Weight Training Calorie Burn MFP Data

bcwgobuffs
bcwgobuffs Posts: 3 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
So, new to the boards but long-time user of MyFitnessPal... usually referred to as MyFitnessBeyotch but I digress.

How do you all record weight training in MFP? When I search it shows calories per minute, but when I work out it is usually do a set, rest, do a set, rest a bit more and so on.

So usually a workout is say 45 minutes at lunch and of that time maybe 12 to 16 minutes is actually lifting and the rest is shuffling weights around or resting.

Do most of you just estimate the total time actually lifting weights? Is there a better way than just an estimate?

Your feedback is appreciated.

Replies

  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    In for answers. My solution has been to not count it at all so far.
  • Swanson83
    Swanson83 Posts: 226 Member
    I do actual time lifting. I haven't upgraded to a lot of free weights yet (newbie here!) so I am moving from machine to machine and moving a few weights when doing squats and some doing barbell exercises. When I am in the gym for 50 minutes I log it as actually lifting for about 30 minutes.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I dont even bother recording it because at most a one hour lifting session is gong to burn about 150 calories....and I use TDEE method and not MFP method...I see most people just record it as one calorie burned or something like that..
  • bcwgobuffs
    bcwgobuffs Posts: 3 Member
    So NDJ how did you get to the 150 in an hour? I think the MFP database would suggest more than that; and what is TDEE? Thx
  • richln
    richln Posts: 809 Member
    You can find a listing in the cardio exercise database for "strength training" that will give you a rough estimate. The actual burn will vary by a big amount depending on how you are lifting (intensity, number of reps, rest between sets, etc.) Since lifting heavy does not burn all that many calories, and there are too many variables here to get a very accurate estimate, I don't think it is worth obsessing over.

    If you are doing mostly powerlifting with lots of rest time, maybe log it as a fraction of the actual time you spent in the gym and log it under "strength training" cardio. If you are doing high-volume bodybuilding with little rest, maybe log the full amount of time you spent in the gym as "strength training" cardio. Or if you are doing approximately the same workouts every week, just factor it into your normal daily calorie burn and don't worry about logging it. TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure, and it includes your BMR+calories burned from all activity.

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