heart rate and calorie expenditure

[drachma]

given the recent fad in heart rate monitoring and calorie counting, I have a somewhat philosophical question (read: pointless overanalysis)

heart rate is now frequently used as a correlate for calorie burn. If you do X exercise at Y heartrate for Z minutes, you will burn more calories if Y is greater for the same duration. makes sense. more intensity, same duration = more energy used.

however, as we all know, heartrate varies depending on your state of recovery; for example if I am unrecovered (or it is hot) i might have 5bpm higher average heartrate through a long piece even though i am keeping the exact same pace and rate.

would i burn more calories on a hot day or a day where i am poorly recovered, but doing the same amount of Work, simply because my heart rate is higher?

why or why not?


as stated before, pointless overanalysis. I was just wondering if there is any scientific or clinical evidence one way or the other.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

would i burn more calories on a hot day or a day where i am poorly recovered, but doing the same amount of Work, simply because my heart rate is higher?

why or why not?

Yes. Your body expends energy trying to cool you down when it's hot and/or humid, thereby burning more calories. Any energy expenditure by your body comes in the form of calories burned. HR does not have a 100% correlation to calories burned, but it's pretty darn close and you won't find a better way to do it.

If you're poorly recovered, you're employing more muscles or working at a higher % of VO2max to maintain the same intensity, thereby expending more energy and burning more calories.

[bisqeet]

would i burn more calories on a hot day or a day where i am poorly recovered, but doing the same amount of Work, simply because my heart rate is higher?

why or why not?

Yes. Your body expends energy trying to cool you down when it's hot and/or humid, thereby burning more calories. Any energy expenditure by your body comes in the form of calories burned. HR does not have a 100% correlation to calories burned, but it's pretty darn close and you won't find a better way to do it.

If you're poorly recovered, you're employing more muscles or working at a higher % of VO2max to maintain the same intensity, thereby expending more energy and burning more calories.

Seem to recall that muscle mass also influences the calorie burn.

[at1839]

Yes, but that is related to basal metabolism, not exercise. Muscles burn calories to be alive. PaoloC

Seem to recall that muscle mass also influences the calorie burn.