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MyFitnessPal Community

Tracking strength training

harmonyh10

I don't think I'm doing this right...

I went to a weight lifting class today and came back in added each exercise we did with how much weigh used reps and all that stuff but it is not saying that adds up to any calories.

How do I get it to count the calories for my strength training?

Replies

LittleTrollCupcake

I don't think I'm doing this right...

I went to a weight lifting class today and came back in added each exercise we did with how much weigh used reps and all that stuff but it is not saying that adds up to any calories.

How do I get it to count the calories for my strength training?

You can't because that is very arbitrary.

harmonyh10

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

hoosierlad

I had to add it under aerobic, and the category strength training is in their database...enter minutes and it provides update. Don't know how accurate it is, but what the hey, its consistent.

I found the entries under strength training to be for only tracking sets, reps, and weight.

Hope this helps.

harmonyh10

That does help. Thank you

NewMnky1

I too add it under cardio, under strength training.

LittleTrollCupcake

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

They don't, and they shouldn't. Lifting weights isn't about burning calories, it's about building strength which requires calories. Try tracking your gains instead and make progress that way. Remember every weight you used and strive for more reps or increasing the weights each time you workout. Looking back on that will be much more informative than looking back at a single workout and seeing calories burnt in one day.

alyssamiller77

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

They don't, and they shouldn't. Lifting weights isn't about burning calories, it's about building strength which requires calories. Try tracking your gains instead and make progress that way. Remember every weight you used and strive for more reps or increasing the weights each time you workout. Looking back on that will be much more informative than looking back at a single workout and seeing calories burnt in one day.

Weigh (see what I did there) to project your goals on everyone as an empirical fact. I do track my calories burned weight lifting and why shouldn't anyone else. You do burn a significant number of calories doing strength training so why is it such a crime in your eyes for people to do that. Yes, as part of a strength training regimine one should be tracking their progress in terms of strength as you mentioned but the two concepts are in no way mutually exclusive.

To the OP, to get calories burned you have to log it under Cardiovascular. There is an activity in their for Strength Training. There is also one in there for Circuit Training. Depending on the strength training session you had, one may be more appropriate than the other. There's also a common equation that you can use (which I do) for calculating your calorie burn and inputting it manually. If you search the forum you should be able to find a link pretty easily.

harmonyh10

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

They don't, and they shouldn't. Lifting weights isn't about burning calories, it's about building strength which requires calories. Try tracking your gains instead and make progress that way. Remember every weight you used and strive for more reps or increasing the weights each time you workout. Looking back on that will be much more informative than looking back at a single workout and seeing calories burnt in one day.

Weigh (see what I did there) to project your goals on everyone as an empirical fact. I do track my calories burned weight lifting and why shouldn't anyone else. You do burn a significant number of calories doing strength training so why is it such a crime in your eyes for people to do that. Yes, as part of a strength training regimine one should be tracking their progress in terms of strength as you mentioned but the two concepts are in no way mutually exclusive.

To the OP, to get calories burned you have to log it under Cardiovascular. There is an activity in their for Strength Training. There is also one in there for Circuit Training. Depending on the strength training session you had, one may be more appropriate than the other. There's also a common equation that you can use (which I do) for calculating your calorie burn and inputting it manually. If you search the forum you should be able to find a link pretty easily.

Thank you, I will look at the two options and take my best shot.

cbrrabbit25

until recently, i burned all of my extra calories doing strength training alone, and it works rather well. so although the numbers may not be accurate, I think it is perfectly fine to log weight training as a calorie burning exercise.

5stringjeff

Here's the best link I was able to find:

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

dare2love81

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

They don't, and they shouldn't. Lifting weights isn't about burning calories, it's about building strength which requires calories. Try tracking your gains instead and make progress that way. Remember every weight you used and strive for more reps or increasing the weights each time you workout. Looking back on that will be much more informative than looking back at a single workout and seeing calories burnt in one day.

Um, no. Some people lift in order to burn more calories at rest - not to build strength.

wareagle8706

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

They don't, and they shouldn't. Lifting weights isn't about burning calories, it's about building strength which requires calories. Try tracking your gains instead and make progress that way. Remember every weight you used and strive for more reps or increasing the weights each time you workout. Looking back on that will be much more informative than looking back at a single workout and seeing calories burnt in one day.

JesusChrist, don't list to this girl^^^^^ She has proven herself incompetent on previous threads.

Listen to the people telling you that you can log it under the cardio exercises. Weight training does not burn as many calories per session as cardio but that's not necessarily why people chose that form of exercise. People chose to lift weights in order to gain muscle, get stronger and to burn more calories while at rest due to an increase in muscle mass.

ETA: It's pretty ridiculous how this poster is coming on here insulting people who log their weight training calories and giving OP advice about weight lifting when all the OP did was ask how log them... she didn't ask for advice regarding weight lifting.

Capt_Apollo

use this to track your strength training: http://ftcy.me/PCPhAr

a lot more fun.

jofjltncb6

use this to track your strength training: http://ftcy.me/PCPhAr

a lot more fun.

Damn you!

Well played, Captain. Well. Played.

4_Lisa

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

They don't, and they shouldn't. Lifting weights isn't about burning calories, it's about building strength which requires calories. Try tracking your gains instead and make progress that way. Remember every weight you used and strive for more reps or increasing the weights each time you workout. Looking back on that will be much more informative than looking back at a single workout and seeing calories burnt in one day.

Um, no. Some people lift in order to burn more calories at rest - not to build strength.

Agreed ^^^^

Sheila_Ann

I use an HRM to track what I burned during my lifting sessions with my trainer. Good luck!

EddieakaDardo

I don't know if it does. It only report my cardio and add calories to my diet.

jennfranklin

track it under cardiovascular as weight lifting

morganfox5

the more you lift- the more muscle you gain-the more fat you burn
seems like something worth tracking to me.

FullOfWin

HRMs do not accurately track cals burned from lifting
The additional cals burned from the amount of muscle a newb eating a deficit will gain is negligible

Crankstr

HRMs do not accurately track cals burned from lifting
The additional cals burned from the amount of muscle a newb eating a deficit will gain is negligible

yeah,
I just throw a few hundred calories my way...has worked so far.

dare2love81

HRMs do not accurately track cals burned from lifting
The additional cals burned from the amount of muscle a newb eating a deficit will gain is negligible

Nothing is completely accurate when it comes to tracking calories burned.

sjohnny

So no one tracks their calories when they lift weights?

They don't, and they shouldn't. Lifting weights isn't about burning calories, it's about building strength which requires calories. Try tracking your gains instead and make progress that way. Remember every weight you used and strive for more reps or increasing the weights each time you workout. Looking back on that will be much more informative than looking back at a single workout and seeing calories burnt in one day.

JesusChrist, don't list to this girl^^^^^ She has proven herself incompetent on previous threads.

Listen to the people telling you that you can log it under the cardio exercises. Weight training does not burn as many calories per session as cardio but that's not necessarily why people chose that form of exercise. People chose to lift weights in order to gain muscle, get stronger and to burn more calories while at rest due to an increase in muscle mass.

Congrats on lifting weights for 30 minutes! You've burned 250 calories, even though you took 2 minute breaks in between sets. Congrats to the next guy lifting 90% his max! He's burning just as many calories as you lifting 20 lb weights because he lifted for 30 minutes as well. It's true.

Let's all track this!!!

Wait, what? Are we not supposed to take breaks between sets now? I'd be willing to bet the "guy lifting 90% his max!" is taking more than 2 minutes between sets. Or didn't they teach you that in whatever bull**** place it was you became a esspert.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I usually just give myself 100 extra calories for weight lifting.

Also, I have a BMF which syncs with this site to give me a more accurate (but not perfect) estimate of my daily TDEE (which includes all exercise calories including lifting).

sjohnny

HRMs do not accurately track cals burned from lifting
The additional cals burned from the amount of muscle a newb eating a deficit will gain is negligible

yeah,
I just throw a few hundred calories my way...has worked so far.

I use my HRM for regular cardio stuff like running. For strength training I use the figure MFP pulls out of it's butt. It's significantly lower than what my HRM spews so I figure .... whatevs.

sjohnny

I usually just give myself 100 extra calories for weight lifting.

Also, I have a BMF which syncs with this site to give me a more accurate (but not perfect) estimate of my daily TDEE (which includes all exercise calories including lifting).

I lift weights so I can be my own BMF. It has nothing to do with syncing to anything or accuracy though.

Ely82010

Here's the best link I was able to find:

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

And here is what that article specifies: (according with this formula I am burning more calories that what MFP tells me)

Weight lifting is a great exercise to not only build strength and tone muscles but to increase your metabolic rate and burn even more calories. For every 3 lbs. of muscle you build, your metabolic rate increases by 7 percent, according to West Valley College. This in turn increases the number of calories you need to maintain your weight by 15 percent. As an added bonus, after a weight training session you continue to burn calories at a higher rate for up to 24 hours. The number of calories you burn during the weight lifting session itself depends on your body weight and the type and intensity of the weight training. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Step 1
Weigh yourself before each weight lifting session. The number of calories you burn partially depends on your weight.

Step 2
Time the number of minutes you lifted weights. This includes the time spent resting between repetitions.

Step 3
Determine the intensity value of your weight training. A bodybuilding level of effort is vigorous and burns 0.055 calories per pound per minute. Circuit training with weights burns 0.042 calories per pound per minute. Strength training with free weights burns 0.039 calories per pound per minute. Lighter weight lifting with moderate effort burns 0.028 calories per pound per minute.

Step 4
Calculate the number of calories burned. First, multiply your weight by the number of minutes you exercised. For example, if you weigh 140 lbs. and lifted weights for 35 minutes, the formula would be 140 x 35 = 4900. Then multiply this number by the intensity value to get the number of calories burned. If you were circuit training, the formula would be 4900 x 0.042 = 206 calories burned.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/338469-how-to-calculate-calories-burned-weight-lifting/#ixzz2I4nqp1ii

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I usually just give myself 100 extra calories for weight lifting.

Also, I have a BMF which syncs with this site to give me a more accurate (but not perfect) estimate of my daily TDEE (which includes all exercise calories including lifting).

I lift weights so I can be my own BMF. It has nothing to do with syncing to anything or accuracy though.

Do you mean BAMF?

crystalflame

HRMs do not accurately track cals burned from lifting
The additional cals burned from the amount of muscle a newb eating a deficit will gain is negligible

yeah,
I just throw a few hundred calories my way...has worked so far.

I use my HRM for regular cardio stuff like running. For strength training I use the figure MFP pulls out of it's butt. It's significantly lower than what my HRM spews so I figure .... whatevs.

Same. And I'm quoting you because you made me giggle.

As to why HRMs don't track accurately for weight lifting: the formula they use is designed for cardio, where you're using your whole body and consuming oxygen throughout. When you lift weights, you often do muscle groups in isolation. Your heart rate goes up because you need to deliver oxygen to the specific group you're using, but that doesn't correlate directly to your (much lower) calorie burn. http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

HypersonicFitNess

You can track your sets under weight training/reps but to track calories you have to go to cardio and select weight training.