How are people burning such high calories

hazelovesfood

Higher intensity workouts might be the answer. I know I burn a ridiculously higher number of calories doing an hour of kickboxing. I don't burn nearly that running for the same amount of time.

this is right, you dont burn as much running, unless its flat out.

hazelovesfood

People only cheat themselves when they rely on the excessively high calorie burns - I use the opposite approach. My treadmill has a generic calorie counter and I believe that it is well below what I have actually burnt due to the fact that I am well above average weight but I use those figures to post on mfp anyway. The way I see it is if you've actually burnt more but don't know it then that can only benefit you in the long run.

the heavier you are the more you burn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

april_mesk

irrelevant. who cares?

questions you should be asking yourself are things like "what sort of exercise regimen can I commit to doing regularly?", "how should i structure my diet in a way that will keep me satiated?", "what are my fitness goals?"

Agreed. Not everyone should be burning this in one sitting depending on your fitness level. The most I ever burned (and I do use a hrm) is 750. This is doing Body Combat and is way over my intensity level and overexerting. Feel like I could have a heart attack. Will not go back to that again without gaining much more endurance. Heart rate through roof for about 40 of the 50 mins of that class. Body Attack, I would be dead. Body Pump more like my style.

biscuitwelsh

For myself, the intensity of my exercise has gotten much higher over the last 8 months.

My 80% HR is 143, but today I worked at a sustained 150BPM and a cadence of 160-200 strides per minute for an hour and HRM says I burned 830.

On the Precor elliptical machines I use, I started at resistance setting 3 as my base, now it's 12 with intervals to 16.

On the spinning bikes I use, my average sustained watts were around 120 per minute when I started and now are well over 200 with intervals over 300 wpm. Calories are harder to figure on these because I don't like to wear HRM when spinning, but the navigator always gives me at least 600.

Tabata's, interval training and building up your ability to work really hard seems to be the key. So far I've dropped ~68 lbs with ~20 to go

underwater77

People only cheat themselves when they rely on the excessively high calorie burns - I use the opposite approach. My treadmill has a generic calorie counter and I believe that it is well below what I have actually burnt due to the fact that I am well above average weight but I use those figures to post on mfp anyway. The way I see it is if you've actually burnt more but don't know it then that can only benefit you in the long run.

I still try to eat at TDEE - 20% regardless of what I burn. I do like to wear my HRM, though, to keep me honest and so I have a pretty good idea of how hard I worked out. I know there are days that I don't feel strong, and it always shows in the calorie burn per HRM. I think I would be cheating myself if I didn't have some way to gauge my workouts other than how I felt (which is fine, by I am a numbers oriented/scientific person).

Cyclink

I just got a heart rate monitor a couple of weeks ago.

the charts say my 80% should be 140, and my target range 140-156, max (100%) 175.

when I run I have been having to do intervals to keep it below 165, and still in 35 min I only burn 350 calories. swimming is much the same.

So my question is how are people burning 1,000 calories in an hour, without going over heart rate recommendations, an I missing something?

Most likely, they are not. Heart rate monitors tend to exaggerate a bit. 1000 calories per hour is completely possible, but it's a pretty high level of athletic accomplishment (no, being highly inefficient/out of shape will not make up for it).

To give you a decent comparison of what a 1000 calorie/hour workout for 140 pound woman looks like:
- run a 7 minute mile for an hour.
- cycle at 21 mph for an hour over rolling terrain

Neither of these is something your average person can do. You're not missing anything. 10 calories per minute (600 per hour) is a perfectly logical burn.

Capt_Apollo

it depends on size, height, weight, intensity, and a number of different factors.


btw, you shouldn't be using your hrm for swimming. not only is it not accurate, it's not made for it.

raeleek

Like others have mentioned, I'm guessing weight.

When I started I had really high burns. Now that I've lost weight and gotten stronger they are getting less and less.

I also change it up throughout the week so that I have lower burn days and really high burn days. That way I don't get bored and it still provides challenge!

ambervaldez79

I can burn a ton of calories on the Arc trainer in just 20 minutes. I set the level high and just go. I have a Polar Ft4.

adry20

I do Zumba 5-6 days a week and have been for almost 2 months and haven't lost much weight. So I ordered a HRM and I was surprised at how bad MFP and other sites were estimating my calories. I thought I was burning around 600+ every day but my HRM shows that some days I burn 450 others 550 but never over 600. My point is, they are probably not getting a very accurate number.

subconscious_ink

My heart rate monitor *says* I can burn 900 calories doing an hour of Insanity. HOWEVER, I am very out of shape, so sometimes my heart rate gets up much too high when I try to do it high intensity instead of going at a slightly slower pace. Also, I feel like my HRM might be overestimating, if that's possible for an HRM, so I always put in less on Myfitnesspal than I actually did.

realme56

Even accounting for size and activity level I don't believe some of the numbers people post. It is up to them though so whatever. I answer only to myself.

iowachapman

I go by the cardio machine I am on, I enter my weight, age, so weight has a factor, plus if I am on treadmill how fast one goes, and or incline. I tend to push myself where I would not be able to talk to others around me. I have my headphones on, but sometimes folks will still want to talk, but I push myself where I am breathing heavy, I aint got time for dat, (talking that is) laugh. I want to get in there get my workout done and leave. I use a treadmill and something called AMT by precore, the AMT it shows 620 calories in 33 minutes, usually for me and sometmies when I am really on my game I can hit 630ish, but I seriously push it hard, I put that on the hardest resistance for 33 minutes and GOOOO.

On the treadmill I can do 3.1 miles in 33 minutes, just recently did 1 mile in 9 minutes 20 seconds, these are not anything really fast, but for a guy at 230 and one the doc labels obese I think that is pretty darn good, though my fastest 3.1 mile run was 28 minutes. But now I can go 30 minutes easy without walking at 5.5 mph, if I push faster I will have 1 or 2 walk points for a minute, then back up to 6.5 or 7 mph,

Hopefully this will help some, but my suggestion is push yourself, each time you go try to go faster, farther, more calories, beat one at least, better beat 2, and when you can beat all 3 you know your on your game and seriously progressing.

april_mesk

The other thing I like to measure is my VO2 levels. Some heart rate monitors track this and I think is a good indicator of what you are doing right/wrong. This may be something most people don't pay attention to but will give you a good idea of your own fitness level.

Rachaelluvszipped

irrelevant. who cares?

questions you should be asking yourself are things like "what sort of exercise regimen can I commit to doing regularly?", "how should i structure my diet in a way that will keep me satiated?", "what are my fitness goals?"

Good advice there.

Even with a HRM, you are still only getting estimates of a calorie burn. The estimates are better than some one-size-fits-many calculation from a website, but it's all just estimates. Speaking very generally, burning too much over a calorie per minute is often inflated figures.




^^Yes I like this information, very much!
Also, someone who weighs 250 lbs will burn more calories than someone who weighs 125, doing the same activity for the same length of time.

But ultimately, what Taso posted is better info. A HRM is good for getting calorie burn estimates when calculating target calorie goals and such. But really, for long term fitness goals, consistency, gradual improvement, more strength/flexibility/heart health are way more important than the numbers.

sallydurkin

I do know that most mfp numbers are inflated, but that doesn't mean to me stop using them, I just don't eat back the calories, if I am hungry I will use some of them, if not I don't.
I do know that I get high calorie burns from running up stairs, and I do run up them according to myfitness pal it says that in 42 min I burn approx 800+ calories, now I do run those stairs but I also know some days I am slower then other and some days I rock it. now the slower days it says I burn more calories for more min, even though I was slower.... so like I said I use my descretion but I do like numbers and to me I don't trust them so I keep that in mind. The stairs I run are at the mall and just under 50 stairs up I run up them 50 times, I have popsicle sticks that have counted out and I run up and drop one at the top run to the bottom pick one up and take it to the top. 50 Times. I would love a hm but don't have the money for it yet. One day soon.

Capt_Apollo

i used to post very very high intensity work outs. i got called out on them. but i started to look at what i did.

warm up:

either 8 minutes on the treadmill (high incline walk, or low incline run) or 8 minutes of jumping rope
50 jumping jacks
20 body weight squats
10 lunges
10 hip thrusts
20 push ups
5 pull ups
20 spider-mans
5 minutes of dynamic stretching

Then after all that, i would start my work out. i'd go for a run with a weighted pack, or a long bike ride, or a swim for cardio.

On lifting days i'd do the same warm up, and my main lift would be a barbell lift like overhead press, dead lift, squat, or chest press. Then i'd do some accesory work. maybe even a crossfit style WOD. High intensity, keep the heart rate up, little to no breaks.

Then i'd cool down by jogging/walking it down, bringing my heart rate down slowly. and i'd finally end my work out with some stretching.

so while maybe my calorie burn might have been high, maybe even a little inaccurate, the main this is that i saw results. a lot of results.

mgobluetx12

It's unlikely they truly are burning that much. I see it a lot, especially with Circuit Training, which WAY overestimates on here. I used Circuit Training before I got my HRM and it said I was burning 370 for 25 minutes. I used my new HRM and I was actually burning 230. Pretty big difference if you're eating those calories back.

iowachapman

Folks can look at things positively or negatively, personally I know I bust my *kitten* when I go to the Y, I only use the calories as a indicator of how I did vs last time and previous, I also use how far it shows I went on the machine as a indicator, I been going to the Y 3 to 4 days a week since 2009, so those numbers weather real or not dont lie in terms of how well I perform on the machine. So dont worry if 1k calories is real or not, just look at it as if you really go HARD that is your number to beat next time, if your gym does not track numbers, keep track yourself so you know if you are getting better and performing better, they also help you to push yourself to go harder to beat the previous. But that is how I do it.

If you can talk to others you aint pushing hard enough, Push harder or go home, it's not time to chit chat, its time to kick azzz

Adrini

This is why I don't eat any workout calories. I knew the numbers were too high.

TennisQtpye

I burn about 1000 calories in two hours. Depends on the exercise I'm doing. My heart rate is at about 160 to 170. Sometimes when I'm doing HIIT it's 180. So it depends on the exercise and the intensity. Each person varies and it depends how much u weight.

iowachapman

Here is a calorie burn calculator.. based on what one is doing makes a difference, if someone is jogging for 45 minutes and weighs the same as someone walking for 45 minutes, the person who is jogging will burn more calories, the harder you push the more you will burn.. again, if you can talk, you aint pushing hard enough

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/calorie_calculator.htm

meganfoster12

It depends ont the exercise and size of person; I do an hour on the elliptical and burn 1000 calories an hour!

nettip

When I used this last year and lost 36lbs I was burning less cals than I am now ( I've gained over the year and half due to illness and meds) so weight deffo makes a difference

Mads1997

I suspect they are using the inflated numbers given by MFP.

This ^^ and they also include things like cleaning etc which should already be counted in daily activity.

perdie7

it depends on size, height, weight, intensity, and a number of different factors.


btw, you shouldn't be using your hrm for swimming. not only is it not accurate, it's not made for it.

the Monitor I bought is made for swimming, I look long and hard for one I could use in the pool. Why would it be less accurate in the pool than running? it has cut my calories count by 200 and hour, while swimming.

SpleenThief

They probably weigh more, or get their heart rate very high, or the common one they are overestimating.

A combination of these things.

At 226lbs I can burn about a thousand calories per hour running at a out a 9:30(ish) pace. That is probably a slight overestimation but not much. I've seen the math on a physiology site and it works out pretty well. Intense swimming is fairly close but probably closer to 750 or so per hour. Keep in mind that body comp factors in as well, muscular builds burn more than fatter people.

Myf is a rough guideline, nothing more. Hrm data is closer, but there's still going to be variance from one person to the next

Capt_Apollo

it depends on size, height, weight, intensity, and a number of different factors.


btw, you shouldn't be using your hrm for swimming. not only is it not accurate, it's not made for it.

the Monitor I bought is made for swimming, I look long and hard for one I could use in the pool. Why would it be less accurate in the pool than running? it has cut my calories count by 200 and hour, while swimming.

gotcha.

most heart rate monitors aren't made for swimming, the reason that they are less accurate, is that a lot of heart rate monitors will not transmit data to the wrist unit in water. This is due to the frequency of the transmitter and the transmission of the signal through water.

RotterdamNL

Dont go on calculators and stuff because those are rubbish, get a hrm that is ecg accurate. Mfp says my weekly goal is 1940cals and i am currently at 4691 and got 1 day left. I do 2 workouts every day, in the morning i do 30 day shred and in the evening Les Mills Combat :glasses:

bf43285

I have a Polar FT4, I burn 100 calories/10 minutes. My best workout was 1,000 in 90 minutes. I would say they are overestimating or doing some crazy things.