Weight Training

Leslie0423
Leslie0423 Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
I do weight training twice a week with a personal trainer. One day is lower body, the other upper body. We don't necessarily always use weights for the lower body (i.e. squats). I always wear my HRM watch and see how many calories I burn. I am wondering why, when I enter the exercises I completed on MFP, it does not give me any calories burned? It only does it when I enter cardio. I tend to burn (according to my HRM) around 400-500 calories.

Replies

  • lorigem
    lorigem Posts: 446 Member
    That's a lot of calories burned on just doing strength. On average, according to my BodyMedia, I burn about 150 to 200 calories for a 45 minute circuit. Then there's the after-burn which I don't totally keep track of but is in the range of 75 - 100. Might need to recheck your HRM.
  • MsEndomorph
    MsEndomorph Posts: 604 Member
    Heart rate monitors don't measure calorie expenditure for anything other than cardio. So they work for a trip on the elliptical or a Zumba class, but they aren't accurate for weight training and they will WAY over estimate in my experience. I just enter the amount of time in as a cardio exercise and eat those calories since I tend to undereat and I'm trying to kick that habit.
  • jquijas
    jquijas Posts: 222 Member
    As far as MFP I believe they don't have calories burned with strength training because it is going to be different for each person. My bench press for instance, isn't going to be the same for your bench press. As for your HRM it is just that a HRM it monitors your HR so what I usually do is take off about 20% or so because I don't think they are accurate. But for the record I have burned upwards of 700 calories on a single strength training session. It is all about the amount of work you put in. That is what your heart is reacting to so I don't see why your HRM would react any different.
  • lorigem
    lorigem Posts: 446 Member
    But for the record I have burned upwards of 700 calories on a single strength training session. It is all about the amount of work you put in. That is what your heart is reacting to so I don't see why your HRM would react any different.

    Erm, I disagree. It's not "all about the amount of work your put in". Just because someone doesn't burn 700 calories in one session doesn't mean they are working any less. It may depend more on your size. Of course a heavier person is going to burn more than a lighter person. Just wanted to point that out.
  • miss_s_b
    miss_s_b Posts: 9 Member
    I am lucky: my gym has weight machines that you have to use the key you checked in with, and it gives you a readout of calories burned when you check out. There is a "weight-lifting" in the options under cardio: I just adjust the number of minutes performed until the calories burned matches what the gym readout says.

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