T bought me a Fitbit in Feb I used it for a bit but then I decided
to exchange it for the vivofit with a heart rate monitor because I wanted
something that could help me push myself more, another reason I wanted a heart
rate monitor was to improve my running speed and I was also pretty
excited about seeing how much I burn in my circuit and my RPM classes but the
first day with my heart rate left me confused. I barely burn around 300-350
calories in 45 minutes (some people burn 500-600) but my legs always feel crazy tired.
Now the confusion I have is when I go for a run for the same
amount of time I burn more and I am less tired. My legs are mostly never tired
after a 60 minute run and 45 minutes of RPM I can feel my muscles in pain within
the first 5 minutes but I still burn less. Now I have got a new way of
challenging myself but this gadget keeps me guessing all the time...this is
what I am thinking in my RPM class
Today I am going to keep my heart rate around 160 for all my intervals and rest I am going to not let it go below 125..(class starts: warm up heat rate goes up to 106 then slowly goes up to 120 stays in the 120’s till the first interval then it shoots up to 140) Tanvee push yourself, you can do it..you are still at 140....but my legs hurt...no push yourself...you have to get it higher (heart rate goes up to 150..then to 158, interval ends...and my heart rate comes down in a few seconds to 120) Oh no don’t come down my legs are still hurting (next interval starts) common Tanvee 160 this time...you have to do it again I reach 158/160 just in time for the interval to end and my heart rate drops to 120. This cycle goes on for the entire class.
Trust me when I say my legs constantly feel the workout and
it’s not easy but somehow my heart rate and muscles don’t seem to go
hand in hand. I am still trying to figure it, actually it’s a challenge. I
enter every class with a hope of burning more calories than the previous.
Have you ever used a heart rate monitor? Does it confuse you
or am I the only one?
Keep Reading I will Keep Writing
Tanvee
I've had my heart rate monitor for about a year now. I must admit ... I'm still unsure about so many things! I have been a little disappointed in my burn for SO many activities. Like you said, I'll barely get 300 calories burned for an hour of Zumba, when others tout 600+ It seems quite difficult for me to get my heart rate up in many activities. Jogging does still seem the best thing to get it up and keep it up, but I don't really like jogging! It IS really interesting to see the feedback. I have a Fitbit too, and find it quite interesting to compare the two estimates ... I hear a lot of conflicting information about HRMs too ... that they are ONLY good for steady-state cardio (so not for weights, what does that mean for intervals?). Regardless, it is still interesting information to have ...
ReplyDelete:) I was looking forward to reading your comment on this because I know you use all these gadgets regularly..It definitely is interesting information
DeleteI have a hrm (polar) but have not used it in awhile.
ReplyDeleteI dont like mine as I cannot see the cal's I am burning as I walk/run.
At times, I used to feel so tired (1 hour walk) and the hrm would just say 300 burnt... yes so welcome to the club, you ain't alone xx
I love mine...but it does confuse me a lot with the calories burnt...feels good I am not the only one stuck in this situation...seriously in the beginning I thought I was going crazy
DeleteHi Tanvee! though I have never used a heart rate monitor, I still have some thoughts on this post. Though I am no expert may be, the muscles one uses while spinning is different from the ones used in running. Also remember running is high impact. The body weight bounces on knees, hips, ankles etc plus you also use your arms, shoulders and back. RPM - i think the focus the may be on a single set of muscles (mostly glutes, may be quads??) So that is the reason you may be feeling more tired and pained. Pained is a sign of muscle fatigue. Since we run with the our whole body our gait, posture, pace etc is affected by muscle strength.. so even though you ankle may be hurting, you may find a way to run without causing much pain on it. But in an RPM class in order to keep up, you will continue to use the same muscles just at different tempos. So less scope to adapt.
ReplyDeleteHope I made sense. As far as the calorie burn goes, I usually dont obsess over those numbers, As long as I feel a good surge of endorphins :)
you make a lot of sense..thanks for taking time out to explain this to me. I am usually not the number kind but I wanted to push myself more and then a number is a benchmark for me, all these numbers made me go crazy for a bit..
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