Calorie Burn With Strength Training? Help, Please.

CobraBubbles
CobraBubbles Posts: 60
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, there! I'm currenly doing INSANITY and have had fantastic results; within the next couple of weeks, I plan on beginning P90X.

My question is this: How does one track calories burned while lifting?

I have a Polar heart rate monitor that I use while doing Insanity, but I have read that heart rate monitors don't accurately *kitten* calorie burn when it comes to strength training. I simply want to know what there is that I can do to *kitten* my calorie burn so that I can continue eating back most of my calories burned through exercise (once I started eating more, I started losing more... and I want to make sure I'm fueling myself properly for P90X)

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! :)

Replies

  • fishercjs
    fishercjs Posts: 1 Member
    I have the same question/issue. I'm on my second week of P90X and I know I'm working hard on those lifting days. I make a guesstimate on the calories, but have no way of knowing how accurate it is. I notice the tracking tool here gives zero credit for strength training.
  • CobraBubbles
    CobraBubbles Posts: 60
    I have the same question/issue. I'm on my second week of P90X and I know I'm working hard on those lifting days. I make a guesstimate on the calories, but have no way of knowing how accurate it is. I notice the tracking tool here gives zero credit for strength training.

    Rats! I don't like the trust the 'calories burned' counter on this site simply for the fact that it isn't customized to my body. What I is going to be so different from someone else.

    I just would like a little bit of a guide so I can eat those calories back! :P
  • carloscuellar
    carloscuellar Posts: 2 Member
    With any workout, regardless of whether or not it is in the database, it is best to record it as your own exercise (under my exercises - "cardiovascular") and calculate calories burned using a heart rate monitor. Anything else my lead to gross over or under estimations. You could title it: "P90x" or "insanity" and then record your time and calories burned for that day. Then you will have daily and weekly calorie burns logged in MFP for your records and daily calorie calculations.

    Just a suggestion.

    P.S. - I use a polar (FT40) Heart Rate Monitor. It has been a great investment. About $110 on amazon. There are cheaper models. Check out the FT7 also.
  • CobraBubbles
    CobraBubbles Posts: 60
    With any workout, regardless of whether or not it is in the database, it is best to record it as your own exercise (under my exercises - "cardiovascular") and calculate calories burned using a heart rate monitor. Anything else my lead to gross over or under estimations. You could title it: "P90x" or "insanity" and then record your time and calories burned for that day. Then you will have daily and weekly calorie burns logged in MFP for your records and daily calorie calculations.

    Just a suggestion.

    P.S. - I use a polar (FT40) Heart Rate Monitor. It has been a great investment. About $110 on amazon. There are cheaper models. Check out the FT7 also.

    I have a Polar HRM as well; I have just heard that they are not reliable for calorie burn when it comes to lifting. :/ I don't want to overestimate and I've read that typically, wearing an HRM during strength training will overestimate caloric burn.
  • citygirl17
    citygirl17 Posts: 5 Member
    I have the Polar FT60 and use it all the time for calorie burn. If anything, it might underestimate the calories I burned, so I think you'd be fine eating back the calories. I worked with a trainer for 10 months, and by keeping track of my eating and using my HRM for both cardio and Weight Training, I got amazing results. Using the estimates from your HRM is better than guessing! If you're not resting for more than 20 seconds between sets, you're probably getting a burn count that's close to true! (But I don't know P90X).

    Good luck!
  • CobraBubbles
    CobraBubbles Posts: 60
    I have the Polar FT60 and use it all the time for calorie burn. If anything, it might underestimate the calories I burned, so I think you'd be fine eating back the calories. I worked with a trainer for 10 months, and by keeping track of my eating and using my HRM for both cardio and Weight Training, I got amazing results. Using the estimates from your HRM is better than guessing! If you're not resting for more than 20 seconds between sets, you're probably getting a burn count that's close to true! (But I don't know P90X).

    Good luck!

    I do agree that it would be a better point of reference than anything else. I guess that's what I'll do! Thanks so much! :)
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