The Weight Room and Calories

jcatNY

I'm sure this topic came up a thousand times before, so forgive me in advance.

For those who hit the gym (free weights, machines, etc..) regularly, how are you calculating calories - -even roughly! I read the FAQ so I understand why a calorie counter does not go beyond the Cardio room, but I was hoping for some tips on how others handled this. I just started with this MFP, and I had like 10 calories left yesterday, without counting the 45 minute session in the weight room.

meshashesha2012

i wear an HRM and use that. not sure how accurate it is , but i dont eat my exercise calories back nor worry about net calories so it doesnt really make a difference

jcatNY

Thanks.. yeah, I've only been counting the cardio points as far as the non-food situation goes. So by the end of the day, I'm assuming my weight room activities leave a nice chunk of extra calories burned that I don't "eat up".

DaveRCF

I just use the numbers MFP comes up with. Strength trainging shows as a cardio exercise as well as under strength. The numbers given look conservative. For me, around 250 calories per hour.

bearxfoo

Your body constantly burns calories - even from just sitting. How your body burns though is generally dependent on your heart rate.

If you want to keep a tally of what you're burning, I'd suggest getting a heart rate monitor. You can wear it the entire time you're at the gym, including strength training, and see what you burn the whole time.

I have read that strength training is not really about burning calories, and I'm fairly certain this is true. It's about working your muscles, and nothing more. While you DO burn calories while doing so, it certainly isn't the main focus. It's entirely possible to lose weight while ONLY strength training, as well.