Strength Training Calories

EricMurano

Calories burned doing strength training is so variable that they are not included in any standard exercise calories. Yes, you can eat back your calories burned, but the only way to determine this is to wear a heart rate monitor. If you wear one, and figure out the calories burned, you can eat them back.

Heart rate while strength training doesn't correlate to energy burned, unfortunately. Someone here on MFP posted a comprehensive blog post about this very issue earlier this year. I'll have to try to find it.

Ely82010

You could (I do) but the measly amount involved for a 40-60 minute workout makes it virtually meaningless either way

I politely disagree with your statement. You can burn a nice number of calories with a good weight training/lifting session; furthermore, your body will keep burning more calories after you are done. The calories burned (for all exercises) are not only related to the intensity of the activity and the time doing it, but also to the weight of the person performing those exercises.

I don't have a HRM; I use the calories numbers that this database gives me when I enter weight training under cardio, and the minutes that I worked out. I lost all my weight, I reached my goals, and I am happy.

jennmoore3

My strength training (S.T.) is lifting weights, squats and lunges. stuff like that. Personally, I have a HRM and I don't wear it for S.T. I just chalk up the S.T. Calories as a bonus. Those small calorie burns really don't give me enough to eat back. Just my opinion.

Ely82010

This thread is older but I was recently made aware that HRMs don't work during strength training sessions like they do during cardio like running or biking. I guess I never really thought about it.

After I began to think about it, I searched it on here and found several threads that all ended the same way...an HRM will never be able to accurately count calories burned during strength training for multiple reasons.

Yesterday, my HRM said I burned 586 calories during 68 minutes of P90X Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X. The cardio module of this site says in 68 minutes, I would burn 288 calories for "Strength Training".

So that leads me to my questions. Should I count my strength sessions in the cardio module of this site as whatever calories come up automatically and not use my HRM? I would only use my HRM for running, biking and the P90X cardio workouts.

I was thinking that since the P90X workouts are so fast paced that this was close to cardio. What do others do to track calories for strength training with or without the use of P90X?

Thanks in advance for any input and feel free to add me!

Some of my MFP's friends create their own exercises in the exercise log. In your case it will be P90X, and since you have a HRM, enter the minutes that you worked out and what ever reading you get in the HRM.

Ianultrarunner

If you wear a HRM during Strength Training and want to count those Calories, first you need a baseline.
Wear the HRM at home while resting for about one hour. Check what the Calories are.
Then, while Strength Training, go as hard as you can (give about 60 seconds rest between each rep) without killing yourself but to the point of getting a good sweat.
Subtract the difference between home and gym and that's probably as close to real as you may get and will probably be disappointed.

mcrowe1016

If you wear a HRM during Strength Training and want to count those Calories, first you need a baseline.
Wear the HRM at home while resting for about one hour. Check what the Calories are.
Then, while Strength Training, go as hard as you can (give about 60 seconds rest between each rep) without killing yourself but to the point of getting a good sweat.
Subtract the difference between home and gym and that's probably as close to real as you may get and will probably be disappointed.

1) HRMs do not accurately measure calories burned while at rest
2) HRMs do not accurately measure calories burned while strength training.

However, I do agree that resting calorie burn should be subtracted from total calories burned.

I don't count calories burned during strength training, but I usually eat at least 1500 calories and only lift heavy about two times a week, so I am in no danger of underestimating my calories. However I LOVE my HRM for cardio exercises.

jenomaha

I wear an HRM when I lift weights. I enter those exercise calories manually. I eat back some of those calories (quality foods)...I've had success, I've transformed my body and maintained it. Different things work for different people. Just need to find what works for you.