Video Games & Heart Rates

  You may LOL at this question, as did I when it first struck me, but last night while I was playing video games, I noticed  how my heart rate would jack up when I'd be in the middle of a shootout or quick thinking situation.

So out of curiosity I measured my heart rate, and found that it would shoot up to over 100 pretty often. I’ve really been into cardio and calories and whatnot as I’ve been cutting lately, so naturally, I began to wonder if the constant sharp incline and decline of my heart rate while playing video games is an inefficient means to burn a few extra calories LOL.

No I don’t plan on including video games in my fitness regimine. It’s just a harmless question LOL. Thanks guys.

I could be wrong, but I’m not sure that an increase in heart rate necessarily leads to a significant increase in calories burned. Adrenaline is triggering the sympathetic response in your body (increased heart rate, increased blood flow to large muscles, etc). But unless your muscles actually use this blood flow, you will not burn a lot more calories.

Well, I don’t expect a lot more calories burned. I was just wondering if there was any increase in calories burned at all, however minute. Is there?

Your heart is moving faster, which requires some energy. However, it most likely isn’t enough of an increase to even bother discussing beyond that.

try doing some realy hard math, time it before and after (different questions but same technique)

Did you measure your blood pressure? Becuase I know some people like my brother-in-law that get pretty worked up over some video games.

what game? was it a shooter , scary, etc?

Like was said, your heart was speeding up for reasons other than perfusion, so the only increase in calories is the small amount being used directly by the heart. Which won’t come out to much.

What’s your normal resting heart rate?

[quote]grrrsauce wrote:
Did you measure your blood pressure? Becuase I know some people like my brother-in-law that get pretty worked up over some video games.[/quote]

No lol just heart rate.

[quote]Split wrote:
what game? was it a shooter , scary, etc?[/quote]

Gears Of War.

[quote]JonP wrote:
Like was said, your heart was speeding up for reasons other than perfusion, so the only increase in calories is the small amount being used directly by the heart. Which won’t come out to much.

What’s your normal resting heart rate?[/quote]

I’m not sure exactly. What’s the best time to measure your resting heart rate? Wake up in the middle of the night and measure? I measured 63 about half hour before I went to bed.

[quote]Velz wrote:
JonP wrote:
Like was said, your heart was speeding up for reasons other than perfusion, so the only increase in calories is the small amount being used directly by the heart. Which won’t come out to much.

What’s your normal resting heart rate?

I’m not sure exactly. What’s the best time to measure your resting heart rate? Wake up in the middle of the night and measure? I measured 63 about half hour before I went to bed.[/quote]

Generally it’s recommended after waking up in the morning because most other factors are usually the same at this time.

Fight Night Round 3 jacks my HR way up (and also fills me with murderous rage when I lose)

oh yeah…10 seconds from planting the flag in Halo…heart is pounding in my chest…

[quote]Velz wrote:
Split wrote:
what game? was it a shooter , scary, etc?

Gears Of War.[/quote]

That game is awesome.