have the Polar FT7 and LOVE it. MFP and the machines at the gym were overestimating my calories. I just type the minutes and delete the calories MFP populates and type in the ones from the HRM. My HRM keeps a record of the training sessions so I can store a few and then log them all at once for a total daily burn.

Careful! HRM are not good for estimating weight training work outs!

( I was surprised to find this out and thought it was important)

http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

So what's the best way to do this? Is the BMF any better? I notice one of the Polar HRM says its for weight training- is THAT any good.

Careful! HRM are not good for estimating weight training work outs!

( I was surprised to find this out and thought it was important)

http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

Logic in that is suspect given that if anything a HRM will underestimate calorie burn for weight lifting. If you are lifting with proper intensity, it should be fine and in fact has been working great for me.

How is that a given?

I know I've read it other places too, like here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/hrms-cannot-count-calories-during-strength-training-17698

If it's not true, then great! I would be really happy about that but I've only read things saying it is (even though they're not the most official things). Any resources that say something else?

Again that post is flawed.

Here's why. Heart rate IS an indicator of how hard you are working during lifting. You burn more calories activating muscle in a lift than you do during cardio of the same duration. If you do set that takes 30 seconds and compare what you burn to what you burn for 30 seconds of walking or jogging, lifting will burn more. The more muscles you activate the more you burn, period. Most cardio exercises do not activate as much muscle as a squat does. Not to mention that with lifting you burn addition calories for about 48hrs post exercise VS a few hours for typical cardio. Not only that but the inensity of the lifting determines how much extra you burn post exercise.

Where it is right is that it's not as accurate as it is for cardio because cardio burn is almost completely contained during the time of exercise. It is right that if you are lifting girly weights and not lifting with proper intensity you will probably have more problems with accuracy.

Like I said, I wear my HRM for cardio and lifting and eat according to the burn and MFP calculation and it's darn near spot on. IME, and a few others that have been monitoring lifting with HRMS, it IS pretty close. I think the reason it works is that while you may be overestimating how much you burn during the exercise, you are also underestimating the residual burn over the the next 48hrs and it seems to even out.

No, this is incorrect.
Pure bro-science.

One does not burn more calories during weight lifting than cardio.