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Heart Rate = Calories Burned?

  • 24-04-2009 7:13pm
    #1
    **Timbuk2**
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 7,396 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Hi

    This may sound like a stupid question, but here it goes.
    For the sake of argument, say that I'm on a stationary bike. If I have very little resistance set on it and I pedal really fast and keep my heart rate at a certain level (say 160 bpm) for 10 minutes I burn x calories.
    If I turn up the resistance high and pedal much slower, while still keeping my heart rate at 160, do I still burn x calories, or do I burn more?

    I have been told to take the calorie readings from a HR Monitor with a pinch of salt - but for the sake of argument, according to the HRM, the calories burned in each case would be the same.
    However, my instructor in the gym has told me that to burn calories effectively, you need to have a good bit of resistance - little or no resistance burns calories much slower.

    What is your view on this?
    Thanks in advance


Comments

  • #2
    IM0
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,390 ✭✭✭IM0


    It requires work (or watts) to move something, that is the measure of the amount of actual work you are doing. HR is just your bodies response to being able to do that work, the more work you have to do, the higher your heart rate will go. So pedaling at 160bpm with more resistence or less resistence will produce similar amounts of power -for your purposes. basically if you are pedaling at a faster rate you are putting more emphasis on your cardiovascular system, than if you are pedaling slower against more resitence, pedaling slower rate will tax your muscles more and pedaling a faster rate will tax your cardio more, it depends what you want to achieve? if you want to burn fat your pedal at a higher rate (but keeping your Hr like 160 as you say) or if you want to increase strength more you use more resistence and pedal slower, but your muscles have more of a chance of tiring more quickly.


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