Why so few calories allotted for weight lifting?

Copaiba

I'm a biggish woman and when I "lift weights" I go at it hard enough to lose my breath and get sweaty, but when I enter my 60 minutes "strength training" I get 233 calories lost. On lose it I was allowed around 370.

Mokey41

Lifting doesn't burn that many calories because it doesn't raise you heart rate that much. Being out of breath and sweaty is a sign of poor cardio fitness not calorie burn. Strength training is great because you need to maintain or build muscle mass but it isn't a big calorie burner.

oneworkoutatatime

Will a heart rate monitor accurately estimate how many calories I burn during strength training?


SparkPeople's Fitness Tracker doesn't estimate calorie burn for strength training because so many variables are involved (how hard you're working, resting in between sets, the amount of weight you lift, etc.) that any estimate would not be very accurate. A heart rate monitor (HRM) is capable of estimating calorie burn pretty accurately—but only for aerobic (cardio) exercise, not for strength training. Here's why:

A HRM won't give you an accurate idea of how many calories you burn during strength training, because the relationship between heart rate and calorie expenditure is not the same during strength training as during cardio exercise, which is what the HRM's estimate is based on. Unless your weight training is very vigorous circuit training, the heart rate monitor will be overestimating your calorie burn by a fair amount.

The problem is a technical one. Calorie burning isn't determined by heart rate, it's determined by the number of muscle cells that are activated to perform a given activity. It's the working cells that actually use the energy (calories) and consume oxygen. When working muscle cells need more energy and oxygen, your heart rate goes up to deliver these things to the cells via the blood stream.

Any muscle that performs a high intensity or maximum effort (strength training) will trigger an increase in heart rate and blood flow. But if only a single muscle group is on the receiving end to utilize that extra oxygen (doing a strength exercise that isolates your biceps, for example), only a relatively small amount of oxygen (and calories) will actually be consumed.

So while a series of strength training exercises may elevate your heart rate like aerobic exercise does, you're not actually using as much oxygen and burning as many calories as you would be if you were steadily using several large muscles all at once, as when walking, running, swimming, or doing aerobics for example.

The heart rate monitor doesn’t know whether your increase in heart rate is due to several large muscle groups working (cardio), an isolated muscle group lifting a weight (strength training), or even if adrenaline or excitement is increasing your heart rate. It just knows your heart rate, and the formulas it uses to estimate calories are based on studies of aerobic exercise, not other activities. So, it's going to overestimate your calorie expenditure when the rise in heart rate is stimulated by using isolated muscles at maximum intensity, which is what occurs during strength training.

Written by Dean Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer

Jenna9797

Have you tried circuit training? It is lifting smaller weights but much faster so you get a cardio burn plus you get the benefit of toned muscles.
Curves works this way, so does Les Mills' Body Pump. I am also a big woman and I really like circuit training. I attend Body pump classes 3 times a week and I'm seeing changes.

CrystalX82

Yeah, unfortunately it doesn't burn many calories, but you can get the "cardio effect" from it. I am in my last week of Chalean Extreme and while I have not lost much weight on the scale, I have lost inches and gained lean muscle so muscle is very important if you want a lean looking body!! just be sure to eat a lot of protein throughout the day and a recovery drink after your workout to help recover your muscles after each session.

Also, if you want a great workout that gives you a calorie burn plus strength training, try kettlebells!

My1985Freckles

Agreed... Strength Training is important, but it does not burn as many calories as cardio. Things like The 30 Day Shred give awesome burns because they are a combo cardio/strength.

wellbert

Lifting doesn't burn that many calories because it doesn't raise you heart rate that much. Being out of breath and sweaty is a sign of poor cardio fitness not calorie burn. Strength training is great because you need to maintain or build muscle mass but it isn't a big calorie burner.

If lifting doesn't slam your heart rate into the ceiling, then you aren't lifting hard enough.

In any case, the site is estimating.
If you spent the entire hour curling or doing the silly hip adductor machine, you burn a lot less calories than someone who spent an hour doing deadlifts, clean and jerk, and snatches. But the site doesn't know that.

And an HRM isn't accurate for it so.

kellyallday

Don't let it discourage you. Log what YOU feel comfortable with. You have to be accountable for your journey. I actually looked waaay better when I was lifting than I do now that I've been mainly focused on cardio. Everything just stacked up better. Stay with the weights!

Anna800

I wear a heart rate monitor and for 20 minutes of lifting I burn 144 calories. However I don't stop between reps, I move from machine to machine, unlike some people who sit at one machine for awhile thus slowing down their heart rate and thus they shouldn't count the total time they were lifting since half of the time they were doing nothing.

Cyclink

Lifting weights only burns substantial calories when you are lifting, not when you are resting.

It all depends on your goals. Not everyone wants to gain major muscle mass.

To work on strength gains, you need to lift heavy enough that you really don't want to do another exercise right away, but you burn calories at a slower rate (since you are resting more).

To burn more calories in a set amount of time, spending less time resting will do that, but it lowers the amount of weight that you could lift, slowing down increases in strength.

Lastly, the more muscle you have engaged, the more calories you will burn. If you are just doing arm curls, you won't burn much. If you are doing squats or deadlifts that engage your legs (which are probably 2 to 3 times as much muscle), you burn a whole lot more calories (and you get a stronger hormonal response, which is a great little bonus)

Copaiba

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses! You have definitely shed some light on the subject.

Copaiba

Lifting doesn't burn that many calories because it doesn't raise you heart rate that much. Being out of breath and sweaty is a sign of poor cardio fitness not calorie burn. Strength training is great because you need to maintain or build muscle mass but it isn't a big calorie burner.

And after 6 monthes of 3 days cardio, 3 days strength, I don't accept "poor cardio fitness" as constructive criticism. If I don't get sweaty, it isn't a decent workout. Try harder not to discourage people, please.

exWHYzee1337

Will a heart rate monitor accurately estimate how many calories I burn during strength training?


SparkPeople's Fitness Tracker doesn't estimate calorie burn for strength training because so many variables are involved (how hard you're working, resting in between sets, the amount of weight you lift, etc.) that any estimate would not be very accurate. A heart rate monitor (HRM) is capable of estimating calorie burn pretty accurately—but only for aerobic (cardio) exercise, not for strength training. Here's why:

A HRM won't give you an accurate idea of how many calories you burn during strength training, because the relationship between heart rate and calorie expenditure is not the same during strength training as during cardio exercise, which is what the HRM's estimate is based on. Unless your weight training is very vigorous circuit training, the heart rate monitor will be overestimating your calorie burn by a fair amount.

The problem is a technical one. Calorie burning isn't determined by heart rate, it's determined by the number of muscle cells that are activated to perform a given activity. It's the working cells that actually use the energy (calories) and consume oxygen. When working muscle cells need more energy and oxygen, your heart rate goes up to deliver these things to the cells via the blood stream.

Any muscle that performs a high intensity or maximum effort (strength training) will trigger an increase in heart rate and blood flow. But if only a single muscle group is on the receiving end to utilize that extra oxygen (doing a strength exercise that isolates your biceps, for example), only a relatively small amount of oxygen (and calories) will actually be consumed.

So while a series of strength training exercises may elevate your heart rate like aerobic exercise does, you're not actually using as much oxygen and burning as many calories as you would be if you were steadily using several large muscles all at once, as when walking, running, swimming, or doing aerobics for example.

The heart rate monitor doesn’t know whether your increase in heart rate is due to several large muscle groups working (cardio), an isolated muscle group lifting a weight (strength training), or even if adrenaline or excitement is increasing your heart rate. It just knows your heart rate, and the formulas it uses to estimate calories are based on studies of aerobic exercise, not other activities. So, it's going to overestimate your calorie expenditure when the rise in heart rate is stimulated by using isolated muscles at maximum intensity, which is what occurs during strength training.

Written by Dean Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer

Good Info up there

DaveRCF

In any case, the site is estimating.

^^^^^
This

When I was losing weight, I was careful in logging food and exercise on MFP. I set my goals to lose 1 lb/week and lifted 3X/week, cardio 1X per week. I lost the weight twice as fast (i.e. 2 lbs/wk) than MFP would have indicated.

But, you really have to push yourself with the weight, at least that is what worked for me.