800 Calories Burned During a Video Game
05/13/09
I spent the past couple of weeks messing around with various heart rate monitors and found one I like. The Suunto t1c is a $120 unit that will track calories and heart rate. I stayed away from Polar products because they make you ship the watch back to the factory just to get the battery changed. My only problem with the Suunto is the screen is pretty dim.
I did a test run on the bike controller yesterday and logged 266 calories while playing our prototype version of the TORCS car racing game in my target zone for 20 minutes. Then I picked up the pace for the rest of the hour, including a few tough intervals. In total I burned a total of 867 calories over 65 minutes, according to the heart rate monitor.
A few points about the accuracy of the heart rate monitor. I set it up using the results from two cardio exercises that are recommended for determining max heart rate, but I realized that I ran those tests on a different monitor, so the results may not be completely applicable to the Suunto unit. This morning I ran a separate max heart rate test using the Suunto monitor and the result was within one point of the result from the other tests.
Regardless, I was cranking pretty hard during the last 45 minutes of the game, and it was a great workout compared to some of the harder outdoor cycling I’ve done.
I didn’t try to break a course record this time because I was focused on getting some heart rate and calorie data at different levels of exertion. I’ll add the heart rate data to my training log so I can go back and see how my fitness and technical game-playing skills improve over time.
One usability issue is that 20-30 minutes in the same seat position can make the crotch go numb. If I was biking outside I’d just stop or stand on my pedals. Those aren’t great options when you’re in the middle of a racing game. I wound up taking a short break to get off the bike and then reset the game.
I did a test run on the bike controller yesterday and logged 266 calories while playing our prototype version of the TORCS car racing game in my target zone for 20 minutes. Then I picked up the pace for the rest of the hour, including a few tough intervals. In total I burned a total of 867 calories over 65 minutes, according to the heart rate monitor.
A few points about the accuracy of the heart rate monitor. I set it up using the results from two cardio exercises that are recommended for determining max heart rate, but I realized that I ran those tests on a different monitor, so the results may not be completely applicable to the Suunto unit. This morning I ran a separate max heart rate test using the Suunto monitor and the result was within one point of the result from the other tests.
Regardless, I was cranking pretty hard during the last 45 minutes of the game, and it was a great workout compared to some of the harder outdoor cycling I’ve done.
I didn’t try to break a course record this time because I was focused on getting some heart rate and calorie data at different levels of exertion. I’ll add the heart rate data to my training log so I can go back and see how my fitness and technical game-playing skills improve over time.
One usability issue is that 20-30 minutes in the same seat position can make the crotch go numb. If I was biking outside I’d just stop or stand on my pedals. Those aren’t great options when you’re in the middle of a racing game. I wound up taking a short break to get off the bike and then reset the game.