Strength Training

Leigh14

I've always done strength training on my own at the gym. I would either do a circuit workout and get my heart rate up enough to burn calories or combine the strength training with some cardio so I'd have a burn for the day.

The past two weeks I've started working out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with my boyfriend and one of his friends. They are into body building and are much more hardcore than I was with the weights. I'm LOVING it ... LOL. I'm focusing on high reps on all exercises. I get some funny looks from other girls at the gym because I'm working out with the guys, but compared to what I used to do with weights, this is amazing!

I take a bootcamp class Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Saturday. I normally burn around 600 calories on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the hour-long class. On the Saturdays I take it, it's an hour and a half, and I have gotten anywhere from a 1000-cal burn to a 1400-cal burn.

I didn't weigh myself last week because I felt like I was retaining some water. I know that beginning a new strength routine can do that.

Okay ... enough rambling. I have a heart rate monitor that I wear during cardio. I wore it during strength training today and I know my heart rate does go up, but not the way it does with cardio. I'm not sure how to track this calorie burn OR how to eat on strength training days. I *do* know I can't stick to 1200 calories when I'm strength training because I'd feel too weak. So ... how do I know how many calories are enough on days like that? I have been on a downward trend with my weight lately and I don't want to stop now!

Lyadeia

The answer is probably just going to be a trial and error type of thing to find out what works best for you. Personally, I try to eat approximately the same amount of calories on days that I workout, no matter what the workout is. You need more fuel when you are using your muscles in weight training, regardless of calories burned according to HRM or any other device you might use. I typically try to stay around 1500 calories on workout days, and then on my one day a week that I rest from working out, I drop down to about 1200 to 1300. This is just what works for me.

I would suggest going a week eating a certain amount, then gauging how you feel and if you are getting results. Then you can add or subtract from there and try it again the next week.

I wish there was a magic number I could tell you, but every body is different.

BoresEasily

Here is a great post dedicated to the question you just posed.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/141670-strength-training-just-doesn-t-burn-that-many-calories?page=1#posts-1931754