Yet another thread on heart rate monitors and target heart rate

I have read almost every thread on here about these subjects, and at first I became obsessed that I MUST have a HRM and know what my target heart rate is to burn calories in order to be successful at getting fit and losing weight.  But then the more I read, I concluded that as long as I am exercising and exerting myself, I'm obviously burning calories and this is ultimately going to lead to weight loss.

I'm sure a lot on here can't live without their monitors but it sounds so complicated, all the equations and percentages, glycogen versus fat stores, low versus high zones, etc.  It has my head spinning now. 

Can't I just move more and keep moving more?   Or am I on the wrong track?  Is having a monitor and tracking heart really that much more effective than not?

Nah, mine stopped working and it took a couple weeks to get the batery changed and I still worked out the same. It really is for super uptight people like me who just want to know - lol. The only real use I find in my training is for when I'm doing heart rate training for a specific event/race. If you're not training for anything specific and just exercising for exercise then it's really not necessary.

Original Post by joyhorvath:

 

I'm sure a lot on here can't live without their monitors but it sounds so complicated, all the equations and percentages, glycogen versus fat stores, low versus high zones, etc.  It has my head spinning now. 

A heart rate monitor is a nice "tool" to have but its not "essential" for weight loss.  I don't know anything about glycogen and fat stores stuff and when fat starts to burn vs muscle yadda yeadda yadda.  I didn't get my first HRM until I had already lost 40 lbs and the 1st one I got just did heart rate no cal counts and such - it wasn't until a year later I got a fancy one (polar F11) because I wanted to improve my health at that point and maintain my weight. 

I will say I am one who is now hooked on my HRM - but that may be my addictive personality too. ( x smoker, drinker drugger etc...)

Sure a HRM will give you the best estimate on a calorie burn for a specific workout - however if you are having success with just working out and eating right then you are fine.  Go by perceived rate of exertion vs pulse.  Maybe set a goal like for every lb loss put some money into the "HRM JAR" and when you have the money saved up reward yourself with one then. In the meantime study up on the different functions you might want and be sure to get a HRM you won't outgrow in short order.

Original Post by sybil878:

Nah, mine stopped working and it took a couple weeks to get the batery changed and I still worked out the same.

You know you don't have to really send these back to the manufacturer -- take the watch or strap to a local jewelers and they will change the battery for you if you can't do it yourself.  The jeweler I used to go to didn't even charge me for the new battery but they closed so now I just change them myself.

I just got a basic HRM ($32 on Amazon) a few weeks ago. I just started jogging some then...had been walking quite a bit for years. My average HR is down a bit already after just 3 weeks when I jog. SO it is kind of interesting and it reminds me to try harder.

I have a polar f6 and im addicted. I got it mainly because I wanted to know how many calories I was burning. Now I use it alot for hitting my max heart rate. I feel so lost when Im at the gym when I dont have it. A few months ago I had the watch portion stolen from me while i was getting changed in the locker room. Dummy me sat it on the sink and walked away. I didnt work out again till I got a new one. Working out is just not the same with out it. I also like the stop watch fuction on it. Also at the end of the week it will give a summary of all the cals burned and my average and avg. max heart rate.

It's not necessary to be honest.  It's a handy tool, but that's all.

Just get on your favoured cardio machine, do your work and listen to your body.  That's enough to tell you how hard you've worked or not.

There's a percentage of your maximum heart rate that's meant to be the most effective for fat burning, which involves longer periods of cardio.

On the other hand, evidence suggests that training at a higher heart rate percentage allows you to burn more fat and calories in a shorter period.  It also has less of a catobolic effect meaning you don't lose your muscle mass.

From personal experience I've found the higher heart rate training to be far more effective.

I'm also addicted to my HRM. One of the benefits is that it gives you a more accurate count of how many calories you actually burn during exercise. When I first started using it I was shocked to find that the elliptical trainer calorie count was higher by almost 200 calories in 50 minutes! I'm a numbers person and like to keep track of the calories in versus calories out, and I get a more accurate measure using the HRM.

It's not necessary to have one for working out, but I never go to the gym without mine. I also use it to keep track of my HR, so I can see how exercise has benefited my overall fitness level wrt my recovery HR and resting HR.

Its deff useful to reach your max heart rate when working out. Like at my gym the HRM on the machines never work. So I cant tell when Im reaching my full potential. Its a fun useful tool, not necessary.