Will a HRM really make that much of a difference to my worko

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Gracestar12
Gracestar12 Posts: 46 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

What are the pros and cons of training with a HRM?

Replies

  • 911Megz
    911Megz Posts: 42
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    The HRM will tell you calories burned accurately. What type of exercise are you doing?
  • Sd0510
    Sd0510 Posts: 295 Member
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    I agree. Usually MFP is WAY over with my calories, and if I were to eat all of them back, I wouldn't lose weight at all.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    depending on the exercise, MFP is off for me by 10-150 calories.. i know nothing is exact, but id like to be as close as possible.
    i cant think of any cons really. i paid $60 for mine on amazon and it was a bit more than i wanted to spend, but that just makes me all the more motivated to use it and get my monies worth :D
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    For me I use it while I am working out (weight sessions) to make sure I keep my HR up at a nice high rate......
    I try and get it up to about 160 to 180 - and then when I take a rest I try not to let it go down much under 135 - 130 before I start the next set....

    Also great when I do High Intensity work to push the Intensity bits high enough....

    Obviously also nice to know my burns at the end ;-)
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
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    My HRM has become a must-have for any workout session. I hate gym without it. I really resent the entire workout if I can't be sure the calories. When I can't use my HRM for some reason I can't eat all the calories MFP estimates. I love my HRM and as I am nearing my goal its getting harder and harder to lose the weight. Without my HRM I probably never would have breached my plateau.
  • MoonShadow_1au
    MoonShadow_1au Posts: 149 Member
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    The trick is that we all burn calories differently. A HRM will monitor your heart and from that calculate effort.

    For me MFP activities are usually 100 - 200 cal LOWER than my burn (for 60 - 90 min).

    My HRM means I can eat more :)
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    it acually makes you do MORE exersice to!!!
    yes it is true...say if you are out walking and you get to say 300 cals burnt you just wanna see those numbers going on up!! it is lioke a drug...BE FRIGHTENED BE VERY FRIGHTENED! :huh:
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
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    If you plan to eat back exercise calories I would say YES it will make a difference.
    As the others have mentioned before MFP gives too many calories for most exercises.
    I HATE working out if I forget my HRM.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I got a Garmin Forerunner 405 for Christmas which is really handy because its GPS is much more reliable than Runkeeper.
    And I know what my heart rate is which is kind of interesting, though I haven't spent enough time to really use this data yet.
    It doesn't use heart rate to calculate calories though, but it's estimates are pretty close to MFP and Runkeeper so that's good enough for me.
    I HAVE lost weight eating the calories calculated by MFP so it is quite possible.
    In my opinion it is a nice toy but not essential.
  • Rachiepie6
    Rachiepie6 Posts: 423 Member
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    Aside from the accuracy, it is a great motivator.
  • perkinsbrian
    perkinsbrian Posts: 1
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    A heart rate monitor will keep you in the right zone for weight loss. At 60 to 70% your max heart rate you are burning more fat than carbs. You want to build in this zone. If you go to high of a HR you burn more Carbs and you will burn thought your body's stored carbs and stop. Too hard an effort burns less fat. Once or twice a week is is good to do higher heart rate exercise which helps raise your metabolism. Good luck.
  • tonilizzy88
    tonilizzy88 Posts: 968 Member
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    yes yes yes

    to be honest with you i wouldnt exersize half as much as i would without it. i LOVE seeing what im burning and sometimes ill talk myself into doing that extra 10 min because i know it will burn another 100 or so calories when my heart rate is up :)
  • JeninBelgium
    JeninBelgium Posts: 804 Member
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    it acually makes you do MORE exersice to!!!
    yes it is true...say if you are out walking and you get to say 300 cals burnt you just wanna see those numbers going on up!! it is lioke a drug...BE FRIGHTENED BE VERY FRIGHTENED! :huh:

    this is true for me as well -let's say I am near or at the end of my work out and I see that I burnt 417 cals- I will go a little longer to get to 450 or sometimes even longer to have a nice round 500 in
  • AshinAms
    AshinAms Posts: 283 Member
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    I find that as I'm getting fitter the values from MFP are completely out (given my weight and age apparently I should be less fit :P) and the gym machines are also out, even though they have continuous monitoring if you wear a strap. I like that the HRM (I have a Polar F4) gives me my totals for the week and total cals expended. I also use it to keep my heart rate up the same as Elle does, otherwise I find I get lazy and start chatting halfway through a set and next thing I know my HR is down at 65!

    Also, something no-one else mentioned is that you can see when you are getting sick/have not eaten properly - if you use an HRM for all your exercise and you suddenly find that your HR is way elevated above what it usually is for that specific exercise, or that you take too long to recover it can signal to you that you're not 100%. I've had colds and flu predicted this way.

    Altogether I think it's a great motivator. If you have the money, buy one!
  • Carfoodel
    Carfoodel Posts: 481 Member
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    it acually makes you do MORE exersice to!!!
    yes it is true...say if you are out walking and you get to say 300 cals burnt you just wanna see those numbers going on up!! it is lioke a drug...BE FRIGHTENED BE VERY FRIGHTENED! :huh:

    this is true for me as well -let's say I am near or at the end of my work out and I see that I burnt 417 cals- I will go a little longer to get to 450 or sometimes even longer to have a nice round 500 in

    I do this too, have to round up either the time or the calories - I can't contemplate going to the gym without one. its the best part of the session when I have finished and then I look at the summary and see my average heart rate etc and know how good the sessions been and I can't wait to get home so I can add it onto my spreadsheet. (I am such a geek lol)
  • Gracestar12
    Gracestar12 Posts: 46 Member
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    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I'm now (almost fully) sold on the idea. My next query... what type...? :smile:
  • sweetums85
    sweetums85 Posts: 23 Member
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    i finally got one for x-mas i got a polar f4 and i love it so far

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