Do you count calories burned during weight lifting?

jessilynmelendez

I've found calculators for my weight and the amount of weight lifted over a period of time for calories burned, but I don't log them. I do hand weights on a balance ball for 30-40 minutes. What does everyone log, only cardio or weights as well?

silverfiend

I've never found a good lifting calorie burn model, so I never try to add them.

castillocameron

Don't worry about the cals you burn. Just focus on your diet.

Aaron_K123

I think you would if there was a good way of measuring that but there isn't really. Weight lifting will spike your heartrate but not in a way that is equivalent to doing extended cardio and getting your heartrate to the same level. You aren't going to burn all that much with weightlifting...but burning calories isn't really the point of weightlifting.

I'd log cardio but not weights. I think the reason to worry about the cals you burn is because it affects your diet. If you are burning more you should be eating more. I just don't think weight training is going to add so much burn as to be that important to track it.

middlehaitch

I give myself 100-150 cals for lifting.
(I am small so those cals really count)

I have maintained for years so know my intake well. When I started a slow drop in weight and fatigue a few weeks after I started lifting I bumped on the extra calories, felt better and my weight stabilized.

Just watch your energy levels and weight, add calories if you feel you need them.

Cheers, h.

capaul42

As I let my fitbit handle all exercise and sync, yes I do count lifting. If I didn't, I would be losing quicker than my plan. And I know that from experience. Lifting usually only gets me about 100-180 per session depending on the workout that day (Strong Curves).

Return2Fit

jessilynmelendez wrote: »

I've found calculators for my weight and the amount of weight lifted over a period of time for calories burned, but I don't log them. I do hand weights on a balance ball for 30-40 minutes. What does everyone log, only cardio or weights as well?

I do, but I had to make up some numbers for calorie burn that seemed close, and after some minor tweaking, I got in the zone.
Now, I always use my own numbers for exercise calorie burn with both cardio and strength.

sgt1372

These numbers work for me.

Less than 1 hr: 0
1-2 hrs: 125
2-4+ hrs: 250

May actually over estimate the calorie "burn" on some days but I've consistently lost weight using them, despite often eating the cals back.

xvolution

I usually add mine, but then I don't eat back the calories gained from lifting either.

sunnybeaches105

I don't count for weightlifting but I do for cardio

Unknown

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LessthanKris

You may mean heavy lifting but I am doing P90X right now and Beachbody has a calculator. So for someone who is 137 on the Chest and Back workout that is around 60 minutes they say 385 calories are burned. So I log 300. I am only 5'1 and MFP only gives me 1200 calories so I always eat my exercise calories back.

mommamia30189

i count them under aerobics because when i take an aerobics class it is mainly lifting hand weights, squats, sit ups, etc. I think for a 30 minute session i burn about 150 calories.

thatboyjosh73

I don't..between a hour of lifting and a hour on the treadmill it comes out to be like 1500 cals burned in 1 day ...plus I walk and stand up to 8 hours a day at work so it tells me I burn like 3k a day or something...I keep my Cal intake below 2200 a day so there is no way this is accurate or I would be losing close to a pounds or 2 a DAY...

RoxieDawn

The calories burned during 45 min to 1 hour of lifting are not enough to sway me on either side of the fence. If I need to eat more I just do.

BabyLovesToRun

I wear my polar watch with chest strap during any workout, so, yes, I count mine. I go hard when I'm there and can have a 600 calorie burn for an hour to 75 minutes. I earned those, so it counts to me!

singingflutelady

600 for weight lifting? That's way too high. Hrms were not designed for strength training at all just steady state cardio

RoxieDawn

BabyLovesToRun wrote: »

I wear my polar watch with chest strap during any workout, so, yes, I count mine. I go hard when I'm there and can have a 600 calorie burn for an hour to 75 minutes. I earned those, so it counts to me!

Your polar tells you that you burn 600 calories in 1 1/4 hours of lifting? This is not correct in any way. HRM'S cannot possibly gauge calories burned during lifting.

maybe this will explain..

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/hrms-cannot-count-calories-during-strength-training-17698

Jezreel12

I never back eat my working out calories. I pretend they are not there for me to use.

SLLRunner

jessilynmelendez wrote: »

I've found calculators for my weight and the amount of weight lifted over a period of time for calories burned, but I don't log them. I do hand weights on a balance ball for 30-40 minutes. What does everyone log, only cardio or weights as well?

I log weight lifting but put in zero. I count it as part of my activity level.

goldthistime

I log strength training. It doesn't give me many extra calories, but I often don't eat them back anyway, just depends on how hungry I feel. I mostly log them because it generates a notification that my friends see, and knowing that my friends might possibly notice that I skipped a day helps me to stick to my routine.

SLLRunner

RoxieDawn wrote: »

BabyLovesToRun wrote: »

I wear my polar watch with chest strap during any workout, so, yes, I count mine. I go hard when I'm there and can have a 600 calorie burn for an hour to 75 minutes. I earned those, so it counts to me!

Your polar tells you that you burn 600 calories in 1 1/4 hours of lifting? This is not correct in any way. HRM'S cannot possibly gauge calories burned during lifting.

maybe this will explain..

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/hrms-cannot-count-calories-during-strength-training-17698

I agree 100%.

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

I log it but don't count it. If I do a lot of cardio I'll count half. I lift because I want my body to retain muscle and look great when I drop off the fat. It makes me feel great but it's not gonna give me much to log and I lift heavy...

Asher_Ethan

I figure the weightlifting is part of my activity level so i don't count it.

kshama2001

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

I figure the weightlifting is part of my activity level so i don't count it.

MFP's "Activity level" is about how you spend the majority of your day, i.e., your job:

kshama2001

jessilynmelendez wrote: »

I've found calculators for my weight and the amount of weight lifted over a period of time for calories burned, but I don't log them. I do hand weights on a balance ball for 30-40 minutes. What does everyone log, only cardio or weights as well?

I log weights. I do this in the cardio section of my exercise diary and use the entry "Weight training, free weights." I don't eat back 100% of the exercise calories I get from MFP.

dragon_girl26

I do from my Body pump class. My Polar watch usually gives me 350-450 for a one hour class. It''s probably a little off, but Bodypump is more cardio and lighter weight driven anyway, without the frequent breaks.
If I were lifting heavy again on a regular program, I'd probably eat a protein bar afterward and consider that most of my calories burned.

arditarose

Never have, never will. I spend hours and hours lifting weight per week.

Eleanor_82

No, only cardio.

StealthHealth

I don't count the calories from lifting weights but I personally wouldn't count "hand weights on a balance ball for 30-40 minutes" as weight lifting either (even though technically it is lifting weights, it is probably more of a cardiovascular activity).