heart rate zone question

showtime

So i recently bought a heart rate monitor for my running.

I have the Magellan Echo watch and monitor strap with both take the info from my "Map My Run" app on my phone.

I want to train at the right zone for weight loss, but I think I'm doing too much.

The only thing is I can't seem to go any slower.

have a look here:

https://www.walkingwithattitude.com/fitness-tools/heart-rate

if you put in my age "30" and press "calculate" it recommends a heart rate of 114 - 133 for weight loss.

I would say the average heart rate it displayed for me on my run on the beach last night was around 153 and I ran for approx 10KM which took me around 1 hour and 20 mins in the sand .


my question is ... am I training wrong for weight loss? I have been doing this for a few months now and I've worked up to the 10KM.

I did notice that when I stopped and began walking , the heart rate dropped to around 125,

does this mean I should be doing brisk walks instead of slow runs ?

thanks

SuprSi

Just because your heart rate is outside the stated zone for weight loss doesn't mean you won't be losing weight. Those zones are guidelines and are listed to give people an idea of the minimum they must do to achieve weight loss or improve fitness. The idea behind the weight loss zone is that it's not too strenuous that you can't keep doing it for a period beneficial enough to actually lose weight.

If you're exceeding the zone and still maintaining your training, as you obviously are with a 10k run, you'll just burn more calories and lose more weight than if you take things easier. Plus, going into higher bpm territories means you'll be improving your cardiovascular abilities as well, making yourself fitter than if you restricted yourself to a lower bpm.

showtime

thanks,

so what you're saying is ...

what i am doing is still better than going for brisk walks ?

SuprSi

Absolutely. You should only be aiming for the weight loss zone if you can't go any harder for a period of time, such as your 10k run.

showtime

cheers mate

rubadub

showtime wrote: »

I would say the average heart rate it displayed for me on my run on the beach last night was around 153 and I ran for approx 10KM which took me around 1 hour and 20 mins in the sand .

If you slowed down to get the heart rate down and did the same 1hour 20mins then you probably would have burned less fat.

This was my take on it

rubadub wrote: »

As for fat loss you hear of "fat burning zones" related to heart rate for cardio. So say you cycle a fixed distance 10miles, then according to the theory you will burn more fat if you cycle maintaining a certain heart rate. Of course if you cycle like a lunatic you will burn more fat and calories PER MINUTE, BUT it will be a short duration of cycle. This is where people get annoyed and confused with the "fat burning zone" theory.

If you have 60mins to workout then put max effort in for that hour and you will burn the max fat. If you have a fixed distance then maintain the fat burning zone for max fat burned.

I posted a while ago comparing it to car engine fuel efficiency, there is a certain speed where the engine has its lowest "mile per gallon". The other confusion is when sportsmen are talking to people trying to burn calories, e.g. they might be recommending the most efficient way of doing something, while the fat person might be better of using the most inefficient method. e.g. a marathon runner wants to conserve energy, they are not going to compete in a marathon with ankle weights and swinging their arms wildly. A pro cyclist will not compete on a mountain bike, while for exercise it might be preferred as it is usually more comfortable and expends the same energy per hour, you just travel a shorter distance.

conzy

This can be confusing. At lower intensities i.e lower heart rates your body will tend to use primarily fat for fuel. at higher intensities it will primarily use glycogen.

You are focused on weight loss so the most important thing is to be in a caloric deficit. The bigger deficit you create the more weight you will lose.

So technically a 30 minute walk burns more fat (while you are walking) but the much larger deficit you create on a 30 minute run will lead to more fat loss overall. Hope this makes sense

metamorphosis

Dont be worried about zones and sticking to them - the watch calculates it on a formula that was never intended to be used so wildly in the fitness world. A HR watch is great for bio feedback, looking at cause and effect and noticing changes in your heart rate based on exertion, how tired you are, stressed you are, mental focus and breath and more importantly your recovery.

The Maximum HR formula that the watch uses to determine zones doesn't take into account that training zones are NOT same for everybody and it also assumes that your MHR declines as you age every year.

What you see on your watch is a great response to the exercise you are doing but dont treat it as prescription. After you have worn your hear rate monitor for a while, you will start to see a trend - a HR that you equate or can expect to see when things feel easy, moderate, challenging, breathless etc That information that you learn is far more useful than blindly following non personalized zones that a watch breaks down for you.