Calories burned?

B

Beth1

Cathlete
How do people know how many calories you've burned during your workouts? I use a heart rate monitor but have always read that they are inaccurate as far as calories burned goes, so are you all using those figures or are there other watches, gadgets that more accurately track calories burned? I know I shouldn't care about this, know the intensity of your workouts and calories burned after are more important than during, but can't help wanting to know anyway. Yesterday I saw a post with the comment that she had burned 700+ calories during Kickmax - I was floored, according to my polar watch, the most I've ever burned is close to 300 (with LowMax). Would love to know if there is a more accurate way to track them.
 
Exactly, I did IMAX 2 yesterday, 2nd time ever, didn't fall off the step once, heart rate got to 92% in intervals, stayed between 70-75% during aerobic portions, was huffing and puffing and dripping and afterwards the watch said 196 calories, sheesh!!
 
According to my heart rate monitor, I almost always burn around 500 calories with any of Cathe's workouts that are around 60 minutes. I think a lot of it goes by weight and what shape you are in, but I could be wrong. It is has been a while since I've worn my monitor with Low Max, but I think I remember burning around 500 calories with that one as well as with Kick Max. I weigh 125 lbs and I consider myself at the intermediate level. I even burn over 200 calories with Low Impact Step. I had to program my heart rate monitor with my age and weight.
 
I think the different models of Polar monitors may use different formulas to calculate calorie burn. I know I had two monitors at one point and they gave me different readings with the same user data keyed in. The Polar customer service people were nice explaining it all.

Here's what I remember (which is a dangerous thing to count on, since my memory is not so great!) I think that the more sophisticated (expensive) monitors give lower calorie burn read outs because they are more linked to heart rate intensity. Also, I think if you put yourself in as a high activity person, your rate of calorie burn goes down. I think the rate of calorie burn on some monitors may change after a certain duration of exercise.

I get obsessed with the numbers and sometimes have to shake myself back into reality saying that if I feel like the workout was a blah-low results effort than it was. Sometimes the numbers don't tell the whole story. I never get a high calorie reading for LowMax, because my heart rate overall stays in a lower range than say KPC or IMax or a run.

Barb:)
 
Would you please tell me what kind of heart rate monitor you have? I want to purchase one. Thank you.
 
I recently purchased the polar f-11 and love it. I had the A5 but I told myself when the battery dies I am going to upgrade and so glad I dit.

Deb
 
Thank you, Debra. I am on the small side, so I was thinking of getting an F 4 which is for a smaller wrist.
 
Ya know, I just don't trust any monitor, whether it be on a treadmill or whatever to give an accurate calorie burn count. I just go by time spent and how hard I worked to gauge my workouts.
Just Do It! :)
 
Honeybunch -

I use my heartrate monitor as a guage to show me the real intensity of a workout as opposed to my perceived intensity. For example IMax 2 and Rhythmic Step - I burn about the same amount of calories - but I'd have thought I burned a lot more in IMax 2 because it just feels tougher.
 
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