Strength training + Calories

tknight1984

Hello,

I have been using this site now for 2 weeks, i have been accurately logging all food i eat and the excercise i am doing. I am doing cardio 3 nights a week (which i am logging) and full body strength training 3 nights a week. But adding strength training into the exercise tracker doesnt seem to alter the calories to be consumed in the day.

The day after both my workouts this week i have felt exhausted, is this normal for someone who is just starting out? Or do i need to adjust my calorie consumption?

KawaiiJennie

Strength training isn't really going to burn calories. What it will do is create muscle, boosting your metabolism, making you fitter, stronger, and making it a lot easier for you to shed the fat. Being exhausted is normal, but if you are really sore and so tired you can't do anything at all after then maybe tone it back a bit, it's a lot better to start out light and work your way up.

Hulk0511

Under cardio you will find a catagory for strength training it will then add the calories you burned to your diary

Hulk0511

Strength training does burn calories. by the time I am done i am sweating and beat I wear a HRM when lifting to get an idea of how much I have burned

tknight1984

Thank you all, i didnt think to look for strength training under cardio

kimothy38

I sweat and breathe hard as much doing weights as I do doing cardio. When I first started exercising I too was absolutely shattered for a few weeks until my body got used to it. Make sure you get 8-9 hrs sleep a night and a couple of rest days per week. Keep up the good work.

tknight1984

Last night i went to the gym about 8, did 45 minute workout (9 exercises 3 sets 8-10 reps) and got home and went to bed around 10, this morning i feel exhausted. Think i may need a rest day

KawaiiJennie

Strength training does burn calories. by the time I am done i am sweating and beat I wear a HRM when lifting to get an idea of how much I have burned

I know. I meant it's not really why you do it, it's not the most effective way. It has other benefits.

wellbert

get more sleep.

Marksman21

What you're looking for is Calesthenics if you're just doing things without weights (pushups, situps, squats, etc).

ilovedeadlifts

Strength training isn't really going to burn calories. What it will do is create muscle, boosting your metabolism, making you fitter, stronger, and making it a lot easier for you to shed the fat. Being exhausted is normal, but if you are really sore and so tired you can't do anything at all after then maybe tone it back a bit, it's a lot better to start out light and work your way up.

you're doing it wrong if you aren't burning a SIGNIFICANT amount of calories.

laceepeery

Actually you burn more calories strength training because you body is still burning even after your workout is done. Although that doesnt mean cardio isnt a great way to burn calories, if cardio is your choice, I hope your doing High Intensity Interval Training to get the best out of your workout

waldo56

Strength training isn't really going to burn calories. What it will do is create muscle, boosting your metabolism, making you fitter, stronger, and making it a lot easier for you to shed the fat. Being exhausted is normal, but if you are really sore and so tired you can't do anything at all after then maybe tone it back a bit, it's a lot better to start out light and work your way up.

you're doing it wrong if you aren't burning a SIGNIFICANT amount of calories.

This.

Strength training burns at least as many calories as running.

The decreased actual time working is more than offset by the chemical inefficiency of energy production; anaerobic metabolism is 18x less efficient at using calories to produce energy than aerobic metabolism, meaning you have to burn up a lot more gas to do the short bursts of work you do when strength training.

And this is ignoring the (significant) calorie cost of recovery and the calorie partitioning effects (your muscles suck up carbs and your body holds on to them, making a higher % of your resting calorie burn come from fat).

needamulligan

Regarding the tired question: within 3-4 weeks you should feel a lot more energetic. Just be sure you don't go below the minimum calorie goals MFP set for you. All I want to do is sleep in the first week or 2 of a new diet or fitness routine.

WendyTerry420

Strength training isn't really going to burn calories. What it will do is create muscle, boosting your metabolism, making you fitter, stronger, and making it a lot easier for you to shed the fat. Being exhausted is normal, but if you are really sore and so tired you can't do anything at all after then maybe tone it back a bit, it's a lot better to start out light and work your way up.

you're doing it wrong if you aren't burning a SIGNIFICANT amount of calories.

Here's an interesting chart of averages that illustrates the point:

http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist3.htm

WendyTerry420

Actually you burn more calories strength training because you body is still burning even after your workout is done. Although that doesnt mean cardio isnt a great way to burn calories, if cardio is your choice, I hope your doing High Intensity Interval Training to get the best out of your workout

And there are studies showing that strength training increases the ratio of fat burned during cardio when done consistently. So strength training improves the effectiveness of any cardio you choose to do.

sunshinesquared

Strength training does burn calories. by the time I am done i am sweating and beat I wear a HRM when lifting to get an idea of how much I have burned

I previously wore a HRM when lifting, but then read on several posts that it is not accurate when lifting. When entering on MFP under cardio, it gives me something like 163 cals for 45 mins of lifting. Is that too high of an estimate? I've also read several times that MFP gives too high of an estimate??? Can someone offer some insight on this???

WendyTerry420

...
And this is ignoring the (significant) calorie cost of recovery and the calorie partitioning effects (your muscles suck up carbs and your body holds on to them, making a higher % of your resting calorie burn come from fat).

I like how you worded that. :flowerforyou:

Rhia55

I also have thought that MFP gives too high of an estimate.. often wondered just how accurate it is..

WendyTerry420

Strength training does burn calories. by the time I am done i am sweating and beat I wear a HRM when lifting to get an idea of how much I have burned

I previously wore a HRM when lifting, but then read on several posts that it is not accurate when lifting. When entering on MFP under cardio, it gives me something like 163 cals for 45 mins of lifting. Is that too high of an estimate? I've also read several times that MFP gives too high of an estimate??? Can someone offer some insight on this???

Unless you are using weights that are too light for you, it's probably about right, or even a little low, but it depends on your intensity.

I just looked up some links myself:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/338469-how-to-calculate-calories-burned-weight-lifting/

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

http://www.answerfitness.com/296/how-many-calories-are-burned-weight-liftin/

WendyTerry420

It is probably on the low side if you are doing a heavy lifting routine.

SomeoneSomeplace

I split up my cardio because I run to my gym and I run home, I burn way more calories after strength training then I do before. So that's something. Not sure why but as far a I know HRM's don't lie. I also burn more after ST then I would if I just ran to my gym and back without lifting. And I turn my HRM off when I'm lifting cos it's not accurate.

ahoier

I've also read several times that MFP gives too high of an estimate??? Can someone offer some insight on this???

It is possible......I don't know who to believe sometimes, the machine, or MFP When I enter my cardio (Elliptical trainer) time into MFP - the calories MFP thinks I should have burned is generally 100+ calories HIGHER than the elliptical display....

I always log the elliptical calories burned though (which is usually lower than the MFP estimate)....

caseythirteen

As far as MFP for cardio, I've actually found it's fairly close to what my HRM says. I'm guessing there is a basic formula that uses weight, age, heart rate, etc. to come with it. For weight training specifically, I average close to an hour and can usually burn between 250-300 calories doing it. My heart rate can get fairly high when I'm using heavy weights.

tknight1984

Should i be increasing my calorie intake on the days i do strength training? Or should i leave it a few weeks and see if i get used to it?
Sorry about all the newbie questions

sunshinesquared

I split up my cardio because I run to my gym and I run home, I burn way more calories after strength training then I do before. So that's something. Not sure why but as far a I know HRM's don't lie. I also burn more after ST then I would if I just ran to my gym and back without lifting. And I turn my HRM off when I'm lifting cos it's not accurate.

I also turn my HRM off when lifting, because of previous posts that I've read that say it is inaccurate when using while lifting. Just trying to get an idea of how many calories ARE burned while lifting, and quite heavily, I might add.

sunshinesquared

Strength training does burn calories. by the time I am done i am sweating and beat I wear a HRM when lifting to get an idea of how much I have burned

I previously wore a HRM when lifting, but then read on several posts that it is not accurate when lifting. When entering on MFP under cardio, it gives me something like 163 cals for 45 mins of lifting. Is that too high of an estimate? I've also read several times that MFP gives too high of an estimate??? Can someone offer some insight on this???

Unless you are using weights that are too light for you, it's probably about right, or even a little low, but it depends on your intensity.

I just looked up some links myself:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/338469-how-to-calculate-calories-burned-weight-lifting/

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

http://www.answerfitness.com/296/how-many-calories-are-burned-weight-liftin/

Thanks! Will check all of these out!!

waldo56

It is probably on the low side if you are doing a heavy lifting routine.

It isn't just low, it is comically low.

It isn't all that hard to calculate the calorie burn from strength training.

If you calculate your resting metabolism (by reconciling CI/CO with weigh-in results), consider strength training a zero calorie activity, do it for a few weeks, and don't do it for a few weeks, keeping track of howm much time you did it when you did, then divide the total metabolism rise by the amount of time spent strength training.

For the most part the results will be jaw dropping. Pretty much everyone grossly underestimates strength training calorie burn. MFP's strength training entry is at best 20% of the actual amount. Science has no clue how to directly measure it either, hence the reason there is a total lack of good sources of info on the subject, everyone just copies everyone else.

There is a reason bodybuilders need to eat 3600-4000+ cal/day to gain any weight while at the same time totally shunning all cardio activity as can interfere with muscle growth. There isn't some crazy voodoo going on, they have to overcome the significant calorie burn of strength training.

The calorie burn though will be highly dependant on what you are doing. If you are doing curlz and kickbacks, you aren't burning anything. If you are doing squats and bench presses you will burn a ton. Compound movements burn a lot of calories, isolation movements don't.

peuglow

Strength training isn't really going to burn calories.

This is so, so wrong.

needamulligan

OP, sometimes we have to tweak the guidelines set by MFP to suit our own bodies. Try increasing your calories with the healthiest food you can manage and see how you feel. I'm not sure if you have a weight loss goal or a fitness goal. Why not try eating more and see how you feel. A few days of figuring out your own calorie needs won't make any difference over time. And, you may find the energy your body needs. Good luck!

ascotton80

I wear a HRM while working out, and I burn approximately 240 calories doing my weight routine, which takes about 35-37 minutes. It's not the same burn that I would get from high intensity cardio, sure, but a decent burn nonetheless.

And that's not including the afterburn as muscles are rebuilding.