Does it matter type of exercise when calories are burned?

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Guamybear
Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
The reason i ask.. is I am doing Insanity but rarely burn 400 calories a session..and when I did Zumba I would burn close to 500 in the same amount of time.

Are the calories burned during a workout any different depending on the workout?? Hope that made sense.. I know the exercises are totally different but they both are cardio workouts..

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  • farsteve
    farsteve Posts: 157 Member
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    I think a calorie burned is a calorie burned regardless of the exercise. Walking a mile burns about the same as running a mile. One exercise may have more of a cardio value but still, a calorie burned is a calorie burned.
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
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    that's what I figured.. it is basically the type of exercise that has the effect on your body?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Calories burned depends on absolute intensity of the exercise (i.e. oxygen uptake) times body weight. Those are the only relevant factors.

    Intensity can be affected by the TYPE of exercise being performed. Especially when it comes to group exercise classes or other types of "mixed" workouts--such as exercise DVDs--exercise intensity can be significantly affected by the experience of the user, the ability/coordination of the user, the fitness level of the user, the specific movements used in the class, the skill of the instructor, the choreography, etc.

    There are quite a few variables involved. Throw the extra variables of HRM calorie estimates (which have their OWN issues) and you have....well.....a lot of variables that makes general comparisons between generic types of classes difficult to make.

    That being said, if one can work at the same absolute intensity, then calories burned should be the same, regardless of the exercise activity. As I mentioned, the tricky part of determining whether or not the absolute intensity is the same--that is something the average exerciser can't do, even with an HRM.

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