heart rate watch while lifting weights

shevchenko · Post by **shevchenko** » December 31st, 2009, 3:07 pm

u know polar heart rate watches. do u think they re for cardio only?
i see new fitness models. but i m not sure if i can have it while bench pressing.

but it says more than that.
it says this watch can be your personal trainer.
* Creates a training program based on your personal goals and sets new weekly training targets
* Gives feedback on the effect of your training
* The Polar Fitness test measures your aerobic fitness at rest and tells you your progress

http://www.polar.fi/en/products/improve ... ining/FT60

whan i look at the reviews on amazon.com people say, it s a great motivator..
i dont know how.. but if it really works i can purchase one. but it s not cheap.

i workout with weights 3 days a week. and other 4 days i row concept 2 and exercise bike.

what do u think about it?

gobrian77 · Post by **gobrian77** » January 1st, 2010, 8:25 pm

I don't see how it would really do you any good- lifting weights is completely anaerobic unless you're doing dozens of reps, and heart-rate doesn't really enter into it (unless you have some physical problem you need to monitor).

PJM · Post by **PJM** » January 1st, 2010, 9:52 pm

I can give you my perspective on this..as I am a personal trainer and find the heart rate monitors very beneficial.It is true that weight lifting is anaerobic but you can use weight training in a cardio sense if you wish.Lifting weights can bring the heart rate up ..it can be a valuable interval training tool.If you wish to use your weight training in this manner.Heart rate monitors do many more things than simply show your heart rate.I own a Garmin that actually logs all your workouts and you can download them in your computer.It is integrated with a shoe pod that measures your distance etc.In shopping for a heart rate monitor..you find one that fits your needs.They can be helpful and if you really inderstand your body, how it works and reacts to your various activities.I have them that are connected to my cardio equipment and those that just measure your overall workout.If you know how to measure your heart rate with the old fashioned method..it is cheaper..for sure.But a heart rate monitor can serve many uses..

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shevchenko · Post by **shevchenko** » January 2nd, 2010, 6:59 pm

dear pjm thank u.
i ve purchased the polar ft 60 model on the link.

it has 3 zones.
%60-70
%70-80
%80-90

which area do i have to do concept2 rowing?
and which ares do i have to do weightlifting?

if i get out of area it beeps.

Lincoln Brigham · Post by **Lincoln Brigham** » January 2nd, 2010, 11:15 pm

I'm a weightlifting coach and I have absolutely no use for a heart rate monitor while weightlifting. None.

gobrian77 · Post by **gobrian77** » January 2nd, 2010, 11:55 pm

Lincoln Brigham wrote:I'm a weightlifting coach and I have absolutely no use for a heart rate monitor while weightlifting. None.

I agree-after twenty-five years of lifting, I've never seen anybody worth a damn in the gym who was concerned about his heart-rate while hitting the weights (unless maybe it was somebody who thought they were going to have a stroke from working out too hard).

I don't see why a guy who does four days of cardio per week would need a heart rate monitor either if he lifts the other three days and his goal is to gain muscle- I occasionally see trainers in the gym encouraging their sedentary middle-aged housewife clients to keep their heart-rates up while they work out as they would get zero cardio in otherwise (as they get no other exercise in other than those sessions), but their interest generally isn't to gain muscle, but rather to lose a bit of their "jiggle" and tone themselves up.

badocter · Post by **badocter** » January 3rd, 2010, 6:08 am

Having worn my HR monitor during lifting sessions a few times just for curiosity's sake, I also fail to see the point. The data analysis in Firstbeat Athlete reported the TE was only a 1.2 which is not even a "maintaining" CV training effect. FB no doubt underestimates the EPOC for primarily anaerobic workouts that have high rest/work ratios, but I am not aware of any analysis package estimating it any better.

atklein90 · Post by **atklein90** » January 8th, 2010, 10:06 am

I agree with PJM on this topic....I purchased my first heart rate monitor in back in November. I've done all sorts of different forms of exercise over the years ranging from powerlifting to marathon running (quite the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of training methodologies). However, as I get a little bit older (I'm 33 now), my primary focus is on overall fitness....not to find out how strong I can possibly be.

That being said, my primary goal in purchasing a monitor was simply motivational....tracking the number of calories burned per session, regardless of the type of exercise being performed whether it be cardio or weightlifting. But, my weight training sessions at this point in my life are geared toward overall functional strength and I work with limited amounts of rest, which drive my heart rate up. I'm not really concerned about what my heart rate is, but rather, measuring caloric expenditure during those sessions as a measure of how hard I'm pushing myself. So, I find it to be a valuable tool in monitoring my overall fitness level and performance.

I'd agree with the weightlifting coach in that if your goal is purely strength development, monitoring heart rate really doesn't matter as you're probably working in low rep ranges that don't increase your heart rate enough to measure any meaningful caloric expenditure beyond a state of rest....just my two cents...

bama · Post by **bama** » February 3rd, 2010, 12:58 pm

what would be the best test to find your max hr using the rower (just do a 2k test and at the end check heart rate )??? see all this stuff about ut 1 and 2 and an.

Tinus · Post by **Tinus** » February 3rd, 2010, 1:27 pm

atklein90 wrote:I agree with PJM on this topic.... I'm not really concerned about what my heart rate is

er....

Tinus · Post by **Tinus** » February 3rd, 2010, 1:28 pm

shevchenko wrote:i see new fitness models. but i m not sure if i can have it while bench pressing.

The term fitness is probably more specifically a reference to cardio type of fitness programs and not to weight lifting.

btw It is more informational to wear the heart rate monitor during your sleep than during bench pressing.

bama · Post by **bama** » February 3rd, 2010, 1:48 pm

not for weightlifting, just rowing

badocter · Post by **badocter** » February 16th, 2010, 1:10 am

bama wrote:what would be the best test to find your max hr using the rower (just do a 2k test and at the end check heart rate )??? see all this stuff about ut 1 and 2 and an.

2k is probably the shortest distance that will get you reasonably close, but to get the HR up that high is so painful that it is difficult to determine if you really hit the true max or stopped short. The highest HR I have recorded on a test piece was on a 30 min race this past december topping out at 202 BPM (recorded using a suunto chestbelt, suunto PC-POD and firstbeat athlete software.)

The highest heart rate I have hit on several types of session:

1k - 191
2k - 198
5k - 196
6k - 196
30' - 202
10k - 199

8x500 -190
4x1k -194
pyramid -191 (on the 1k rep in the middle)
5x1500m - 195
4x2k - 195
3/2.5/2k -195

I suspect I can go higher than 202 as the HR appeared to still be climbing at the end of the 30' session...perhaps someday the data will confirm this out, but it is going to hurt. There is a step test protocol that is also used to test for max HR, but I am not convinced it will give any better value than a mid distance time trial would... less than 2k is definitely too short and does not give the heart enough time to line out

NavigationHazard · Post by **NavigationHazard** » February 16th, 2010, 10:02 am

Why do you need your max HR on an erg? Much more important in training is your threshold-associated HR. You can determine that from a step test without having to erg to exhaustion. And if you have that, and your resting HR, you can do some simple math and figure out the rest of your C2 training bands. (for simplicity's sake, the C2 Interactive Programme estimates your threshold at 85% of heart rate reserve).

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heart rate watch while lifting weights

heart rate watch while lifting weights

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