View Full Version : What do you think about a heart rate monitor?
Turtle Feet
12-28-2010, 23:36
I've been toying with the idea of wearing mine for the first few weeks. I'm curious about calorie burn. Not sure how accurate a picture I'd get, but within a few hundred calories anyway.
Do you know of anyone else that's worn one as they hike the trail (maybe it's a common thing)? I can always mail it home if it gets to be a hassle, but it's just a matter of remembering to turn it on and off (I wouldn't take it off).
tf
ChinMusic
12-28-2010, 23:48
I'm a gadget/toy guy and wear one on section hikes. I'm pretty confident my burn rate is about 650-850 per hour backpacking on the AT. I know for a fact, on a flat bike trail with no pack my burn rate is about 550 an hour.
I think the HR monitor over estimates, sometimes quite a bit, on calorie burn over the whole day on the trail. It could be off as much as 25% by my guesses. Early on a section hike it has me burning some even while taking a break.
I like to see how my average heart rate drops from day to day on a section hike. On a thru I would prob wear it for a week and bounce it forward. Then wear it every so often on the way north so I can see how things change as I get more in shape.
It's another toy.
I don't think the HR monitor tells much about calorie burn as it tells about heart conditioning. Resting rate, max rate, and duration of activity at elevated rates help to evaluate and increase your cardio capacity. There is so much info connected with this. You may want to do a bit more research on-line.
ChinMusic
12-29-2010, 00:42
Polar is the model I have used for the last 9 years. I have a standard loop I walk on a local bike trail. I also have a 10-mile hiking loop I use to prepare for section hikes. The software allows me to compare different periods of time (overlay the graphs) to see how things have changed. If I do the walk and see my heart rate is up I know I may struggle if I have a section hike coming up.
My model does a fairly good job of estimating VO2 Max. As your VO2 Max improves your heart rate will drop for a given chore.
Turtle Feet
12-29-2010, 01:35
I have a Polar F6; gathers lots of info. The watch is the one I'll be wearing anyway, so it's just a matter of strapping on the monitor. I think it would be fun to able to journal my cardio conditioning as I go along!
tf
ChinMusic
12-29-2010, 01:54
I agree. It's just a strap at that point. No weight biggie. If it makes the trip more fun, go for it. Dweebs like me will like reading about the data/results.
Turtle Feet
12-29-2010, 02:16
Dweebs like me will like reading about the data/results.
LMAO... Dweebs like me will be posting it! :D
mweinstone
12-29-2010, 11:28
not braggin hear, just stateing whats possible. my heart rate can be 65 at rest and 70 hiking sometimes. ive practiced rythmatic breathing and the rest step since i was a kid and am quite proficcient at it. i keep my rate allmost stable going from level to incline when im paying attention and trying hard to do it. i have walked days where it feels so easy due to control. and the opposite is true of course more often than we like. ive never used a moniter but count my pulse for 5 seconds and do the math to figue it out. i bet moniters have less acuracy than counting in a hiking enviroment . just guessing.
Turtle Feet
12-29-2010, 15:32
not braggin hear, just stateing whats possible. my heart rate can be 65 at rest and 70 hiking sometimes. ive practiced rythmatic breathing and the rest step since i was a kid and am quite proficcient at it. i keep my rate allmost stable going from level to incline when im paying attention and trying hard to do it. i have walked days where it feels so easy due to control. and the opposite is true of course more often than we like. ive never used a moniter but count my pulse for 5 seconds and do the math to figue it out. i bet moniters have less acuracy than counting in a hiking enviroment . just guessing.
WOW! That's amazing - I wish I could say the same. I have a pretty low resting hr as well, but that all changes with aerobic activity. The rest step is a must for me on steep inclines, but I just flat-out need to get in a little better cardio condition before mid-March. That would mean getting off this couch!
So you're planning to hike the trail with me this year, teaching me every step of the way O Sensei!?! ;)
tf
ChinMusic
12-29-2010, 15:53
I just flat-out need to get in a little better cardio condition before mid-March. That would mean getting off this couch!
Yes and no. You certainly don't need to be a Lance Armstrong to start but being in "decent" shape will make the early part of the hike more enjoyable. I've gone into section hikes in-condition and out-of-condition. In-condition is better........;). But, even being out of condition works as long as you take it slow.
Warning: Non-dweebs read no further.....
From graphing the data you will find that your average heart rate drops substantially after just a few days into a trip. Mine will drop as much as 20 bpm by the end of the first week. As you get further in shape the graph will get steeper as you heart rate drops more when you stop. If you are out of shape and stop mid day your HR might not drop much below 100. Once you get in shape the HR will drop MUCH lower and MUCH faster once you stop. I can compare the graphs from when I was in my best shape to worst and the good-condition graphs spike up and down sharply. The graph is much more flat when out of shape.
At the beginning of a section hike my HR will be above 160 on steep ups. By the end of the week those same ups won't get over 145. Oddly enough the ups FEEL the same but something is going on.....:D
SawnieRobertson
12-29-2010, 17:58
In the beginning, and there is always a beginning, when I am trying to get in shape once more . . . I do use a heart monitor, but I use it to tell me if I should back off for a bit if I have a too high reading OR to tell me to get going, I'm not working hard enough.
Eventually. it all levels off, and I stop bothering with it. It is a marvelous training device that gives excellent feedback.--Kinnickinic