Heart rate during weight training

thedoc46 · 2 Jun 2015 at 20:33

So I got my Apple watch yesterday, and well for the first time ever I've been able to monitor my heart rate while weight training.

I was shocked to see that it was barely above normal... Sometimes as low as 60bpm. Never ever rising above 120. Which is strange cos i feel I'm putting in the effort.

Whereas, during cycling, I can crank that puppy up to almost 190 (during sprint) and in the 160's while pace riding (20mph avg)

Now admittedly, I'm not one of these veins pumping, all muscles on show meat heads... But more of the medium weights and lots of reps. Always dumb bells around the 25kg, or bench around the 70kg. So still putting in the effort.. and this is always after a good 30min of cardio. So i feel i get to the weights already sweaty. I feel that after an hrs workout, i've done my fair share. My heart feels like its pumping away, and i've worked up a sweat.

Just curious as to why the heart rate is much lower than I expected. Anyone else who's got a heart monitor noticed the same.

thedoc46 · 3 Jun 2015 at 11:26

I do 3 sets of 20 reps of medium weights per exercise, so that it starts to burn, halfway into the 2nd rep.

Yes I could go heavier and lower the reps, but as i said, i do not want to bulk up. I personally prefer the medium solid build, rather than that hey look everyone i'm a body builder...

Maybe its just the watch. But then again HR is HR, and it is correctly measuring the HR.

I'm not doing weights for a cardio workout, but my ticker does feel like its pumping and though i recover quickly, after my final rep, i really do feel like i've exerted myself.

thedoc46 · 3 Jun 2015 at 20:26

Steedie said:
Ignore it

Mine's the same, so was my Fitbit. But when I use my chest monitor, it's always a lot higher

It will never be accurate when you wait train due to the tension in your wrists, the movement affecting the contact between skin and the sensor, and lots of other things

If you adjust it enough or relax in between sets, it will pick it up

Mine is usually around 60-70 after working sets of squats...however when I sit down or relax in between sets and let it adjust, it goes up to 130-140

Thanks.

thedoc46 · 4 Jun 2015 at 16:47

Not weight training related.. But when using my watch with my phone close by, when cycling (so its using the GPS) it mirrors the calories used to my Sigma ROX bike computer. It knows the speed and HR and correctly calculates the calories burnt. Of course this is approximate.. It doesn't know if you're riding uphil, flat, alone or drifiting or on a windy day... blah blah blah... but the numbers fall in line with the Sigma.

Leave the phone and all it has to go on is the HR, and it sells you short on the calories by a good 40% Unless the watch is learning? Maybe after a couple of weeks, it'll say ok, this guy does so much of this and that, so if his HR is this much, then he's probably burning this many calories..

ATM, how does it know if i'm just unfit and struggling at low speed. That's the only conclusion i could come up with.

thedoc46 · 9 Jun 2015 at 20:29

So thought i'd update this thread with an update.... I purchased a Polar H7 HR monitor as curiosity got the better of me... and yep it perfectly matched my Apple Watch... Today I had a good solid nonstop crossfit style workout in which consisted of 30mins of pretty much non-stop weights, with very little in way of pauses. 600 reps to be precise, and my average HR was only 124. Yes i could go heavier, but again, my target is NOT to bulk up in any form. If anything, love to slim down a tad...

This was all after a 30min, pretty strong elliptical session with an av HR of the mid 150's.. So my body had already exerted itself prior to the weights.

Perhaps on Weds when i go back, I'll try lifting heavy weights, in reps of 6, and see what the ticker does then..

thedoc46 · 9 Jun 2015 at 20:44

Or unlucky... I think guys that parade themselves around with all their 'big' muscles on show are just as bad as bimbos with their fake augmented **** on show via their very low cut tops...

Lets not make a mistake on what people like, a good body in my opinion is as in what a middleweight boxer has...

thedoc46 · 9 Jun 2015 at 20:45

mrthingyx said:
Dude: diet is most important in size and weight loss.

Lifting whilst maintaining a calorie deficit will cause you to lose weight; lifting in a specific manner whilst on a calorie excess will result in size gains.

Please have a look at the OP of the GymRats thread for all the skills you need as this will help you no end.

Great, as I'm currently walking around at 164 and want to get down to 162.

thedoc46 · 17 Jul 2015 at 20:10

thedoc46 said:
So thought i'd update this thread with an update.... I purchased a Polar H7 HR monitor as curiosity got the better of me... and yep it perfectly matched my Apple Watch... Today I had a good solid nonstop crossfit style workout in which consisted of 30mins of pretty much non-stop weights, with very little in way of pauses. 600 reps to be precise, and my average HR was only 124. Yes i could go heavier, but again, my target is NOT to bulk up in any form. If anything, love to slim down a tad...

This was all after a 30min, pretty strong elliptical session with an av HR of the mid 150's.. So my body had already exerted itself prior to the weights.

Perhaps on Weds when i go back, I'll try lifting heavy weights, in reps of 6, and see what the ticker does then..

Thought i'd update this thread.... I've been lifting heavier weights now doing less reps and yes, my HR has been increasing to around the 140 - 150 mark. I've been using runtastic in cross fit mode with a Polar H7 and been able to keep a constant eye on my HR, as its being displayed in my iPhone which i have right next to me.... HOWEVER my Apple watch whenever I'm doing anything that involves arms (from dumbells to bench) says its in the 60's ???

When doing legs its more accurate, anyway the point to my reply is guys the Apple watch is crap as a HR monitor if you're lifting weights. Completely wrong, by at least 50% for what will probably be 75% or your workout.

Great for cardio, (matches my Polar) but perhaps when you're lifting weights using your arms, your wrist muscles are tense, making the false readings? who knows...

Anyway just wanted to update. don't buy an apple watch if you're into HR whilst lifting.