Strength Training May Burn More Calories Than Thought

powerpuffgirl66

Here's some good news for those who already strength train and perhaps an incentive for others to start: New study doubles the calorie-burn estimate for bodyweight exercises.

The highlights:

A new study from a well-known lab at Arizona State University suggests that strength training burns roughly twice as many calories per minute as previously thought. “Relatively light resistance exercises are, in fact, vigorous-intensity activities,” the researchers conclude.

In their experiment, the Arizona State researchers used two different equations to calculate the calorie burn of push-ups, curl-ups, lunges, and pull-ups: a traditional calculation and a newer one, more appropriate to anaerobic efforts. The calorie-burn differences were dramatic.

The calorie burn for push-ups, for example, increased from 4.1 calories per minute to 8.56 calories per minute. Curl-ups increased from 4.09 calories per minute to 7.29; lunges from 5.28 calories per minute to 9.33; and pull-ups from 4.03 calories per minute to 9.95.

The entire article:
Strength Training May Burn More Calories Than Previously Thought
http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/strength-training-may-burn-more-calories-than-previously-thought

Azdak

I am still digging into this, but a couple of notes of caution before drawing overly broad conclusions:

1. They are using a calculated method of energy estimation for the recovery phase of the exercise. The calculation method was proposed by researcher in 2011. It is an interesting hypothesis, but not universally accepted. It might end up some day being the standard, but it is still being validated under different research conditions.

2. They are using body weight exercises, with a target of 20 reps per set. Mean reps were 19 for push ups, 10 for pull ups, 20 for lunges, 20 for sit ups. So these results have nothing to do with what is traditionally considered "heavy" or even "moderate" lifting.

3. The "burns more than previously thought" is kind of a subjective statement. It depends on who was previously asked. The reference point used as the "previous" consensus is the Compendium of Physical Activities which is often more of a rough estimate than a scientific standard.

That being said, the study looks like a good addition to our understanding of the caloric expenditure of resistance-type activities.

WalkingAlong

... suggests that strength training burns roughly twice as many calories per minute as previously thought. “Relatively light resistance exercises are, in fact, vigorous-intensity activities,” the researchers conclude.

Yay!

Mr_Knight

From the study itself...

Using the NEC, three of the four activities were classified as vigorous intensity (push-ups: 6.91 metabolic equivalents (METs); lunges: 7.52 METs; and pull-ups: 8.03 METs)

For comparison, running an 8 minute mile has a MET of 12.5.

I'd be very very careful about reading too much into this...especially as that magazine article about the study is making claims that the study itself never made.