Weight lifting calories?

heybales

So, its been enlightening to learn more about HRM inaccuracies in measuring Weight Training calorie burn. Would the calorie burn still be with a high degree of inaccuracy if one lifts moderate to heavy weights with 30 seconds or so of interval between sets, almost making it a circuit training format?

Making it more circuit training, which usually means you can't lift that heavy because you never take enough of a rest to recover, does make it more aerobic, still up at the anaerobic line, so getting more and more inaccurate the closer you get.

The other aspect that will throw it off is the non-steady state part of it. It literally takes 2-5 min for the HR to reflect what it really needs to beat at to provided the required oxygen - and that is the basis for the calorie burn.
So if you watch on your next walk even, HR goes up high and then after a short bit drops back down. So for probably 2 out of 4 min, it was elevated by 10-15 bpm, looking like higher calories burn.
Now multiply that by a circuit training routine where it never gets to lower to true required state. So elevated probably 10-15 bpm from what is needed.
There's even another drop like that after a warmup you might say.
But then, if you watch the HR for a 60 min exact same pace effort that is not a killer, the HR slowly starts to rise, even though you are burning same amount of energy.

So it can be better, but still inflated. Some circuit training is much more cardio focus though, some lifting focused.

And some do their lifting throwing cardio in the rests because they think it helps burn more. Actually, it prevents them from recovering enough to push as hard as they could otherwise. And that means not as good a load placed on the muscles. Tired load, but not heavy load. So now they missed out on the real improvement and fat burn that comes later during good recovery.

rosichick

Ok, hate to dredge this up but what if you're doing weight lifting circuits with cardio bursts?

For instance, a superset:

Lat pulldowns
Deadlift, power clean, back squat
1 min run on treadmill at 10% incline, 5.5 mph

And you do that superset 3 times. I can't figure out, in a non-freak way, the strength and cardio portions to figure out calorie burn.

So normal rests during the lifting portions, and the cardio is only 1 min? Not enough cardio to worry about.

But for other stuff.

From an article somewhere out there on a body building site and others.

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.

I did the math and it would mean that i burnt about 315 calories just doing weights? By doing weights i mean like benching around 95 pounds at most, and weights of that sort, heavy for me.
I don't think that 315 calories burnt doing weights is correct. I mean I didnt know that i wasnt supposed to use my hrm during weight lifting, but it read that i only burn 270 calories; please let me know if i am wrong.

heybales

I did the math and it would mean that i burnt about 315 calories just doing weights? By doing weights i mean like benching around 95 pounds at most, and weights of that sort, heavy for me.
I don't think that 315 calories burnt doing weights is correct. I mean I didnt know that i wasnt supposed to use my hrm during weight lifting, but it read that i only burn 270 calories; please let me know if i am wrong.

Any estimate for lifting calories is highly subjective to your workout.
What are the rests between sets, between lifts, how long anaerobic on the lift, 5 reps or 15 reps, how fast a recovery and back to resting level, ect.

MFP is using a similar type calculation based on your weight and time. And it is similarly, probably even lower calorie estimate.
Take whichever low one you want - either is indeed more accurate than a HRM.

Just did the math, MFP appears to use for Strength Training/Weight lifting entry the following - 0.023 calories per lb per min.
Appears to be using the lifting with moderate effort level.

You just want to eat back something decent to give your body something good to use to repair with, and get stronger with, probably the reason for doing the lifting in the first place.

Did you select lifting with free weights at 0.039?

rosichick

I did the math and it would mean that i burnt about 315 calories just doing weights? By doing weights i mean like benching around 95 pounds at most, and weights of that sort, heavy for me.
I don't think that 315 calories burnt doing weights is correct. I mean I didnt know that i wasnt supposed to use my hrm during weight lifting, but it read that i only burn 270 calories; please let me know if i am wrong.

Any estimate for lifting calories is highly subjective to your workout.
What are the rests between sets, between lifts, how long anaerobic on the lift, 5 reps or 15 reps, how fast a recovery and back to resting level, ect.

MFP is using a similar type calculation based on your weight and time. And it is similarly, probably even lower calorie estimate.
Take whichever low one you want - either is indeed more accurate than a HRM.

Just did the math, MFP appears to use for Strength Training/Weight lifting entry the following - 0.023 calories per lb per min.
Appears to be using the lifting with moderate effort level.

You just want to eat back something decent to give your body something good to use to repair with, and get stronger with, probably the reason for doing the lifting in the first place.

Did you select lifting with free weights at 0.039?

Yes, I did select free weights because i don't think i did circuit training, as I was working out with two other guys who do lift a lot they kind of push me to do more.

For example today I worked on legs squatting about at most 90 pounds which took a lot of effort. I did about a 6 round set, for this I had to push myself through it; I did eat something back. From now on I will not be using my hrm to monitor my weight lifting; so instead i will be writing down my sets and rest time.

Thank you for educating me on this subject, which as you can tell I had no idea.

kapoorpk

So, its been enlightening to learn more about HRM inaccuracies in measuring Weight Training calorie burn. Would the calorie burn still be with a high degree of inaccuracy if one lifts moderate to heavy weights with 30 seconds or so of interval between sets, almost making it a circuit training format?

Making it more circuit training, which usually means you can't lift that heavy because you never take enough of a rest to recover, does make it more aerobic, still up at the anaerobic line, so getting more and more inaccurate the closer you get.

The other aspect that will throw it off is the non-steady state part of it. It literally takes 2-5 min for the HR to reflect what it really needs to beat at to provided the required oxygen - and that is the basis for the calorie burn.
So if you watch on your next walk even, HR goes up high and then after a short bit drops back down. So for probably 2 out of 4 min, it was elevated by 10-15 bpm, looking like higher calories burn.
Now multiply that by a circuit training routine where it never gets to lower to true required state. So elevated probably 10-15 bpm from what is needed.
There's even another drop like that after a warmup you might say.
But then, if you watch the HR for a 60 min exact same pace effort that is not a killer, the HR slowly starts to rise, even though you are burning same amount of energy.

So it can be better, but still inflated. Some circuit training is much more cardio focus though, some lifting focused.

And some do their lifting throwing cardio in the rests because they think it helps burn more. Actually, it prevents them from recovering enough to push as hard as they could otherwise. And that means not as good a load placed on the muscles. Tired load, but not heavy load. So now they missed out on the real improvement and fat burn that comes later during good recovery.

Ok, that's helpful, but takes me a back to my original position. Although, I learned more about why its claimed to be inaccurate when lifting, it really depends how you are doing the lifting. SO, if you are lifting to bulk up using heavier weights, you would want to rest longer between sets allowing muscles to recover and so on, but if you are just trying to build muscle endurance and maintain or moderately grow muscle mass, increase fat burn in total, using a circuit training type of low rest between reps would create the effect of an aerobic workout, making it more accurate. SO, that's the answer...not so much of lifting vs. not but how aerobic the activity is and thus, greater the aerobic activity, higher the HRM calorie burn accuracy. AGREE?

heybales

Ok, that's helpful, but takes me a back to my original position. Although, I learned more about why its claimed to be inaccurate when lifting, it really depends how you are doing the lifting. SO, if you are lifting to bulk up using heavier weights, you would want to rest longer between sets allowing muscles to recover and so on, but if you are just trying to build muscle endurance and maintain or moderately grow muscle mass, increase fat burn in total, using a circuit training type of low rest between reps would create the effect of an aerobic workout, making it more accurate. SO, that's the answer...not so much of lifting vs. not but how aerobic the activity is and thus, greater the aerobic activity, higher the HRM calorie burn accuracy. AGREE?

Agree, keeping that HR steady through the whole thing within probably 10-20 bpm will help immensely.